It's just a game

Ramblings Post #409
Now, let's be clear, and so my point doesn't get misinterpreted, the Bills-Bengals game point didn't need to start again. That it can't be made up shouldn't even have been an issue. They can just mark it down as a tie and keep it moving for all I care. The injury was devastating, the aftermath traumatizing, and if the players had just walked out of the stadium to go wait at the hospital instead of lining up I wouldn't have blamed a soul. It is just a damn game. That is a man's life.

I'm surprised that the NFL didn't have a protocol for this. It's a game where grown men are paid vast sums of money to run at each other at top speed and make contact. Hard contact. Repeatedly. They should have seen this as a possibility, even if the chances are one in a billion. And despite the obvious trauma stemming from the situation, they really seemed poised to throw the usual "Okay folks, shows over, nothing to see here" process that normally follows an injury. And if they had gone ahead with that five minutes to get your head together plan, I'm not sure what would have happened. Hamlin didn't have an ordinary injury.

That's a just weird thing to write. "Ordinary Injury." Sigh.

We've see injuries in the sport before. Twisted ankles and knees, head shots that left players twitching. But in those cases as the player is carted off he's sitting up, sometimes angry at his body for failing him, other times hiding his face to mask the terrible agony he's going through. Even players in the neck brace give the stadium a thumbs up as they're loaded into the ambulance. And we know they'll be okay. Maybe they won't be playing anymore, but they'll be someplace - coaching, in the booth, on a Sunday analysis show or selling used cars. They'll be somewhere. But this was not that. To see the sheer terror on his teammates faces told you that. That the term CPR was used. He had to be revived on the field, implying that at some point on the field...well, you know.

In high school, one of my teammates broke his neck during a game. He wore that Halo neck-brace for the next year I think. It did not look comfortable. Because we were young and naive we later joked that when he went down his mother had high hurdled the fence getting to the field she was so scared for her son. And after he'd been worked on, stabilized, loaded into the ambulance and carted off, without a second thought we lined up and went back at like we were invincible, when the truth was it could have been anyone of us.

"There but for the Grace of God, go I." Because on every play when I suited up, it could have been me. Grown men running at each other at top speed to intentionally make contact. Violent contact. Nature of the beast. Despite the rule changes and advances in all the padding, helmets and other safety equipment improvements of the last 50 years injuries are still expected, which is why you have the training staff there, the medics, and at that level even spotters to make sure no one is trying to walk something serious off. But not this. We expect a stinger. A sprain. A hyper-extension. But not this. This is from the football before modern football. We'd left this behind. Or so we'd thought.

I am hoping for Demar's recovery. That he rises in a week or so and finds his charity funded through 2040 with even more money to hand out scholarships. I hope he thinks about it long and hard should he decide to put the helmet on again. I hope is family is overjoyed to have him back. I hope for him many blessings going forward no matter what path he chooses.

This was just a game. That is a man's life.

The NFL Offseason Should Be a Show

Ramblings Post #401
The NFL off-season this year has been wild. The AFC West has turned into a arms race, Green Bay gave Aaron Rodgers the keys to the franchise, and I'm veering between trusting the Jones boys in Dallas to put talent on the field and screaming "What are they doing!" over and over again to anyone who'll listen. And no, I'm probably not going to watch the USFL. Are we sure that wasn't an elaborate hoax anyway? 

It is said that because of how a grand jury works, that a semi-decent prosecutor can get a conviction against a ham sandwich if they really wanted to. So, last week when the people in a Grand Jury decided not to bring charges against Texan's QB Deshaun Watson, please know that I raised an eyebrow in disbelief. It may have hit my slightly receding hairline. Allegedly receding.

For those who don't know, last season the NFL avoided addressing the issue at all when the Texans decided to not even suit up Watson to play. By the way, as long as Watson showed up to the facility, did his workouts and stayed ready, he still got paid like he was playing. A whole bunch of money. Only without the physical stress of actually playing. In the interim the Texans found new ways to embarrass themselves, aside from letting all the talent walk out the door. I mean, at one point the Texans found themselves torn between hiring as their next head coach a ...long time coaching veteran who been part of a Superbowl coaching staff and who'd just won two of the last three seasons as head coach with his previous team who happened to black and...checks notes... a former player and part time assistant high school coach who happened to be white. So, obviously it was a toss up. But that aside, they had at least been smart enough not to play Watson.

