When Tom Brady's final, fourth down pass was broken up, sealing the Giants win, I turned off the TV and left the room.
I'm allowed. I was a spectator.
But when that happened on the field.... Patriots coach Bill Bellicheck also left the building. Quick shake of Coughlin's hand and out the door, even thought the refs tried to call him back because the game wasnt over - a second was being put back on the clock.
Worse than that - Tom Brady also left, without shaking Eli's hand. Indeed, according to reports I've read, the only person on the field at the end of the game to congratualte their opponents was Randy Moss - the guy who' been ripped in the media (deservedly) for walking out on his team with a few seconds to go, a couple of years ago.
Today, everything's making a big deal of the Giants, and commenting on the loss of the perfect season for the Patriots...but no one's really pointing out the bad sportsmanship that came at the end (although it was mentioned quite a bit in the writeups last night.)
I wanted the Patriots to lose and I was glad they did. I've disliked Bill Bellicheck all year. All year I've read about his arrogance and his rudeness...and he showed it again last night. I just hope that his rudeness doesn't start a trend...much like a single spike of the football in the endzone several years ago ignited what we have today, offensive and defensive players partying after each play they make as if the rest of the team didn't exist.
Be interesting to see the fallout between Randy Moss and the Patriots, and between Tom Brady and his girl-friend of the month - maybe she'll drift over to Eli Manning's side now... (that's not a rip on the guys, but rather on the empty headed models who want to be seen with the flavor of the month quarterback.)
Well...bring on the baseball!
Monday, February 4, 2008
Sunday, February 3, 2008
$1 Mil a minute and this crap is the best they can do?
I've been watching Superbowl 42. Game's good, commercials are lousy.
TO see them:
Superbowl Commercials at Myspace - NFL's official site
I have seen at least three commercials that were sexist and demeaning to women - including one in which an extremely plain young woman (made up to be extremely plain, not really extremely plain) draws all eyes, because instead of wearing perfume she wears cashew nut aroma)
and a commercial in which a lot of immigrants with furrin accents are being taught how to pick up women... and of course the winner is a short, plain Korean guy with a beautiful blond model, all because he knows how to say Bud Light. Can't believe immigrant groups aren't going to make a fuss over that...it was demeaning!
On a brighter note, looks like the Giants defense came to play....
TO see them:
Superbowl Commercials at Myspace - NFL's official site
I have seen at least three commercials that were sexist and demeaning to women - including one in which an extremely plain young woman (made up to be extremely plain, not really extremely plain) draws all eyes, because instead of wearing perfume she wears cashew nut aroma)
and a commercial in which a lot of immigrants with furrin accents are being taught how to pick up women... and of course the winner is a short, plain Korean guy with a beautiful blond model, all because he knows how to say Bud Light. Can't believe immigrant groups aren't going to make a fuss over that...it was demeaning!
On a brighter note, looks like the Giants defense came to play....
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Michael Wilbon has angioplasty
Just read this news on a message board. No link to the source article was provided, but found a brief mention confirming it at Sports Media Watch.
I knew he hadn't been on Pardon the Interuption for a couple of days but I just assumed he was on vacation.
Here's to a quick recovery, Mr. Wilbon! It's the banter and rapport between you and Tony Kornheiser that makes the show!
Michael Wilbon, who co-hosts ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption" and
writes a column for The Washington Post, remained hospitalized Tuesday, a day after undergoing an angioplasty in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Wilbon was taken to a Scottsdale-area hospital early Monday morning. Doctors found a minor blockage in one of his arteries and performed the angioplasty.
He is expected to leave the hospital soon, possibly as early as Wednesday.
Wilbon missed the airing of Monday's episode of "PTI" and was replaced by ESPN.com's J.A. Adande, who co-hosted with Tony Kornheiser via satellite from San Francisco. A possible date for Wilbon's return to the show is unknown.
I knew he hadn't been on Pardon the Interuption for a couple of days but I just assumed he was on vacation.
Here's to a quick recovery, Mr. Wilbon! It's the banter and rapport between you and Tony Kornheiser that makes the show!
Why most athletes are scum bags
The Seattle Times is doing a series of exposes on the 2000 Washington Husky team that won the Rose Bowl, despite the fact that it had some horrible human beings on their roster.
To Huskies fans a tragic hero, to the courts a wanted felon
Curtis Williams, a guy who consistently beat his wife (who, it enrages me to say, quite often denied that he had done so! Jesus christ!), and yet was given pass after pass by the athletic department.
Convicted of assault and accused of rape, star player received raft of second chances
Then we've got this guy, Jerramy Stevens, still alive, going to be playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next year, a "good man."
