There are 2,300,025 internet sites dealing with the NFL Draft, but CBSsports.com has one of the best right here. Reading stories about the NFL, one soon realizes that Bill Belichick has become a modern day legend when it comes to the draft. Through what are seen as shrewd trades catering to other teams "win now" compulsion, the Patriots get more later for one now. Such far sighted moves have netted the Patriots 2 first round draft choices this year, but Rob Rand of CBS sports says to expect another trade down approach to the draft this year "to assure he'll be in a position of power again next year."
This Rand guy thinks the Seahawks will take Locker after everyone else passes on him. Cause he's "a local product" and I agree that starting locker would almost certainly increase local interest, but only until he threw too many interceptions. Sure his family and a few close friends might stand by him, and there are always a few who would be patient to the point of masocism, but most would turn on Locker like a school of sharks on a wounded sister in a feeding frenzy with three consecutive losses.
So I am guessing Pete Carroll will use his best judgment on Locker's potential and pass on him if they evaluate him lacking in some essential talent. If he survives to our slot that would indicate every other team had found such a flaw.
In any case, Mock drafts and dreaming of your team getting "the missing piece" is the sports fan equivalent of romance novels. Trashy and fun.
Soggyblogger
Thursday, January 13, 2011
PONTIFICATION v.1
This will become a recurring section of this blog where I pontificate on various subjects. For now, I will try to restrict myself to sports items.
FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES OR A PLAY-OFF SYSTEM?:
Bowl games.
The excitement of March Madness is often cited as justification for a football playoff system, but what is forgotten in this argument is the difference between the two sports. Specifically the physical demands and the increased risk of injury to the players. These guys are NOT being paid, and a playoff system would require them to add how many games? For a 16 team football playoff the top two teams would play 4 extra games. For an 8 team field the top two teams would play 3 extra games. Most conferrenses are going to in-conferrence playoff systems which already adds extra games to an already injury filled season.
Unless teams agreed to reduce their regular season schedule by one or more games, I cannot see a playoff system as being warranted.
Advantages of a playoff system? There would be a clear winner. Disadvantages? Everyone else is a loser.
Advantages of the bowl system? With 35 bowl games there are 35 winning programs at the end of the season and 35 losers. In a playoff system with 32 teams involved, 16 of them would be one and out - so if they had shortened their season to accomodate a playoff system now they play fewer games than before the change. And ultimately, only one winner. Fans may see a clear winner of a playoff system as satisfying, but the players as a whole are not served, and they are risking a lot for their fans.
Along these lines, Soggyblogger advocates a pay system for college football, basketball and any major sports which are paying their way and then some. The current system acts as an "attractive nuissance" which encourages, even almost compels the breaking of the rules for recruitment and scholarships which do not adequately compensate the players for their contribution to a money-making machine.
The current system results in lavish training facilities about the only legal place to spend money on players and impress them enough to attend those schools, and while the students get by as best they can, their coaches are paid on a scale close to the NFL coaches level. Players enjoy gold plated showers and high tech jacuzzi's, but then either take part time jobs to supplement their incomes or have someone else punch the clock for them and place the school and their eligibility at risk. Playing by the rules is much tougher on the students from middle income families and below.
The current bowl system has its problems, but a playoff system would amount to massive change of such proportions as to be disruptive to the sport as a whole, but the additional risk of injury to the players is, to me, a deal breaker. Keep the bowls.
On a related note: If the NCAA wants the recruitment rules followed by one and all, they would need to penalize coaches responsible by banning them from coaching NCAA schools following recruiting violations. As it is today, we see coaches spend a few years or more in a program until that program gets caught breaking the recruiting rules, and has sanctions applied to the school, and then leave the school for another program with no sanctions. In Pete Carroll's case, whether he knew sanctions were coming or not, he escaped to the NFL, but that escape route is quite limited.
So says Soggyblogger.
FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES OR A PLAY-OFF SYSTEM?:
Bowl games.
The excitement of March Madness is often cited as justification for a football playoff system, but what is forgotten in this argument is the difference between the two sports. Specifically the physical demands and the increased risk of injury to the players. These guys are NOT being paid, and a playoff system would require them to add how many games? For a 16 team football playoff the top two teams would play 4 extra games. For an 8 team field the top two teams would play 3 extra games. Most conferrenses are going to in-conferrence playoff systems which already adds extra games to an already injury filled season.
Unless teams agreed to reduce their regular season schedule by one or more games, I cannot see a playoff system as being warranted.
Advantages of a playoff system? There would be a clear winner. Disadvantages? Everyone else is a loser.
Advantages of the bowl system? With 35 bowl games there are 35 winning programs at the end of the season and 35 losers. In a playoff system with 32 teams involved, 16 of them would be one and out - so if they had shortened their season to accomodate a playoff system now they play fewer games than before the change. And ultimately, only one winner. Fans may see a clear winner of a playoff system as satisfying, but the players as a whole are not served, and they are risking a lot for their fans.
Along these lines, Soggyblogger advocates a pay system for college football, basketball and any major sports which are paying their way and then some. The current system acts as an "attractive nuissance" which encourages, even almost compels the breaking of the rules for recruitment and scholarships which do not adequately compensate the players for their contribution to a money-making machine.