I had a discussion about it right after it happened, I figured that a media savvy league would make it clear that even if there were to be no charges, that a serious suspension would still be assessed upon Watson's return to the field. I mean, they'd just suspended a player for the whole season for a single bet using the LEAGUE sponsored app. (Okay, there is a sign in the locker room specifically prohibiting betting, so there is a difference. Although I wouldn't think you'd need a sign to say don't assault women, would you?"). Would teams try for him? Sure, but this was a player who hadn't suited up in a year, and football comes at you fast. No, others said, it would be a free for all. The game is all about money now and they would not care. I argued that even from just a PR viewpoint, the league would not let that happen.  

And I was completely and unequivocally wrong.

The new NFL is QB driven. There was a time about twenty years ago where Trent Dilfer won a Superbowl. Who? He was the backup who took over halfway through the season and rode the defense of the Ravens to the NFL's promised land. And although he's an excellent analyst, he was also so mediocre he's the first starting and winning QB in history to not be resigned by his team for the next season. That's not possible with the way the game is now called and schemed. And everyone knows it. Hell, the Cowboys found it out after Dak went down and suddenly it seemed like the secrets of the completed forward pass were lost. And as it turns out Watson is a QB. And was a fairly good one. And as it turns out winning, or even the promise of winning, trumps everything.

I heard analysts decry that half the league need to take a look at Watson. The Saints were talked about, Atlanta was in the mix, the Colts and Chicago discussed. And what other QB might go where depending on what could be worked out with Deshaun. You would have thought Watson was the second coming of Micheal Vick...no, the pun actually intended,... only with a less offensive charge. Yes, apparently to the NFL Animal Cruelty is worse than Sexual Assault, go figure. So after listening to Shannon Sharpe and Skip Bayless rag about how the Cleveland Browns had blown up their own dicey QB situation to even talk to Watson and how they'd been unceremoniously spurned I was shocked to see this....

The Brown fans online that I've seen are not especially happy at this turn of events. People in desperate need of a stable football situation, considering all the drama that happened with team during the season, weren't happy. You know, and they know, just because the state decided not to bring charges doesn't mean you're innocent. And did everyone in the league's media gang FORGET the twenty two civil suits still in the mix? This is one of those situations involving millions of dollars that makes you wonder just how smart some rich people really are. Did the Browns forget that quite a few of their fans are women? Did they forget that their fan base just in general might have a basic sense of decency? I mean, damn. It is very possible the Browns play a few home games this season to an empty stadium, and it won't be because of Covid.

What's really weird is that the league is handing out top-tier QB money to a player who hasn't touched turf in a season. No, I kid, that's not weird, that's the NFL. What's weird is that Watson wasn't banished from the league for at least a season. Not sat out of his own free will, but formally banished with no pay for at least a season. And between you and me, people don't offer someone a quarter of a billion dollars, a large portion guaranteed, unless you're pretty damn sure that player is gonna suit up. Which means unless the league blindsides because of backlash, it's already a done thing. One of my old running partners stopped watching football altogether because he was mad Rothlesberger never got any punishment for his...indiscretions. I guess my boy is gonna be an Atlanta United fan from here on out.   

The NFL is something, ain't it. 

What the NFL should have done....

Ramblings Post #385
I like sports. I really do. I played as a youth, still want to play as someone no longer a youth but my body keeps talking about practice (we talking about practice!) and I'm not sure my knees are with it. I watch all kinds of sports, play them on computer games and talk about them on this blog. Sports transcend a whole lot of problems. It's weird. It's bigger than us. But my team still needs to win.

The NBA Bubble should have been the template for how pro football handled this season, but I don't think anyone high up wanted to spend that much money or thought this pandemic would last this long. Such a setup would have made the game safe, would have ensured the season occurred and would have brought a much needed sense of normalcy that we all need. Or at least I need, I haven't been out to eat, drink and carouse since May. Well, my birthday I went out for lunch, but the restaurant had exactly two customers - me and my friend who paid for it - and we still sat outside.

And I've enjoyed this basketball more than any actual real season in a while (NBA2K seasons are lit, reality less so). But I NEED football. Like as I imagine most people in the South and pretty much all of Texas. But I judging by how we've already done things so far this year, this season will not be a ...complete one. Half a season? I hope I'm wrong, I really do. But the prep could have been so much better. And with college football already starting to batten down the hatches for next year, why this wasn't a fail-safe I don't know.

