General Sports

[lt]

Interesting, francie. I guess I should say I think more of the old Ravens as Raiders East and not lump the Falcons in there as well. I just thought of the recent Falcons as a star-driven franchise--which, of course, could be completely wrong. And really, before the dog fighting stuff, I thought Vick was not great for the Falcons simply because forming the team around his (or anyone's) talent isn't the best idea. And you're right, they weren't a team that was filled with superstars, it just felt like a team that wanted to be (hello Cowboys). Heck, I had liked the Falcons when Jim Mora Jr. was the coach because I went to high school with his younger brother and my mom was friendly with his mom (go Seahawks!). Could not agree more about Petrino--came in like an ass, went out like an ass.

Oops, I grew up on the Jersey side of Philadelphia (Marlton, near Cherry Hill and Mount Laurel). Although we certainly headed in your general direction (kind of) going to the King of Prussia mall! (As if the three malls within 20 minutes of my house weren't enough.)

[francienolan]

Michael Vick's superlative athletic skill set made a lot people who should have known better absolutely delirious . Whether that skill set stunted his ability to learn the game, or if he was just intellectually incapable of handling the nuances of the west coast offensive is debatable. Though everything that has come out makes the case that he is just dumb, and a lying psycho path to boot.

We experienced a schizophrenic coaching change, from Mora to Petrino and like most things extremes are never good. Mora was a coddler, one of the anecdotal tales form his tenure here involves DeAngelo Hall. There was a team charity function, most of the team took a bus to what I believe was a bowling alley. Well Mora arrived with Hall in Hall's yellow sports car (my husband is the true fanatic and could supply me with the make and model but he's not here!) That was indicative of his relationship with his "special" players and needless to say didn't sit well with the rank and file. I think the mistakes he made (along with some questionable front office moves, and as you pointed out the high wire act of having your franchise live and die on the back of one person) were the result of a young coach, hopefully for the Seahawks fans he's ironed out the kinks.

Bobby Petrino's reign of psychological chicanery is absolutely comical in retrospect. He wouldn't speak to people when passing them in the halls and had a silent mandate during team meals. Now my daughter attends a Quaker school so I'm a big advocate for silent meeting but to expect grown ass men to adhere to your high school coach tyranny is beyond the pale.

In Coach Smith we have our very own Coach Taylor (Friday Night Lights reference if you're not a fan) I could go on and on about how wonderful he is but I'll suffice it to say that the the coach of the year award couldn't have gone to a better man.

[lt]

Oh boy am I a fan (Friday Night Lights). Cannot wait for next Friday when it is finally back (no DirecTV) and I would love my own, personal, Coach Taylor.

Good story about Mora Jr. Funny thing about that family--they love Seattle. They were there for years with Sr. and went back like homing pigeons from wherever they ended up, so I think Jr. will be better there than he was in Atlanta or San Francisco.

(eta: the funny thing is, the reason my mom became friendly with Mrs. Mora was because my mom was writing a book--never finished--about the wives of men who get transferred all the time. It is interesting that the sons kept going back to where they had lived the most years.)

[tikigirl]

I saw this NFL article today and thought of you, lt.

[falafaclese]

Jan 7, 2009 16:36:17 GMT lt said:

Falafaclese, I know you aren't a big NFL fan but, living in that DC/Baltimore area, how has the fan base reacted to those same decisions by the Ravens? Once again, I never thought I would root for the Ravens and was heartsick when Ray Rice was drafted by them but, dang it, they were also really rootable this year--a nice solid team.

I honestly don't know lt, I don't follow it well enough to actively engage in conversations about team choices, etc.. I usually know who's had a big win, or who's doing well or likely to make the playoffs but I rarely pay enough attention to notice staffing changes or remember names outside of the major players.

[tikigirl]

Fucking hell, what kind of bad karma do I have, to deserve Joe Buck's Big!Sports!Voice! announcing? Maybe it's time to press the SAP button and learn football Spanish.

[lt]

Heh, Tiki, when I saw it was Moose, Goose and Kenny for the Panthers/Cardinals game the very first thought I had was "oh crap, my dad is going to be pissed tomorrow" (he HATES Aikman). And, can I just say, I LOVE Harry Carson. I was an LT fan (obviously) but Carson was the man. And, while I would agree that the Eagle and Giants players might not hate each other, the fans sure do--because of that proximity that Carson is talking about. ESPN even did a little piece before the game on how this was a New Jersey game and not a Philly/New York game. The funniest part was when they went to a Modell's halfway through the state that was selling both Eagles and Giants jerseys--and talked about how many fights the management have to break up. Thanks for posting the article.