The current system results in lavish training facilities about the only legal place to spend money on players and impress them enough to attend those schools, and while the students get by as best they can, their coaches are paid on a scale close to the NFL coaches level. Players enjoy gold plated showers and high tech jacuzzi's, but then either take part time jobs to supplement their incomes or have someone else punch the clock for them and place the school and their eligibility at risk. Playing by the rules is much tougher on the students from middle income families and below.
The current bowl system has its problems, but a playoff system would amount to massive change of such proportions as to be disruptive to the sport as a whole, but the additional risk of injury to the players is, to me, a deal breaker. Keep the bowls.
On a related note: If the NCAA wants the recruitment rules followed by one and all, they would need to penalize coaches responsible by banning them from coaching NCAA schools following recruiting violations. As it is today, we see coaches spend a few years or more in a program until that program gets caught breaking the recruiting rules, and has sanctions applied to the school, and then leave the school for another program with no sanctions. In Pete Carroll's case, whether he knew sanctions were coming or not, he escaped to the NFL, but that escape route is quite limited.
So says Soggyblogger.
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
u carebears are just scurrrred lil cubbies
The following story appeared on the nbcchicago website in an article written by a guy named Ben Bowman, and titled:
Here is the full story:
Pffffft. Tee-hee. Mmmmph. We're about to play... the... huh-huh... Seaha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hawks in the playoffs! Hilarious.
The football gods are smiling on us this day, Bears fans. The skies parted and delivered us a team of NFL rejects, ripe for slaughter.
Look at these clowns.
In the backfield, you've got Marshawn Lynch, a player so overrated, the Bills didn't even want him. Backing him up, there's Justin Forsett, a guy Seattle already let go once. Then he rusted in the running back graveyard that is Indianapolis for a few years. Now he's back.
Their kicker is Olindo Mare. You may remember Olindo Mare from such historical events as the creation of fire and the extinction of the dinosaurs.
At wide receiver, let's hear it for Brandon Stokley, a fragile, elderly man most people thought had already retired.
Then there's Mike Williams. He's a receiver whose ego was so enormous, he and Maurice Clarett tried to jump from college to the NFL earlier than everyone else. A judge slapped him down, so he spent a year eating Cheetos and watching "Match Game" reruns on the Game Show Network. Then the Lions drafted him tenth overall. He continued eating Cheetos (and truckloads of marshmallow Peeps) until he weighed roughly 479 pounds. The Lions cut him. The Lions cut him. Then he spent two years out of the league. And now he's starting in Seattle.
Pathetic.
Leading this freak show of has-beens and never-was-es is Pete Carroll, a man with the moral compass of a flatulent rhinoceros. When he comes to Chicago, clutch your valuables tightly. He will take anything not bolted down. He will sell your children into slavery. He will spend your retirement money on crack, then feed it to puppies. He is evil incarnate. And he must be stopped.
This is a losing team. If the Bears can't destroy them by 20 points, we should close Soldier Field and never speak of football again.
BY Ben Bowman // Monday, Jan 10, 2011 at 08:22 CST
*******************(end of story)
That was the entire story which started a sh1t storm of comments. Below a representative selection with a few notables and prize winners. Enjoy.
PatrickConner: Hahahaha. This is hilarious. I see the fear and desperation dripping off the monitor
bloodrunsblue: Ummm did you do so little research for this article that you didn't realize the Seattle already beat the Bears once this season? Or did you leave that tidbit out on purpose?
NickShelly: As a Seattle fan, I was following a link to the most disrespectful column ever written... yea - but it's funny. Good parody - I'm laughing. :)
Hopefully your Bears will be taking the Seahawks seriously... recall that you already lost once to this team of misfits.
and so on....then this:
wkt1969: So clearly no research is required when writing "articles" for NBC Chicago:
Forsett: He's only been in the league 3 years. He was cut his first year due to an overcrowded backfield, picked up by the Colts to do returns, released by the Colts and then picked up by the Seahawks the same year he was released.
Sloggyblogger says, In my newswriting class, if we wrote a story with a factual error that story was failed. It's my understanding that Forsett spent only enough time in Indianapolis to order an esspresso and catch the next jet to Seattle. This author's characterization of Forsett warming the bench for the Colts is just inacurate. "Then he rusted in the running back graveyard that is Indianapolis for a few years." is clearly a factual error.
Facebook User: "The moral compass of a flatulent rhino"??? This is what passes for journalism in Chicago? That tears it, I'm MOVING there. I look forward to a lengthy career in the flatulent......er, I mean WINDY City.
This one cracked me up....
JudgeSmells: Yes, the Seahawks are terrible...the worst...they stink...the win in week six was a fluke. The Bears don't even need to practice this week. Just rest this week and don't even worry about the Seahawks. They will be nothing but a speed bump on your way to the Superbowl. Just worry about the superbowl. Don't concern yourself with the lowly Seahawks. Think supebowl not Seahawks. Rest . Just sleep...sleep...sleep.
Hawkfan2011: gets the prize for best put down in the category of assaults on intelligence:
Hawkfan2011: This is exactly the kind of drivel I would expect from some small midwestern community-college graduate who, apparently, isn't bright enough to remember that the Seahawks already handled the bears in that arcaic dump they call a stadium. Hey Bowman, do the world a favor and have another bratwurst on us, it'll bring you one step closer to heart disease and the rest of us one step closer to never having to read your garbage again.