Now, my suggestion is vast because unlike the NBA we're talking about all the teams and all the games. The NBA eliminated the teams not in the final playoff hunt for their lock-down, and that and a few tweaks made it possible to schedule what has basically amounted to all day gym play using the limited TV ready courts. The NFL needs all the games if possible. If someone can think of someplace where there are four or five football fields together (or soccer fields for conversion) and accommodations for for two thousand or so people where they can lock themselves in it would be an easier setup to secure. I've been looking but I don't see one yet.

Barring that, and I've been looking, here's what they should have done:

1. Put the players on a Tour of Duty.

This isn't finishing an already started season like the NBA, this would be playing the full thing through January. As such the players would have to go ahead and accept that they would be in isolation for months. Seriously. They would need to mentally pretend they were shipping off overseas....to the hotel compound the local team would set up. We ask soldiers to do it for three hots and cot, so sacrificing for a few million isn't really a grand argument. Let's call our little setup the NFL "dome."  Well, dome by location.

Note: The "dome" would also have to have been applied to refs as well, which might mean a loss of experience, as a lot of them have outside careers. They would be a separate national facility and be flown out by private jet to the game and then back.

Each team would really need two in-town hotels, one for the home team's use all season and one for a visiting team, who would travel a day or two earlier than normal. Yes, they would need the whole facility with room for the entire team, the coaches, practice squad, and other needed personnel ~ barbers, medical staff, massage therapists, etc. Room for maybe 120-150 people give or take, because once you go in just like with the NBA Bubble, trips out by anyone would need to be minimized. This plus a rotating staff of 40 would needed for the building - cooks, maintenance, housekeeping, etc. That smaller group would be on 60 day rotations in with a 10-15 lead in to work inside the "dome."  The idea is to create a safe space for them to live, practice and get ready for their games. 

2. Lock'em in

The domes should have to be set up to keep the guys fresh, because a stir crazy soccer mom is one thing, a stir crazy three hundred pound muscled up millionaire is another. I would set up a gamer lounge, a library, open a bar or two, maybe even a small group movie room to give the guys space to move around and socialize. The idea is that they don't just get on the bus to practice (which would be closed to the public), take the bus back to the hotel and go sit in their rooms for four or five months. A little variety. I'm not going to address the obvious missing element - family. But again, this is the tour of duty for the season. Just like a man overseas can't pop out to have brunch with the kids, neither can the players.

But, because people have to occasionally step out, and it will happen, a transition space for them to return would also be needed. A couple of suites, maybe a private lounge and if a player absolutely has outside business that needs to handled then they can do it with compromising the whole team. They would need to be aware that leaving would be like missing a week and automatic game check - with the exceptions for funerals and other serious situations. The teams could even presumably setup two or three family days where properly screened families could be let in after a few days in their own isolation for short periods. A mini-family vacation in the dome.   

Note: The refs dome could probably accommodate family members, which might be a bonus.

Under the current plan of "don't be sorry, be careful" plan it's almost certain that we'll see players drop out all season, and if we're unlucky the Superbowl will be a match-up of the team with most men not infected standing versus the quarterback who was signed three weeks ago behind a center whose been there two months who got lucky in the championship game against a fifth string quarterback. That or halfway through the season the NFL just calls it quits and chalk the season up to a loss. It's possible. 

3. Let'em play

The games would end up being more like high school games for the players  I'm certain the tech wizards who can draw a fake first down line can digitally put some butts in the seats for broadcast, but the feel of an empty stadium while playing is different than a full throttle game. Some noise would have to be piped in, but the energy will be missing and that would affect play. And since the play is the product, their might be a need to let in some fans, not near the lower levels and definitely not in position for Lambeau leaps or ball tosses of any kind. But the NFL needs fan energy. And playing inside a sealed actual dome would be tricky to say the least. 

The announcers would have to handled like the NBA, with their own little booths which also might detract from some of the camaraderie, but they'll work it out. And we'll be so excited to watch the game I don't think we'll notice. 

As the season progresses, teams will slowly, eventually drop out of playoff contention, and for the safety of those players the rest of the games for those teams might need to be worked out on an alternate system. I realize that in a 16 games season every game counts, playoff spoilers are a real thing, and draft picks need ways to be calculated, so this may not be feasible.

So, that's my idea. Or was my idea. There are a lot of details worked out, but I think it would have ensured we get a whole season. Which considering how this pandemic is playing out, I think the country needs a convincing sign like this to give us the resolve to continue. 

Barkeep. It's almost that time. Just bring the keg. 

They actually agreed to do what?