So.... why are most athletes scum bags? Because they've been pampered all their lives. They do something bad when they're young, that most "normal" people would get thrown in jail for, and they're given a free pass. Over and over again. So they don't grow as human beings, they dont' ever learn their lessons... then they get into the professional leagues, where they're making tons of money, and they believe the rules don't apply to them - because they never have before.
The athlete ultimately has to take responsibility for his (or her) own actions, but a lot of the blame has to go to all his or her enablers over the years...
To Huskies fans a tragic hero, to the courts a wanted felon
Curtis Williams, a guy who consistently beat his wife (who, it enrages me to say, quite often denied that he had done so! Jesus christ!), and yet was given pass after pass by the athletic department.
Convicted of assault and accused of rape, star player received raft of second chances
Then we've got this guy, Jerramy Stevens, still alive, going to be playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers next year, a "good man."
So.... why are most athletes scum bags? Because they've been pampered all their lives. They do something bad when they're young, that most "normal" people would get thrown in jail for, and they're given a free pass. Over and over again. So they don't grow as human beings, they dont' ever learn their lessons... then they get into the professional leagues, where they're making tons of money, and they believe the rules don't apply to them - because they never have before.
The athlete ultimately has to take responsibility for his (or her) own actions, but a lot of the blame has to go to all his or her enablers over the years...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
If I were a football prognosticator, I'd be fired
I didn't think the Chargers could beat the Pats, but I wanted them to...and I really thought the Packers would take it to the Giants...
Chargers gave a good account of themselves, but that one underthrown ball by Rivers which turned into an interception really hurt them.
Favre's interception in OT - silly, silly, silly...but at least Tynes was able to redeem himself...
I hope the Giants can beat the Patriots...but I'm not sanguine.
On a side note, my bete noir - the people at the Summitt, strike again. Vanderbilt, another Knoxville, TN basketball team, played the Lady Vols and of course were beat. The Summitteers hate Vanderbilt...the only reasons I can think of is that Vanderbilt is a more expensive college to get into, and when Tennessee goes to Vanderbilt to play in their gym...Vandy has the temerity to raise the prices for the game.
Of course...the fact that Tennessee itself - not women's basketball but the football teams - raise their prices when they're playing in-conference - that just goes over their heads.
Anyway, Vanderbilt has a bowling team, and apparently they've won a women's National Championship in bowling. So a few of the pure sportswomen on the Summitt who were at the game, had little posters they'd made, making fun of Vandy, in particular, "Enjoy your bowling championship."
Small, petty, poor sportsmanship, but there's a whole thread about this on the Summitt where they're just laughing and thinking that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Unfortunately, the chances of UConn and Tennessee meeting in a title game have gone down a bit. UConn has lost two of its best starters to ACLS, and they've been replaced by inexperienced freshmen. So...we'll see.
And on a side note, another comment about sportsmanship at the Summitt... some game was on TV a few days ago, and of course the sportscasters brought up the cancelled UConn-Tennessee game. Something like, "This could be the most important game of the season," and the other sportscaster said, "That used tobe the UConn-Tennessee game.)
"Sportscasters should just talk about the game and not make personal remarks," the Summitteers whine. (I paraphrase.)
But you just know, if the UConn-TN game had not been cancelled, and the sportcasters had made that remark without saying that the UConn-TN game was the game of the season, the Summitteers would have been all over them for not saying it.
Ah, you've just got to laugh...
Chargers gave a good account of themselves, but that one underthrown ball by Rivers which turned into an interception really hurt them.
Favre's interception in OT - silly, silly, silly...but at least Tynes was able to redeem himself...
I hope the Giants can beat the Patriots...but I'm not sanguine.
On a side note, my bete noir - the people at the Summitt, strike again. Vanderbilt, another Knoxville, TN basketball team, played the Lady Vols and of course were beat. The Summitteers hate Vanderbilt...the only reasons I can think of is that Vanderbilt is a more expensive college to get into, and when Tennessee goes to Vanderbilt to play in their gym...Vandy has the temerity to raise the prices for the game.
Of course...the fact that Tennessee itself - not women's basketball but the football teams - raise their prices when they're playing in-conference - that just goes over their heads.
Anyway, Vanderbilt has a bowling team, and apparently they've won a women's National Championship in bowling. So a few of the pure sportswomen on the Summitt who were at the game, had little posters they'd made, making fun of Vandy, in particular, "Enjoy your bowling championship."
Small, petty, poor sportsmanship, but there's a whole thread about this on the Summitt where they're just laughing and thinking that it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Unfortunately, the chances of UConn and Tennessee meeting in a title game have gone down a bit. UConn has lost two of its best starters to ACLS, and they've been replaced by inexperienced freshmen. So...we'll see.