That one rubs up against the limits of meanness, but as someone said, "He may be an azzhole, but he's OUR azzhole."
Then some common sense was returned to the discussion by ANONYMOUS:
anonymous: The Bears are a good team no doubt and I sure hope they feel the same way as this idiot journalist.
He may have been right two weeks ago. The 6-9 Seahawks were terrible and a joke, i'm very aware (I sat in the stands for every home game this season). But the last 2 weeks, this is a different team. I'm not sure where the other one went or where this playoff team came from but I'm not complaining.
Right on, brother. Then a prophesy from OSHEN which I thoroughly concur with. I have had similar visions - I am revealing now for the first time.
OSHEN: Believe it or not.... I said it would be a five year reunion!!!!
Seahawks against the Steelers.......Seahawks win by 3....So after we smash you again at home we will play at home and walk are way into the superbowl. This was all planned!!!!!!
Some mystics are better spellers than others. I do not hold it against OSHEN, but for my wife, if she is reading this, OSHEN meant "our" when he wrote "are" on the last line in the above paragraph. English being my wife's second language, I would not want to set a bad example. Unless its funny.
And then, finally, a scholarly treatise dredging up previous mistaken predictions:
12th_MAN: You read BOWnHEADS predictions? What a freaken idiot!
BOWnHEAD Article Excerpt:
The Seattle Seahawks are a worthless excuse for a franchise. They "won" their division with a 7-9 record and a roster filled with rejects you wouldn't want starting for your fantasy team even five years ago when they were slightly more relevant. Somehow, they get to host a playoff game. New Orleans should split them in half with a "Mortal Kombat" finishing move within the first... moreYou read BOWnHEADS predictions? What a freaken idiot!
Then some more common sense:
Bunnyfenton: Why do people have to be mean? Our world already has enough junk going on we don't need to put others down just because. Very poor sportsmenship and poor example for our kids.
Then another entry in the put down category:
JudgeSmells: I guess this is how they talk smack in Chicago. This piece of garbage is not journalism. This is more like some crap blog from some slob living in his mother's basement, not something that is fit for NBC Chicago.
Then there are a lot of "Wowwwwwwww!" comments from facebook users, and a few more entry's to the put down contest. Wow, is right.
Then a Seahawk who was previously an extra on DELIVERANCE said:
JaradMcmahan: u carebears are just scurrrred lil cubbies is all we came into yer house and beat u already in reg. season we'll do it again cuz yer whiney qb is so greedy he's gonna give us turn overs all day long cutler.....
Then he copy and pasted the same message 8 times. Gotta love that copy and paste trick.
This one got me back into the fan mode:
anonymous: Made me laugh. This is not journalism, its a 15 year old's blog about how a 7-9 team who already beat his precious Bears at home, made the playoffs, and is now afraid he will have to suffer the embarassment of losing to a " freak show of has-beens" all over again. But this time it will be on National Television! GO Seahawks!
And this one was clever:
Facebook User: OH YOU GUYS ARE THE BAHAHAHAHAHALREADY BEATEN BEARS? The history of our players obviously has nothing to do with what you are facing ---AGAIN----since we already beat DA BAHAHAHA BEARS.......guess you Bears prefer s@#$ing in the city to the woods-seems to me you write alot of it too---BAHAHAHABEARS.
Does not say much for you all if our alleged "weak warriors" already filled their hunting tag this year--but we'll take the free meal ticket --our freezer has your name on it again... moreOH YOU GUYS ARE THE BAHAHAHAHAHALREADY BEATEN BEARS? The history of our players obviously has nothing to do with what you are facing ---AGAIN----since we already beat DA BAHAHAHA BEARS.......guess you Bears prefer s@#$ing in the city to the woods-seems to me you write alot of it too---BAHAHAHABEARS.
Does not say much for you all if our alleged "weak warriors" already filled their hunting tag this year--but we'll take the free meal ticket --our freezer has your name on it again this week.
Then the award winner of the crudest comment award goes to:
anonymous: Come on guys, it's okay. NBC is only trying to do its part by hiring the mentally challenged, after all. Someone must have left a computer on, and this poorly educated janitor from Kankakee, who can only afford a studio apartment right by the El, decided to have a little fun is all. It must be hard to have 17 cats and live with the smell of cat urine on all of his clothes....
Then, six pages into the comments is the first pro-Chicago comment:
anonymous: The Sea Chickens may have beat the Monsters of the Midway ones this year. But lets be serious that was a different Bears team that wasn't the Bears who lost no games in Nov. and 1 lost in Dec. and just as a reminder to you chicken fans the band wagon of Matt Hasselbeck you have all jumed on has had his one good game of the year. Bear will win and move on to a team above .500.
The next one comes too close to the truth and hurts all the more because of it:
anonymous: It's funny everyone loves the Seahawks this week but they had to give away tickets last week because the so called fans woudn't buy a ticket and yes i live in WA so I know what I'm talking about. A week ago they wanted that guy who they call Jesus to start on sat cause Hasselbeck is garbage this week they love him great fans.
I don't want to start a religious war, but who wouldn't want Jesus playing for their team? I mean, really? Perhaps we could get Buddha to play on the O-Line? Moses seems more like a coach to me, and some of those Hindu's, with all of those arms, would make awesome cornerbacks.