Ramblings Post #383
Sometimes sports is bigger than a ball, a jersey, and a determination to win. Sometimes sport is more about our values as people, respect, and realizing that just because we've put a lot of time and energy into something that we can just go ahead and make a change. Because basically, as Shannon Sharpe said, it's just the right thing to do. 

A lot of things happened in 2020 that I was not expecting. The economy crashing? No, I saw that coming, there is this little thing called history. The Pandemic? Nobody thought the people in charge would mess it up this badly. I'm stunned how the people who keep screaming don't make it political keep going out of their way to make it not just political but also personal. Just the words "I got it wrong, let's do what we have to fix it" would change everything. But nobody currently in charge is grown-up enough to face up to the consequences of their actions. A hoarding of toliet paper? I still don't even believe that happened. They literally stopped professional sports? That was a blow to my soul. A Will and Jada kinda love? That's tomorrow, I believe I'm leagally required to comment. But today, something I swear I didn't think would ever happen actually happened.

The NFL team in Washington agreed to change it's name.

I used to read the sports column Tuesday Morning Quarterback, which was probably the most highbrow football piece ever written. And while it threw in odd statistics and hidden indicators between hilarious commentary, the author started referring to the team as the Potomac Drainage Basin Indigenous Persons (both as indicator of the need for DC statehood and the ridiculousness of the team name) way back in the early 2000s. Sports pundits on every outlet have been asking when Dan "The Grift" Snyder would stop trying to figure out how to charge for oxygen in the stadium and change the name for decades. This isn't a new issue. Even as Cowboy who grew up loving the way the rivalry seem to naturally slot together, the Cowboys and the Indians, I grew up and realized that all lot things in American history have been romanticized. And a lot of things we grew up believing in, and Snyder grew up a Washington fan, need to be corrected now that we're older and know better.

Of course every major sponsor picking up their satchels of money and threatening to leave if the name wasn't..."reconsidered," probably didn't hurt either. 
 
As much flak as black people take, the very hint of selling a blatantly racist item will get you cancelled so fast you'll barely have time to unbox it. That will quickly be followed by the question "how did this get approved?" Shortly after some people will be fired, a department will be re0rganized and a black person will get to collect a fat check for eighteen months or so as the new diversity officer or guru or whatever they call it. But in the case of the, um...Native Americans? Is that the right term? I know you should refer to the individual by their tribe, Sioux, Cherokee, etc., but what is the name of the group of all of them. Indigenous Persons? In either case, this group got a racial slur them at them for sixteen weeks a year by major networks. It could not have been cool at all.

One of the few things in this country that transcends race for MOST people in this country is sport. We'll celebrate a hard fought victory with anyone wearing the same jersey as us. Check any tailgate or traveling fan group. It's amazing to see. So these activities that let us all find a common ground probably need to be brought into line with our ideals first. This change at this level however, is just the first step. A few other professional teams in other sports need to go ahead and man up as well. And there are still a lot of colleges, hundreds of high schools and lots of junior leagues who'll need to buy new gear, make some headspace changes. It's just the right damn thing to do.

And Jeep. I do really like the SUVs, but I think there are some people who want to speak to you too.

Barkeep. Cold Beer. Let's hope there is a football season.

Here we go again...

Ramblings Post #363
Sometimes life is. I mean, there is not much you can do about it other than live it. Sure there are things you can control, things you can influence, things you can change. But then there are those things you can't. Like the weather. And Chick-fil-et being closed on Sundays. And that I look better in black. I do, really.

When I first moved to Atlanta many many moons ago, one of the first real parties I went to was a SuperBowl party. Much like all those other people not from here, I too was seduced by one good weekend. That year somebody played somebody else, it was relatively warm out and that brother's house looked like a video shoot there were so many attractive women there. I still remember going down into the basement and being surrounded by like fifteen model types all very happy to see me. Full disclosure: I did not get one single number, did hook up with not a soul, got no we'll hang you later, no nothing. But let's just say it gave me hope.

Shortly after that they actually had the game in Atlanta. The Superbowl, if you're unaware, really is more of a week-long experience leading up to the game. Parties, events, just stuff, all centered around a football game that happens at the end of the week. I'm certain that ancient civilizations had something similar when I think about it. Ours involves a pigskin, theirs would have involved a sacrifice of some sort or at least a witch burning. Basically the same thing except for the ad revenue. But last time the city hosted the game, nature decided to put a damper on things with a massive ice storm that shutdown the city. It was out of left field, all black ice and businesses closed. But that leads to a story.

