Kelly Slater was eliminated in the 2nd round of the Rip Curl Pro in Portugal by wild card entry Frederico Morais. Now Mick Fanning can clinch the title if a few scenarios play out. Fanning needs to finish better than 3rd, and Taj Burrow, Jordy Smith, and Joel Parkinson all need to fail to make it to the finals. 

Even if Fanning doesn't clinch the title in Portugal, Slater still has to make it to the finals at Pipeline to stay in contention. It's going to be interesting to see how this plays out, but as of now Fanning is looking like the potential champ this year.

So what does the government shutdown mean to you? Nothing. What does it mean to Darren Harper and local Washington, DC skaters? No pesky security guards chasing them off some government parks and grounds. The Wall Street Journal is reporting that it is open season on the Capitol's best skate spots. Low, smooth, stone benches and railings make for some amazing street skating. Check out the video below.

1. According the a Wall Street Journal report, the ball is in play only 11 minutes in a 174 minute broadcast of a game. You could surf for 2 hours and watch the 11 minutes on your DVR!

2. Retired surfers tend to make less money but stay in the industry working for old sponsors and even write books. Whereas 78% of NFL players end up bankrupt after 5yrs of retirement, or worse.

3. The average temperature of North America is above 54 degrees until late October, why would anyone want to be inside? (I'll give a pass to people actually going to the games, but only if they are in  real stadiums and not enclosed domes).

4. Want to support your team and still look cool? Compromise and buy a pair of Quik's boardies.

5. Paddling and surfing will help you live longer than couch-surfing with wings and beer.

6. If you really feel the need, get a friendly game of two hand touch going after a surf session, like these guys below...

The DailyMail UK is reporting that amateur photographer Matt Hutton was shooting pics in Wickham, Australia when a normal surf session turned epic. Hutton was taking pics of surfer Trent Sherbourne when a pod of dolphins decided to drop in on him, and jump out in front of him. Just when we think we're riding the best technology on the best weaves, mother natures sends us a reminder that we share the ocean with others who can surf, swim, and jump better than we ever can. 

Taj Burrow defeated Julian Wilson in the finals of the Hurley Pro at Trestles. It came down to wave selection. Most of the day was mushy waist to chest high sets, but Taj choose the good ones and ended with a high scoring wave. Late in the heat an outside set that broke early, Julian Wilson had to duck dive under it, but Taj was still able to catch it as it reformed and threw 2 fins out, frontside snaps securing his victory.

Mick Fanning now leads the ASP Tour with 41,900 points and Kelly Slater is in second place with 40,700. The Quiksilver Pro in France starts on September 26, let's hope Slater wins in France just like he did last year and takes back that #1 spot.

In a very uncharacteristic round 3, Kelly Slater and Joel Parkinson were knocked very early at the Hurley Pro today at Trestles. Slater lost to Pat Gudauskas, and poor conditions are slightly to blame. Slater lost by less than 1 point, but could only muster a 7.7 and 7.1 on almost a dozen waves. Whereas Gudauskas only got 3 waves, but they were waves of the day, and his 8.50 and 7.07 were enough take out Slater. Parko lost to Adam Melling by a total of almost 4 points. 

With Slater and Parko out, Mick Fanning looks like the favorite to win the event, and will very likely take over the number 1 spot on tour after this event.

So we're not huge fans of Nike being in the surfing business. They've cut ties with all surfers and moved them over to the Hurley brand, and pulled all sponsorship from contests this year. But apparently they still have a snowboard team...for now. And for 24 hours they are putting their latest snowboard film, Never Not, online for free. I like snowboarding but I hate winter, so maybe after watching this film the slightly cooler fall temperatures won't seem so bad compared to snow on the ground. The soundtrack for this film is pretty good too, it has the Rolling Stones, Black Rob, and T.S.O.L.

1. Less crowds. Fall means more people have to do things like yard work, watch football on Sundays, and finish homework by Monday. All of which should thin out the lineup.

2. The water is still warm. You can trunk it well into September, even if you need a hoodie when you get out.

3. You can call out sick from work and people will actually believe you.

4. Hurricane season! (it's double edged sword, so let's hope they all stay offshore)

5. No restrictions, all beaches are surfing beaches.

6. Less traffic. With family summer vacations coming to an end, the highways open up so you can get to your secret spot even faster.

7. Better wetsuit technology every year, makes surfing in 60 degree water very comfortable.

8. Bonfires to warm up after a session.

9. There's still day light after work, day light savings time doesn't end until November.

10. Dressing up and surfing like a complete jackass on Halloween. See the  Lowers Raid video below for an example.

The full list is at RedBull.com but here are some of the good reasons why BMX is better than football.

1. Fantasy BMX teams do not exist. We keep it real.

6. BMX keeps progressing but football has pretty much stayed the same since the NFL was founded in 1920. Boring.

10. A good play in football often results in a smack on the butt from teammates (not that there’s anything wrong with that). BMXers can simply pound fists or give a high-five for a good trick.