And an objective observers point of view:
anonymous: Who gave this idiot a license to write???? Is this what journalism is in Chicago? I'm not even a seahawk fan, but this is pathetic. The editor that approved this can't be much better... Is this just a sad attempt to try and make up for your teams performance the last time the two teams meet?
Just the facts:
JeremyAlben: Hey remember when we beat you?
Marshawn Lynch 1 TD
Justin Forsett 1 TD
Mike Williams 10 for 123
Oh and on top of all that...A SAFETY!!!
And then finally a comment to warm the heart:
rain69: I am a life long Bears fan and I am saddened and embarrassed at this article. It shows bad sportsmanship and disrespect for a team that has beaten us and the odds more than once. I would like to let the Seahawks fans know that not all Bears fans are like this so called journalist. I will be rooting and cheering my Bears on and hoping they will win, but I am a good person enough to wish the Seahawks luck and extend my hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship.
Then the best post of the day by a guy named Soggyblogger:
Soggyblogger: Is that the best you've got? I know this was mostly for fun, but accusations that Pete Carroll is evil incarnate is both irresponsible and immature without some explanation and justification. That a journalist would pull that trick is sad. That your editors would publish it is scary. There was a great story in the Tacoma paper about Pete Carroll which paints a much more believable explanation for the troubles he endured with USC with glimpses into his character. So far as I can tell, recruiting violations are more the rule then the exception, and it is only a shortage of manpower which prevents the NCAA from discovering them all. Texas AandM was recently reported to have broken NCAA recruiting rules in three separate sports. Maybe Penn State is innocent of any rules violations. The rest of them are all dirty.
As to the chances of the Seahawks beating Chicago AGAIN this season....good to great is my take. Two of the players you maligned, Mike Williams and Marshawn Lynch, who are both classy guys, will let their play speak for themselves. Might Buffalo be regretting the trade that sent Lynch to Seattle after watching THE RUN? A third round draft choice for a proven 1000 yard rusher? The joke is on Buffalo. And Mike Williams we got for nothing. We just had to give him a chance. What could we get for him NOW? Once again, the joke is on the entire rest of the NFL who missed this opportunity. Seattle has a slew of second chance players, plus some great young up and coming talent such as Okung who nullified Julius Peppers in the last game - which we won. Peppers registered one tackle, no pressures, no sacks, no anything else for an entire game. Oh, Yea! Go Seahawks!
After that comment what's left to say?
Meet the Enemy: Seattle's Weak Warriors
Here is the full story:
Pffffft. Tee-hee. Mmmmph. We're about to play... the... huh-huh... Seaha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-hawks in the playoffs! Hilarious.
The football gods are smiling on us this day, Bears fans. The skies parted and delivered us a team of NFL rejects, ripe for slaughter.
Look at these clowns.
In the backfield, you've got Marshawn Lynch, a player so overrated, the Bills didn't even want him. Backing him up, there's Justin Forsett, a guy Seattle already let go once. Then he rusted in the running back graveyard that is Indianapolis for a few years. Now he's back.
Their kicker is Olindo Mare. You may remember Olindo Mare from such historical events as the creation of fire and the extinction of the dinosaurs.
At wide receiver, let's hear it for Brandon Stokley, a fragile, elderly man most people thought had already retired.
Then there's Mike Williams. He's a receiver whose ego was so enormous, he and Maurice Clarett tried to jump from college to the NFL earlier than everyone else. A judge slapped him down, so he spent a year eating Cheetos and watching "Match Game" reruns on the Game Show Network. Then the Lions drafted him tenth overall. He continued eating Cheetos (and truckloads of marshmallow Peeps) until he weighed roughly 479 pounds. The Lions cut him. The Lions cut him. Then he spent two years out of the league. And now he's starting in Seattle.
Pathetic.
Leading this freak show of has-beens and never-was-es is Pete Carroll, a man with the moral compass of a flatulent rhinoceros. When he comes to Chicago, clutch your valuables tightly. He will take anything not bolted down. He will sell your children into slavery. He will spend your retirement money on crack, then feed it to puppies. He is evil incarnate. And he must be stopped.
This is a losing team. If the Bears can't destroy them by 20 points, we should close Soldier Field and never speak of football again.
BY Ben Bowman // Monday, Jan 10, 2011 at 08:22 CST
*******************(end of story)
That was the entire story which started a sh1t storm of comments. Below a representative selection with a few notables and prize winners. Enjoy.
PatrickConner: Hahahaha. This is hilarious. I see the fear and desperation dripping off the monitor
bloodrunsblue: Ummm did you do so little research for this article that you didn't realize the Seattle already beat the Bears once this season? Or did you leave that tidbit out on purpose?
NickShelly: As a Seattle fan, I was following a link to the most disrespectful column ever written... yea - but it's funny. Good parody - I'm laughing. :)
Hopefully your Bears will be taking the Seahawks seriously... recall that you already lost once to this team of misfits.
and so on....then this:
wkt1969: So clearly no research is required when writing "articles" for NBC Chicago:
Forsett: He's only been in the league 3 years. He was cut his first year due to an overcrowded backfield, picked up by the Colts to do returns, released by the Colts and then picked up by the Seahawks the same year he was released.
Sloggyblogger says, In my newswriting class, if we wrote a story with a factual error that story was failed. It's my understanding that Forsett spent only enough time in Indianapolis to order an esspresso and catch the next jet to Seattle. This author's characterization of Forsett warming the bench for the Colts is just inacurate. "Then he rusted in the running back graveyard that is Indianapolis for a few years." is clearly a factual error.