Because the game was in town an old partner of mine came through as well, it was the SuperBowl and we were young and did shit like that. Just go to events we couldn't go to and hang out. And we ended up hanging out with some guys he knew. This is back when house flipping was the move, so one of the guys who juggled houses for living had this supremely nice house in Alpharetta he was staying in and selling. A mansion really. Super nice. We hung out there a couple days, hit the few in-town functions when we could (if they were still being held) and had a pretty okay week. The guy with the really nice house is having a huge party on gameday, so of course we are down to roll.

That Sunday morning I get a phone call. It was a from a friend of mine who just happened to be on the Superbowl committee. She may or may not have actually been on the committee, I'm not sure now but I do distinctly remember she asked me one of those questions that you dream about: Do you want to go to Superbowl? Apparently due to the weather (remember, ice storm?) somebody somewhere who had a ticket had not made it and so she was offering it to me. To me. For the grand price of just show your ass up.

And I said no.

There a few times in life where I look back and wonder exactly what the hell was going on in my head when I said X, or did Y, or ate Z. Why didn't I get into the Ferrari? Why didn't I just take the job and fake it until I figured it out? Why didn't I just take the damn shoes? There is a show on Stars called Counterpart that I like, and it explores in part (as part of the backdrop of it's inter-dimensional espionage) the different paths in life we could be on but for small differences.

When I tell the story now, I swear it was a skybox seat because she was the kind of woman who would have an extra skybox seat, but honestly I don't remember. I do remember telling her I already had commitments and, instead of abandoning my friend, I declined the opportunity. Looking back at now though, he was resourceful guy. He could have found his way to Alpharetta. Why, me not leaving him to fend for himself is almost an insult to his very manhood! Okay, not really, we had great time at that party.

I say all that because this week's impromptu threat of snow on the week of the game reminds me those couple of days. The city was half encased in ice and yet drinks were being served here, people were out and about there, and I think that was the first time I ate at Boston Market. Now we're only supposed to get an inch or two, but considering the ill designed traffic flows and the dearth of foul weather driving skills amongst my fellow citizens, we are most definitely in for it. Atlanta though, will find a way. People will find an open bar, a hot buffet, some shoe models showing off the latest styles. Because it's what we do.

This time however, I have no house-guest, and plenty of groceries. My social wanderlust is currently in remission. The ranch gave us the day off but I brought my um, my "horse" home with me so it's not like I won't have things to do.

Barkeep, if you know someone who might have a spare ticket. What? Let's just say I've learned...

Yeah, We still Dem Boys..

Ramblings Post #329
I would like to thank the fair weather fans for their brief stay, and wish them well wherever they land. Git, and don't let the door hit you where the good lord split you! And I would like to remind everyone that we've already punched our playoff ticket, and while I'd love home field as long as we get there and win one I'll feel good about this year. 

After an epic run, the Cowboys have finally lost a game. To them damn NY Giants. I would have preferred Minnesota, but you take what you can get. And now you're saying, whut?

Contrary to the hopes of other Cowboy fans, I wasn't hoping for a run of the table and a one loss season heading into the second season. This is a young team, lead by a rookie, playing wide open get at you football. They'd beat the Ravens with the best defense in football and the Steelers with a last second drive. Their only loss was practically a fluke, with it being blamed on a single player trying to do too much. And as good as they've been, these wins haven't been knock you down and walk away laughing wins, but battles in the trenches that only looked easy in retrospect. 

The Cowboys needed a team loss, where they just didn't execute  and played bad before they got into the one and done shoot-out that is the playoffs. The offense has played badly but still found a way to win, so the team needed loss to get their minds right that they aren't invincible, and what is required for the rest of journey is a new level of commitment  that may not have been needed before or could have been excused from time to time.  And I don't mean this just for Dak and Zeke, who seem surprisingly mature for the little bit of time they've been in the league, but also for the coaches who didn't want to stay creative and appeared to only dabble in play design when it was convenient. I put most of this loss on them: the coaches.

What I really don't want is Dak to end up like RGIII, a phenom in his first season who faded as soon as opposing teams figured him out. And while Dak is consistent, the coaches really haven't gotten creative in the play calling for him with rare exception. Which means other teams who previously had no film now can see what he does, and see that he does it all the damn time. Which is bad. 