And on a side note, another comment about sportsmanship at the Summitt... some game was on TV a few days ago, and of course the sportscasters brought up the cancelled UConn-Tennessee game. Something like, "This could be the most important game of the season," and the other sportscaster said, "That used tobe the UConn-Tennessee game.)
"Sportscasters should just talk about the game and not make personal remarks," the Summitteers whine. (I paraphrase.)
But you just know, if the UConn-TN game had not been cancelled, and the sportcasters had made that remark without saying that the UConn-TN game was the game of the season, the Summitteers would have been all over them for not saying it.
Ah, you've just got to laugh...
Friday, January 18, 2008
Making avalanches out of a snowflake
Golfweek editor booted over cover featuring noose
Tiger Woods was not offended by Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman' "lynching" commenet, but that's not good enough. She's apologized for some ill-chosen words - that's not good enough. The Golf Channel's suspended her for 2 weeks, and Al Sharpton of course wants her fired.
For a simple joke.
Now we've got the Golfweek editor who has been fired because of the cover featuring the noose. And why? The article certainly didn't condone lynching, it apparently was simply discussing the comment and the reaction to it... and yet the editor gets it in the neck because of it.
I think the time has come. No commentator will ever be able to make a joke again. I'm reminded of the guy who was fired because he made a comment about his wallet when he was doing a show with Lou Pinella, and Pinella is of Mexican heritage and decided that all Mexicans had been insulted by that simple joke.
It is such a joy to listen to Pardon the Interuption - you've got a white guy and a black guy who are good friends - or at least seem to be - and can tease and joke with each other and know that everything that's said is taken "in the spirit that it is meant." That's the key phrase.
I'm also reminded - although this doesn't have anything to do with sports - of a news article I just read, that was published in England a couple of years ago. England has quite a large Muslim population, and they have power. They also don't like pork. So Piglet is banned from T-shirts, and even from TV - mustn't offend the Muslims. Their religion must be respected. The fact that the vast majority of people don't have a problem with pork and are Christian - well, their religion or beliefs - that Piglet is just one of the sweetest characters ever created - need not be respected.
And apparently chocolate and vanilla swirl cones are banned as well, because the swirl looks like the symbol for Allah and that of course is blasphemy....
We live in a scary world, and its only getting scarier.
Tiger Woods was not offended by Golf Channel anchor Kelly Tilghman' "lynching" commenet, but that's not good enough. She's apologized for some ill-chosen words - that's not good enough. The Golf Channel's suspended her for 2 weeks, and Al Sharpton of course wants her fired.
For a simple joke.
Now we've got the Golfweek editor who has been fired because of the cover featuring the noose. And why? The article certainly didn't condone lynching, it apparently was simply discussing the comment and the reaction to it... and yet the editor gets it in the neck because of it.
I think the time has come. No commentator will ever be able to make a joke again. I'm reminded of the guy who was fired because he made a comment about his wallet when he was doing a show with Lou Pinella, and Pinella is of Mexican heritage and decided that all Mexicans had been insulted by that simple joke.
It is such a joy to listen to Pardon the Interuption - you've got a white guy and a black guy who are good friends - or at least seem to be - and can tease and joke with each other and know that everything that's said is taken "in the spirit that it is meant." That's the key phrase.
I'm also reminded - although this doesn't have anything to do with sports - of a news article I just read, that was published in England a couple of years ago. England has quite a large Muslim population, and they have power. They also don't like pork. So Piglet is banned from T-shirts, and even from TV - mustn't offend the Muslims. Their religion must be respected. The fact that the vast majority of people don't have a problem with pork and are Christian - well, their religion or beliefs - that Piglet is just one of the sweetest characters ever created - need not be respected.
And apparently chocolate and vanilla swirl cones are banned as well, because the swirl looks like the symbol for Allah and that of course is blasphemy....
We live in a scary world, and its only getting scarier.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
You think you've got problems?
http://www.sportsline.com/tennis/story/10577428/1
Sania Mirza is a tennis player from India. She's a good one. But she's also a woman who comes from a Muslim country, and Muslims don't like women to show their faces, let alone their bodies, and instead of being proud of their tennis star, a lot of Indians are upset with her. And if a fundamentalist Muslim gets upset...look out.
She's a very courageous woman, and I hope she's able to live her life safely and successfully...and that other women in India and other Muslim countries can also start living.
Sania Mirza is a tennis player from India. She's a good one. But she's also a woman who comes from a Muslim country, and Muslims don't like women to show their faces, let alone their bodies, and instead of being proud of their tennis star, a lot of Indians are upset with her. And if a fundamentalist Muslim gets upset...look out.
She's a very courageous woman, and I hope she's able to live her life safely and successfully...and that other women in India and other Muslim countries can also start living.
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