Facebook User: "The moral compass of a flatulent rhino"??? This is what passes for journalism in Chicago? That tears it, I'm MOVING there. I look forward to a lengthy career in the flatulent......er, I mean WINDY City.
This one cracked me up....
JudgeSmells: Yes, the Seahawks are terrible...the worst...they stink...the win in week six was a fluke. The Bears don't even need to practice this week. Just rest this week and don't even worry about the Seahawks. They will be nothing but a speed bump on your way to the Superbowl. Just worry about the superbowl. Don't concern yourself with the lowly Seahawks. Think supebowl not Seahawks. Rest . Just sleep...sleep...sleep.
Hawkfan2011: gets the prize for best put down in the category of assaults on intelligence:
Hawkfan2011: This is exactly the kind of drivel I would expect from some small midwestern community-college graduate who, apparently, isn't bright enough to remember that the Seahawks already handled the bears in that arcaic dump they call a stadium. Hey Bowman, do the world a favor and have another bratwurst on us, it'll bring you one step closer to heart disease and the rest of us one step closer to never having to read your garbage again.
That one rubs up against the limits of meanness, but as someone said, "He may be an azzhole, but he's OUR azzhole."
Then some common sense was returned to the discussion by ANONYMOUS:
anonymous: The Bears are a good team no doubt and I sure hope they feel the same way as this idiot journalist.
He may have been right two weeks ago. The 6-9 Seahawks were terrible and a joke, i'm very aware (I sat in the stands for every home game this season). But the last 2 weeks, this is a different team. I'm not sure where the other one went or where this playoff team came from but I'm not complaining.
Right on, brother. Then a prophesy from OSHEN which I thoroughly concur with. I have had similar visions - I am revealing now for the first time.
OSHEN: Believe it or not.... I said it would be a five year reunion!!!!
Seahawks against the Steelers.......Seahawks win by 3....So after we smash you again at home we will play at home and walk are way into the superbowl. This was all planned!!!!!!
Some mystics are better spellers than others. I do not hold it against OSHEN, but for my wife, if she is reading this, OSHEN meant "our" when he wrote "are" on the last line in the above paragraph. English being my wife's second language, I would not want to set a bad example. Unless its funny.
And then, finally, a scholarly treatise dredging up previous mistaken predictions:
12th_MAN: You read BOWnHEADS predictions? What a freaken idiot!
BOWnHEAD Article Excerpt:
The Seattle Seahawks are a worthless excuse for a franchise. They "won" their division with a 7-9 record and a roster filled with rejects you wouldn't want starting for your fantasy team even five years ago when they were slightly more relevant. Somehow, they get to host a playoff game. New Orleans should split them in half with a "Mortal Kombat" finishing move within the first... moreYou read BOWnHEADS predictions? What a freaken idiot!
Then some more common sense:
Bunnyfenton: Why do people have to be mean? Our world already has enough junk going on we don't need to put others down just because. Very poor sportsmenship and poor example for our kids.
Then another entry in the put down category:
JudgeSmells: I guess this is how they talk smack in Chicago. This piece of garbage is not journalism. This is more like some crap blog from some slob living in his mother's basement, not something that is fit for NBC Chicago.
Then there are a lot of "Wowwwwwwww!" comments from facebook users, and a few more entry's to the put down contest. Wow, is right.
Then a Seahawk who was previously an extra on DELIVERANCE said:
JaradMcmahan: u carebears are just scurrrred lil cubbies is all we came into yer house and beat u already in reg. season we'll do it again cuz yer whiney qb is so greedy he's gonna give us turn overs all day long cutler.....
Then he copy and pasted the same message 8 times. Gotta love that copy and paste trick.
This one got me back into the fan mode:
anonymous: Made me laugh. This is not journalism, its a 15 year old's blog about how a 7-9 team who already beat his precious Bears at home, made the playoffs, and is now afraid he will have to suffer the embarassment of losing to a " freak show of has-beens" all over again. But this time it will be on National Television! GO Seahawks!
And this one was clever:
Facebook User: OH YOU GUYS ARE THE BAHAHAHAHAHALREADY BEATEN BEARS? The history of our players obviously has nothing to do with what you are facing ---AGAIN----since we already beat DA BAHAHAHA BEARS.......guess you Bears prefer s@#$ing in the city to the woods-seems to me you write alot of it too---BAHAHAHABEARS.
Does not say much for you all if our alleged "weak warriors" already filled their hunting tag this year--but we'll take the free meal ticket --our freezer has your name on it again... moreOH YOU GUYS ARE THE BAHAHAHAHAHALREADY BEATEN BEARS? The history of our players obviously has nothing to do with what you are facing ---AGAIN----since we already beat DA BAHAHAHA BEARS.......guess you Bears prefer s@#$ing in the city to the woods-seems to me you write alot of it too---BAHAHAHABEARS.
Does not say much for you all if our alleged "weak warriors" already filled their hunting tag this year--but we'll take the free meal ticket --our freezer has your name on it again this week.
Then the award winner of the crudest comment award goes to:
anonymous: Come on guys, it's okay. NBC is only trying to do its part by hiring the mentally challenged, after all. Someone must have left a computer on, and this poorly educated janitor from Kankakee, who can only afford a studio apartment right by the El, decided to have a little fun is all. It must be hard to have 17 cats and live with the smell of cat urine on all of his clothes....