Are the Cowboys a Superbowl contender this year? Hell yeah. If they stay healthy and get their minds right.  Will be easy? If it was easy it wouldn't be the NFL. The remaining games are winnable, with I think Tampa Bay and Philadelphia being the more likely and Detroit being a struggle. Two of three wins or one win and a loss by the Giants (who also plays Detroit) means a lock for the division and home field. But it's not over yet. There is still a lot of football to play, and the 'boys have had penchant in the past of pulling defeat from the jaws of victory, but this year I think 'we in there'. And all signs point to that being the case for a while. 

So, take the loss as a reality check. Head back to Jerryworld and let's dig down and see what we're made of. Okay?

How 'bout them Cowboys!

Barkeep. Tequila shots for everybody. I got a good feeling about dem Boys!

I just wanted to win...

Ramblings Post #290
It is what it's gonna be. I've been gone for a minute, if it wasn't one thing it was another. But I'm back and after liking the Cowboys draft I'm back on football for a minute. I got a few other things I'm gonna comment on, a few other ideas rolling around my head but right now I'm on this. So don't let the smooth taste fool ya!

The Jets fans move quick - via Manish Mehta's twitter  

First, let’s get one thing straight.

The NFL is punishing Tom Brady and the Pats for cheating on the field during a game. I’ve seen a number of memes about how the league is treating this “trifle” as a similar infraction to domestic violence or alleged child abuse, and it’s not a fair comparison. Those issues people like to point out are issues from outside of football, societal issues, and we’ve only recently, for other reasons, taken to punishing those individuals extra-judicially in this forum for those infractions. But that shouldn’t minimize or mitigate any discussion about “on the field” infractions and their penalties. 

So there’s that.

Now, after reading an article on Slate, by what must have been a Patriots fan, I seriously think that Brady and the Pats got off easy. Playing in the NFL, as we get reminded often isn’t a right but a privilege. That the golden boy is still playing at all is a miracle after he stood up and blatantly lied to the press that he knew nothing about it, refused to cooperate with the investigation and we found out there was a guy on the Patriots’ staff who called himself “the deflator”. It’s not like he was deflating them for the backup QBs.

Again, the person who intercepted the ball had it for less than 30 seconds and knew something was off with it. For Brady to have handled it 50 times in the same game and not noticed the difference borders on the surreal. Brady has played football man and boy for more than 20 years. He should intuitively know how the ball feels. Imagine your keyboard at work is missing a single key. You might not notice at first, but as the day goes on it would become an issue, wouldn’t it? Unless of course, you were "used" to it being that way. (Note: this is not implying that this happens all the time and this is one time they got caught. I would not do that. )    

The reality is a top tier team getting caught cheating for the second time (see Spygate) is shortly going to start having detrimental effects upon the integrity of the game – if not angering the 31 other owners who are getting cheated. Are they really a top tier team? Were all those wins really wins? Because letting some people cheat begets why this set of rules questions, a performance enhancing drug conversation, a salary cap discussion, then even a bigger money roundtable and before you know it we have the two richest teams playing each in the SuperBowl every year because no one else can afford to compete.* Slipperly slopes are slippery for a reason.

Brady is 37, way past his prime, and if he isn’t already, should be thinking hard about retirement.  Let’s be honest, the only reason he didn’t get a year off is because his name is Brady he puts buts in the seats. But we have to do something now, some sort of punishment, as this will all be forgotten by the time the Hall of Fame question arises. What’s sad is that this means the NFL doesn’t have the integrity of International Bike Racing.  

Barkeep. Another Lime Rickey.

*Yeah, like baseball. Keep in mind this might take twenty years to happen. But since the now DBs are just about having to defend with their hands behind their backs this isn’t as crazy as it sounds.

No, Game Theory (or really anything else) does NOT get Carroll off the hook

Ramblings Post #284
I’m not an explainer. Well, yeah I am. Maybe. I like to think of myself as a storyteller, as someone who weaves a tale, crafts a narrative, who gooses the imagination onto a journey so rich that you know more than I said when I’m finished. But as I understand it, the term storyteller probably isn’t as sexy as could be and probably has some weird connotations from childhood lingering about it. I’ll be an explainer.  

Apparently there is a concerted global movement to make Pete Carroll’s decision at the end of the Superbowl sound reasonable. Trying to explain away what was a colossal blunder, people have tried to use statistics, completion rates, time management concepts, Game Theory or just plain ole “strategery”. And not one makes sense, not people who know the sport. And not as long as the goal line offensive formation is a thing.

The Patriots run a GOAL LINE OFFENSE

Yes. This is a thing. Every team in the league has this formation and this basic play in their play book.