I'd say congrats Tiki, but I'm too unhappy with my own team right now. I don't think I can count the number of times I said "stupid Giants" throughout the day/evening last night. At least the Steelers won. Oh, and I immediately went to my TiVo wish list to see how much AO ESPN2 was going to have--turns out a heck of a lot.

[francienolan]

I'll have to give you my condolences LT b/c my baby brother isn't taking phone calls...

And who knew that the Cards were playing possum the last half of the season!

[tikigirl]

Sorry, lt, I know how much it sucks (Philly hasn't given me a Super Bowl yet). I remember the year Tampa Bay beat the Eagles in the NFC Championship, and my Tampa Bay friend called me literally five minutes after the game ended. She was a newbie fan, but that was bad etiquette, IMO. She kept repeating, "But aren't you happy for me?" I was like, "NO, as a matter of fact! I'm sad for me!"

I also don't like any of the other teams left, so I'm screwed if Philly loses. Let me see, there's the Baltimore Murderers, I mean, Ravens; the Pittsburgh Concussions, I mean, Steelers (sorry, apocalipstick!); and the Cards' Warner is so Jesused up, he freaks me out.

I want baseball!

[lt]

my baby brother isn't taking phone calls...

HA! When I walked in to work this morning everyone came to me to tell me they couldn't talk about it (then I made them). I'm the opposite--I like to talk through my disappointment and I really did force everyone to go along. I'm mean. . . or therapeutic. Give me your brother's phone number, I'll get him to open up (hee).

Speaking of Jesused up. . . how about Florida's Tim Tebow? He freaks me out. He's so good and so big (and, when bloodied, so good looking) but oh vey! From the under-eye black with the passage number written on it to the telling prisoners he will shake their hands if they accept God into their lives--he just freaks me out. I would be fine with the belief and the missionary work and all that but he pushes it.

I'm still looking forward to the games this weekend--I love the Steelers and that matchup with the Ravens should be a doozy. And, heh, I've even got my dad rooting for Ray Rice. He didn't play (again) this weekend but when I talked to my dad about thinking that Rice lost out because McClain did so well when Rice was injured my dad replied that he thought there were a lot of plays where the fireplug Rice would have been a better choice.

Now, sorry Tiki, I'm rooting for the Cardinals on Sunday. I liked Warner as our QB for that little bit in 2004 and thought he got shafted by the Golden boy Eli (who I love just fine, but I did not think he was prepared so early). If the Eagles win on Sunday I promise--my first thought will be "good for Tiki!" And, I cannot even root for McNabb because that phone call at the end of the game yesterday was bush league.

[tikigirl]

Tim Tebow...yeah, I'll pass. Totally disturbing.

If the Eagles win on Sunday I promise--my first thought will be "good for Tiki!"

Aww, you don't have to go that far, lt!

And, I cannot even root for McNabb because that phone call at the end of the game yesterday was bush league.

You know, it was just so fucking...stupid. I don't think Donovan's the brightest light on the Christmas tree. I did wonder if the ever-ridiculous Joe Buck would go on a rant about it, like his never-to-be-forgotten shit-fit over Randy Moss and the Fake Mooning Incident ("the most disgusting thing" -- for fuck's sake, Joe, ever heard of rape? war? famine? genocide?).

[oopssorry]

Heh. I didn't know the name Joe Buck before yesterday, but my friends kept comparing the incidents and the JB response. I can tell you as a non-football fan but someone massively-snowed-in-for-months-with-small-children who has been watching recently, I didn't think the incident was even really noteworthy - or at least not for more than a sarcastic chuckle. It kind of felt like Andy "clearing the air" behind him when that camera fell during the Roger match. Like frat-boy humor.

Again, football ignoramus here, so take with cup of salt.

[tikigirl]

Okay, insomnia's a bitch, but I would've been wondering anyway: Rickey Henderson got into the MLB Hall of Fame with 94.8% of the vote. I want to know what fuckwits make up the other 5.2%. PLEASE.

[lt]

Well, there is a reason and, while it may seem silly--baseball is all about tradition and such: as long as Babe Ruth (and Willie Mays) were not let in with 100% of the voting, no one will be. I'm just always curious about the guy(s) who have to vote "no" just to keep it from being unanimous. Do they draw straws? Flip coins? Are there secret meetings?

[francienolan]

LT my husband and I were having the same conversation. Are the "no" voters permanently designated or is it a candidate by candidate thing

It'll be interesting to see if any of the MLB fat cats (my beloved Mets included) get any bang for their buck in the post season.

And my brother's grief knows no bounds. He is a big time Knicks fan, so his sporting triumvirate (which includes the Mets) is bleak going into the spring!