Then, six pages into the comments is the first pro-Chicago comment:
anonymous: The Sea Chickens may have beat the Monsters of the Midway ones this year. But lets be serious that was a different Bears team that wasn't the Bears who lost no games in Nov. and 1 lost in Dec. and just as a reminder to you chicken fans the band wagon of Matt Hasselbeck you have all jumed on has had his one good game of the year. Bear will win and move on to a team above .500.
The next one comes too close to the truth and hurts all the more because of it:
anonymous: It's funny everyone loves the Seahawks this week but they had to give away tickets last week because the so called fans woudn't buy a ticket and yes i live in WA so I know what I'm talking about. A week ago they wanted that guy who they call Jesus to start on sat cause Hasselbeck is garbage this week they love him great fans.
I don't want to start a religious war, but who wouldn't want Jesus playing for their team? I mean, really? Perhaps we could get Buddha to play on the O-Line? Moses seems more like a coach to me, and some of those Hindu's, with all of those arms, would make awesome cornerbacks.
And an objective observers point of view:
anonymous: Who gave this idiot a license to write???? Is this what journalism is in Chicago? I'm not even a seahawk fan, but this is pathetic. The editor that approved this can't be much better... Is this just a sad attempt to try and make up for your teams performance the last time the two teams meet?
Just the facts:
JeremyAlben: Hey remember when we beat you?
Marshawn Lynch 1 TD
Justin Forsett 1 TD
Mike Williams 10 for 123
Oh and on top of all that...A SAFETY!!!
And then finally a comment to warm the heart:
rain69: I am a life long Bears fan and I am saddened and embarrassed at this article. It shows bad sportsmanship and disrespect for a team that has beaten us and the odds more than once. I would like to let the Seahawks fans know that not all Bears fans are like this so called journalist. I will be rooting and cheering my Bears on and hoping they will win, but I am a good person enough to wish the Seahawks luck and extend my hand in a gesture of good sportsmanship.
Then the best post of the day by a guy named Soggyblogger:
Soggyblogger: Is that the best you've got? I know this was mostly for fun, but accusations that Pete Carroll is evil incarnate is both irresponsible and immature without some explanation and justification. That a journalist would pull that trick is sad. That your editors would publish it is scary. There was a great story in the Tacoma paper about Pete Carroll which paints a much more believable explanation for the troubles he endured with USC with glimpses into his character. So far as I can tell, recruiting violations are more the rule then the exception, and it is only a shortage of manpower which prevents the NCAA from discovering them all. Texas AandM was recently reported to have broken NCAA recruiting rules in three separate sports. Maybe Penn State is innocent of any rules violations. The rest of them are all dirty.
As to the chances of the Seahawks beating Chicago AGAIN this season....good to great is my take. Two of the players you maligned, Mike Williams and Marshawn Lynch, who are both classy guys, will let their play speak for themselves. Might Buffalo be regretting the trade that sent Lynch to Seattle after watching THE RUN? A third round draft choice for a proven 1000 yard rusher? The joke is on Buffalo. And Mike Williams we got for nothing. We just had to give him a chance. What could we get for him NOW? Once again, the joke is on the entire rest of the NFL who missed this opportunity. Seattle has a slew of second chance players, plus some great young up and coming talent such as Okung who nullified Julius Peppers in the last game - which we won. Peppers registered one tackle, no pressures, no sacks, no anything else for an entire game. Oh, Yea! Go Seahawks!
After that comment what's left to say?
TESTING ONE, TWO, THREE
Link to ChicageNBC OK, that works. Now I will try to link to the actual story. This is cool, and proves I am a commputer genuis.
NOW IS THE TIMES OF OUR LIVES
Now is the time of our lives that we will look back on as the good old days. THE RUN. Who will forget that? How likely to be improved upon? If we lose to the Bears, we go back to the beginning. We start over. But until THEN (until we lose or win all the way to the Super Bowl) enjoy the moment. Enjoy this week leading up to this all important second meeting with the Bears.
I've got other chores which are going undone because these days may not come this way again (in my life anyway). So I am reading every article I can find, and every comment on every article written about the Seahawks. From Tacoma to Chicago, and New York City to wherever ESPN and FOXSports are. As part of this blogs regular duties, I hope I can act as a clearinghouse for the good stuff on Seattle Sports from across the internet, and pass those links along to save you time and trouble. Make myself useful. Gradually, becoming habitual, and eventually becoming indispensable. Step by step my master plan to dominate the world is unfolding.
In that spirit, I pass along a link to a Chicago fish wrapper's attempt to be funny at the expense of the Seahawks (actually its an internet only rag I think - upon further review) and specifically, Mike Williams, Marshawn Lynch, and Pete Carroll.
Read it yourself here.
From this page you will find a prolific selection of stories to read about this upcoming match-up. The story referred to above is titled: Meet The Enemy: Seattle's Weak Warriors, and can be found here:
As Soggyblogger, I made a comment to this story as did dozens of other Seattlites. So many comments were made, and many furious with the author that he wrote a follow up article about the responses. Much humor and fun, and some (as always, including myself) who take it too seriously. Though I stand by the points I made.THAT story is titled: Mailbag: Taking on the Seattle Naysayers. My comments were made after the follow-up article, and I will go over there and retrieve it to edit into this post eventually.