There are times in football where you NEED a yard. Just one.  It’s no secret, The other team knows you need a yard. And you know you’re going to run it, and they know you’re going to run it. You’ve brought out the big blockers; there aren’t even any receivers on the field. It's no longer a chess match or any other analogy of great minds meeting. You have to man up, put a body on a body and just go and get it. No excuses.

The sequence should have been, barring a touchdown at any point in the chain that with 26 seconds left to play is…

A) you run the ball.  From the goal line formation you can go up the gut, off tackle, race to the pylon, or whatever. The defense has to cover 50 yards with 11 men and if Lynch gets a one on one he is most likely to move whoever he hits backwards. It is the low risk, high reward play. If Lynch is one one he could have held the ball forward to score. But in the unlikely event that fails, you burn your last time out which gives you 20 to 17 seconds left. Then …

B) you pass.  This should be a fade pattern or maybe a hitch and go. Out to edge in single coverage.  Play fake the run or even a bootleg since Wilson is mobile. But it’s an endzone or bust play. He throws it to where only his guy can catch it over the top or out of bounds. If it’s a hitch, the point is the pylon or out of bounds.  If you don’t make it the clock is stopped with maybe 10 seconds left, and then…

C) You run the ball. All or nothing. Line up ten and quarterback versus eleven and go get it. You have a bruiser running back and he can stretch his arm to get it. 

This is how legends are made.

For Petey to figure on a “throwaway” play when there are points needed to be scored, and no points are guaranteed in the NFL, is at the level that he is coaching a complete collapse of judgment. Yes, Football is complex and strategic a game of inches, but sometimes you just have to be the better player and just want it more than other guy.

So Yes, it is one of the dumbest playcalls in football history.

Barkeep. Bourbon. Ice. Splash of soda.

"Did I do that?": or Modern NFL Playcalling

Ramblings Post #283
There is no try, you either do or you do not. Otherwise you are comedy relief, much like the red-hot Seahawks, who like raised their arms in triumph before they broke the tape and took the win. It was football history, in all the bad ways imaginable. All I can say is, thank god it wasn't my Cowboys.  

I read a column called Tuesday Morning Quarterback on ESPN because the author is a fun read, between his statistics, suggestions for improvement political commentary and observations. I started when it was on Slate and it is a regular Tuesday afternoon read. One of the things he closes out with, along with the “obscure collegiate school scores”, is a little feature called the dumbest play of the season so far. Now, I’m not the authority here, but I think you know my nominee for THE hands down dumbest playcall of the year. 

What would be a reasonable rationale for not running Marshawn Lynch from the ONE-yard line to win?

I’m fairly certain that somewhere in a press conference after the game every reporter in the room shook their heads in disbelief as Carroll broke down the rationale used to justify that playcall. If they didn’t all look skeptical at the explanation then they should have. At least one guy should have yelled out “Bullsh*t” from the back of the room no matter what was said. This all may have happened, as I went to a Superbowl party and pretty much the second that play was over we all stopped watching. After we all stopped cursing.  My god what a bad call. 

There is an old football axiom, “When you pass the ball, three things can happen and two of them bad.” In this case four or five things could have gone bad. Run the ball and you reduce the bad. Carroll figured it for a throwaway play. Throwaway play? They might have been on the one but the game wasn't won yet! They were still down. 

Maybe “The Furry Phenom” Wilson has a clause in contract that he has to be the hero, ala Tony Romo? Or maybe Carroll was scared that Lynch would dance around the endzone holding himself in an inappropriate manner during his celebration on national TV and inducing every manner of fine imaginable? Maybe they started celebrating early? Who knows, but under the circumstances, the Patriots didn’t really win as much as the Seahawks gave the game away.

Lynch was averaging almost four and half yards per carry. And you throw.

You had almost 30 seconds and a timeout. And you throw. 

You needed ONE yard. And you throw. 

What’s really going on? Because I know people who don’t even follow sports, who only watched the one game per year because all their friends do and that’s where the food is, and even they know you run the ball in that situation. If you had a Calvin Johnson or a Dez Bryant maybe, just maybe, you try a fade route. Maybe. But everyone else knows to run it. Run it. 

Barkeep. Something strong because now I gotta listen to Pats fans until next season. Yeesh.

The NFL does racing & other country stories

Ramblings Post #281
In the movie The Big Year, there is a moment when one of the protagonists meets the theoretical villain of the piece, only to find out that while he formidable, he's also honest. When asked about it he goes "Nobody wants to be known as the cheater back at the clubhouse." It's an interesting take on life, a true bit of character,  that makes him a little more human, even as he does less than nice things. If only life were like that.   