You can find that follow-up article from the first link, scroll down, and click. Here is a link any Seattle Sports fan ought to bookmark for the Tacoma paper In my opinion the writing there is every bit as good if not better than either the P-I or the Seattle Times. Also, worthy of a bookmark is an internet site called SportsPressNW which was started by some disgruntled or ambitious former Seattle P-I sports reporters.
Check it out and tell them Soggyblogger sent you.
I've got other chores which are going undone because these days may not come this way again (in my life anyway). So I am reading every article I can find, and every comment on every article written about the Seahawks. From Tacoma to Chicago, and New York City to wherever ESPN and FOXSports are. As part of this blogs regular duties, I hope I can act as a clearinghouse for the good stuff on Seattle Sports from across the internet, and pass those links along to save you time and trouble. Make myself useful. Gradually, becoming habitual, and eventually becoming indispensable. Step by step my master plan to dominate the world is unfolding.
In that spirit, I pass along a link to a Chicago fish wrapper's attempt to be funny at the expense of the Seahawks (actually its an internet only rag I think - upon further review) and specifically, Mike Williams, Marshawn Lynch, and Pete Carroll.
Read it yourself here.
From this page you will find a prolific selection of stories to read about this upcoming match-up. The story referred to above is titled: Meet The Enemy: Seattle's Weak Warriors, and can be found here:
As Soggyblogger, I made a comment to this story as did dozens of other Seattlites. So many comments were made, and many furious with the author that he wrote a follow up article about the responses. Much humor and fun, and some (as always, including myself) who take it too seriously. Though I stand by the points I made.THAT story is titled: Mailbag: Taking on the Seattle Naysayers. My comments were made after the follow-up article, and I will go over there and retrieve it to edit into this post eventually.
You can find that follow-up article from the first link, scroll down, and click. Here is a link any Seattle Sports fan ought to bookmark for the Tacoma paper In my opinion the writing there is every bit as good if not better than either the P-I or the Seattle Times. Also, worthy of a bookmark is an internet site called SportsPressNW which was started by some disgruntled or ambitious former Seattle P-I sports reporters.
Check it out and tell them Soggyblogger sent you.
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
YOU CAN'T MAKE THIS STUFF UP!!!!
Here's a link to the P-I Seahawks Forum of which I spoke in my last post: http://www.seattlepi.com/forum/boards/viewtopic.asp?topicid=156652
The thread's title is: Impressions of Cam Newton. Though it is a serious discussion and I respect these guys mostly, and have been reading their posts for a month or so now, I laughed out loud more than once while reading this thread. If interested, please amuse yourselves or better yet get on there and express yourself.
If you happen to decide to interject an opinion, please give them a link to this site. I cannot do it myself as my "account has been banned..." by the omniscient IT guy over at the P-I who will not return my phone calls. Nor will the customer service system respond to my two emails pleading with them to un-ban me since I was banned during the registration process prior to ever having an opportunity to break any rules for which I might get banned legitimately, but to be banned for eternity because of some registration glitch is too much for me to bear.
This is going to be a recurring theme on this blog until the P-I un-bans me. Or I do something even more aggressive which brings me to the attention of the authorities over at the P-I. Such as, but not limited to, tweeting THE TRUTH in short bursts, un-friending them from my Facebook account, or the more traditional: report them to the better business bureau. If fame and fortune as a world class blogger precede my un-banning by the P-I, won't THEY be sorry. Actually, and much more realistically too, the P-I will most likely sink into oblivion due to economic necessity long before I will rise to fame and fortune for any reason.
Well, enough on that subject FOR NOW.
Soggyblogger
The thread's title is: Impressions of Cam Newton. Though it is a serious discussion and I respect these guys mostly, and have been reading their posts for a month or so now, I laughed out loud more than once while reading this thread. If interested, please amuse yourselves or better yet get on there and express yourself.
If you happen to decide to interject an opinion, please give them a link to this site. I cannot do it myself as my "account has been banned..." by the omniscient IT guy over at the P-I who will not return my phone calls. Nor will the customer service system respond to my two emails pleading with them to un-ban me since I was banned during the registration process prior to ever having an opportunity to break any rules for which I might get banned legitimately, but to be banned for eternity because of some registration glitch is too much for me to bear.
This is going to be a recurring theme on this blog until the P-I un-bans me. Or I do something even more aggressive which brings me to the attention of the authorities over at the P-I. Such as, but not limited to, tweeting THE TRUTH in short bursts, un-friending them from my Facebook account, or the more traditional: report them to the better business bureau. If fame and fortune as a world class blogger precede my un-banning by the P-I, won't THEY be sorry. Actually, and much more realistically too, the P-I will most likely sink into oblivion due to economic necessity long before I will rise to fame and fortune for any reason.
Well, enough on that subject FOR NOW.
Soggyblogger
TOP TEN REAONS THE SEAHAWKS WILL PUT A HURT ON DA BEARS
Through no fault of my own, I often find myself reading the headlines on MSN.COM and as often as not, the titles start off with the words: The Top Ten .....the top ten recipes for Superbowl dip, or ..... the top ten ways to tell your boss he has bad breath ..... or, ....jobs you can do from your own computer and make $200,000.00 a year....or my favorite...the top ten salons to get a Brazilian Bikini Wax... And so on and so forth.
I am guessing market research suggests such titles enhance the readership of stories on the internet. The NY Times has not caught up to this trend...yet. Probably that has more to do with momentum and the difficulty of change within that corporate culture than journalistic integrity.
When I log out of my email account, I am not fully logged out before MSN.COM replaces my email screen, and THAT is why it is no fault of my own that I often find myself reading the headlines on MSN.COM. I do not like unresolved phrases such as this post starts with and it is easier for me to add this useless paragraph rather then edit the first paragraph. That's blogging folks. Two days and I am an expert in this field. Actually, editing the first paragraph would have been easy enough, but since I am being paid by the word, size matters, and this is much longer.
Back to our headline story....but first, I must admit ahead of time that I have outright stolen these ideas from the P-I SEAHAWKS FORUM. I am about to clean them up a bit and put them in some order. Not necessarily any order from which sense can be made, but (here I will digress a bit) words and sentences just like life must maintain temporal order. One thing always follows another. Call it a law of nature. I would prefer to throw these ideas at you simultaneously, but that ain't gonna happen.
So here are the TOP TEN (number and reasons subject to change at anytime without warning or justification) REASONS THE SEAHAWKS WILL PUT A HURT ON THE CHICAGO BEARS.
1) Chicago Bears QB Jay Cutler has never played in an NFL Playoff game. Since 2003, first time starting quarterbacks are 5-19 in the playoffs. Some of those losers were better men than Jay Cutler, too. Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, and Drew Brees populate that list. Which among them is actually a better QB than Cutler is worthy of a whole other "TOP TEN...." post.
2) "Teams fresh off of Wild Card wins with experienced QB's come in hotter and with more momentum than the seeds with a bye week...." This idea was contributed by CharlieCobra (many of the posters on the P-I SEAHAWKS FORUM use animal names for some reason, so thanks Cobra for the contribution towards this story). CharlieCobra goes on to say, "I always hated the bye weeks before a playoff game. Just like I hated the "we don't play our starters to prevent injury" BS. Rust builds quickly in the NFL. Also, Carrol will have the Hawks mighty hungry now that it appears the team finally bought into what he's selling."
Wow, now I realize that this guy has played the game before and even reached the playoffs in peewee league. Just kidding, Charlie. Who CharlieCobra is in real life is one of the great mysteries of the internet. Or, I mean, represents one of the great and absurd things about the internet. You can pretend to be anyone you want to be. You can say almost anything without retribution. You can claim to be a superhero and no one can prove otherwise. Currently, I am pretending to be a funny sports writer.
I can have as many personas as I want or can psychologically juggle. And so can you or CharlieCobra. Know your limits.
But getting back to football: I do not know how Charlie defines "...hotter" in his first sentence, but I am sure a case can be made using statistics to PROVE his point. Notice how the first reason the Seahawks are gonna put a hurt on Chicago relies on a statistic qualified by "since 2003". I am guessing "since 2000" might not have proved his point quite so convincingly. I also have this childhood memory of Joe Namath coming in and winning the Super Bowl on his first try. Nevertheless, CharlieCobra comes across as believable to me, and he makes a great point. And contrary to the impression I gave above, I think THE VAST MAJORITY of people are exactly who they say they are on the internet and I tend to take them at their word until something raises a red flag.
3) From jeremiad: "Coach Carroll has this team much fresher than any other team left in the playoffs. From the limiting of contact, to the careful use of practice time, he shapes the entire preparation to keep the team with fresh legs. On the negative side, Okung had better tighten the chin strap.....a VERY good DE is looking to even a score.
I don't know where he gets his information, but I wish he would STFU. Doesn't he know the covert department of every single NFL team uses spies to infiltrate just such forums to scour for useful tidbits of information JUST SUCH AS THIS? Next, these fans will be publishing the Seahawks playbook. Geesh.
4) jay cutler 16 int 9 fumbles bears lead nfl with 56 sacks allowed.
FYI I will not be checking those facts, and I may use them in another post without checking on their accuracy ever unless someone suits me or the like. This is what the internet is all about folks. Unreliable facts and no accountability - not to mention bad spelling. At the NY Times they correct their mistakes in small print on some back page no one reads a day or more after any errors. Or not. As they see fit. But us bloggers cannot be counted on to be quite so honorable. If you want the highest level of integrity you will want to have Le Monde flown in from Paris, but then you would probably notice your email box filling up with spam notices of Jerry Lewis film festivals. It's your call.
Bloggers are more about quantity then quality, and I do not make any apologies for it. Separating the wheat from the chaff is each readers responsibility, and so if you like what you are reading (for FREE with no commercial interruptions and blinding fast download times) then you will want to bookmark this page, and even tell your friends, relatives, and everyone on your email list to Bookmark this page, also.
I just impressed the hell out of myself with my ability to work that plug into a post about football.
5) We are familiar with the Bears and going into Chicago and playing them.
6) Clemons and Brock vs Chicago's weak O-line.
7) If Cutler gets pressured, he will make bad decisions.
8) Bears WR's don't scare me.
9) Bears may be rusty and come out slow and unprepared.
10) The Seahawks own the Bears: 8-4 (4-2 in Chicago).
and here is a bonus, which happens to be my personal favorite:
11) The Bears might be overrated.
Soggyblogger
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