Is Tom Brady a country boy? Did he grow up on NASCAR? Because there is an old saying in the racing game, “that if you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.”  That 11 of the 12 balls were under-inflated isn't coincidence, it's a scheme. Anyone who plays a sport knows that any sport worth playing is worth winning, and a little cheating is expected.  But there is a limit to what is acceptable cheating, a nudge and wink here or there, and just poor sportsmanship. And I think Brady crossed the line.

I say Brady because Belichick strikes me as a brighter guy than that. I combine that fact with other pro quarterbacks saying it would have helped tremendously with his game, and that they've known it to have been done before, to form my opinion. I mean, Nike once sent Tiger Woods golf balls, and he sent them back indicating which ones were off weight by feel of the ball on the club alone. That Tom Brady, a man who has played quarterback man and boy for more than 20 years wouldn’t have realized that his primary tool felt “off” stretches the limits of believability. The guy who intercepted the ball and held it for less than 30 seconds could tell it was deflated.

Think about it.

In the interest of full disclosure, I haven't like the Patriots since the spying on the other team thing from way back, so there maybe so ire here. I mean, I admire the Jaguars more at this point, at least I'm sure that they come by their victories honestly. It's a way of looking at the world I guess. I read the ESPN poll where pretty much half the country doesn't think it's a big deal, which says a lot. They're supposed to be the Patriots, the closest thing we have to a dynasty in football right now. That people are okay with the successful getting away with bending the rules is just... well, I'm at a loss for words. 

To me this begs the question: How many other times have they not played by the rules, and just not been caught?

Barkeep. A lime rickey. Yes, seriously. 

So, Micheal Sam...

Ramblings Post #253
I questioned whether I would post this, as it's a fairly sensitive subject. But it's one that's not supposed to be. His orientation shouldn't matter if he can play the game - it's that simple. But despite how simple things should be, we as people have this odd thing where we makes stuff harder than it has to be because ...reasons?

Let's be clear up front:  My expectation of Micheal Sam's NFL career is that after a good showing at the Combine where he proves he more than just a pass rusher, he gets drafted right around the place Kiper figured he would go before his announcement last weekend. That he goes on to a good career, is a pro bowl regular and if the stars line up right and luck falls his way, he ends up on a team that wins the Superbowl. Then after retirement he gets an analyst seat somewhere - ESPN, NFL Network, etc - and twenty five years from now he's either telling us why the corner was wrong to bite on the fake and just got burnt or offering his take on why the Lions still haven't got to the big game. Apologies to Lions fans.

But then there is now.

I've read the Slate article about how he's an "opportunity" for a team to make a statement and gain a new following. Because as we all know, your average fan who happens to be gay will just up and change teams in support. Um, no. Sorry, but the thousands of football fans who happen to be gay are still just football fans, and I doubt that a die-hard Steeler, Raider, Raven or Dolphin fan will change in affiliation if Sam is say, drafted by the Cardinals. They'll cheer, check his stats and watch his highlights, but that's about it.

Further, although his openly gay status is a viewed as a distraction, as one veteran has pointed out teams deal with unexpected distractions all the time so this should be no different. And he's right. But, this viewpoint overlooks the real question, the consideration that the team knowing it will inevitably have distractions it did not see coming, would it be prudent to bring one in intentionally? Could be good to get in front of it. Could be bad if it gets out of control. It's a toss up really. 

But all that aside, GM's are wary because as the selecting team you place yourself in a situation where the already murky "Football Decisions" are all second guessed or maybe even shaped by his presence. Let me explain. Now I'm going to assume that the NFL is like most of America and the reality is that in all likelihood he isn't going to be the only gay player on the team, just the first out one. He's not new new, just new. And I'm going to assume that whatever team drafts him that he will be accepted into the locker room. I'm guessing overwhelmingly, but... not absolutely. On a team of 51 players, there is a chance that 3 or 4 players will be uncomfortable with his out status. Their reservations will be irrational, but nevertheless real reservations with the potential to upset team chemistry. 

Now, the reality is that unless Sam is a obvious total bust, he cannot be cut or traded. This would be a PR nightmare for the team. A Football Decision made for reasons other than football, right at the front end of his career. And the question Is Micheal Sam worth three players finds itself answered before its even asked. The second string LB who is suddenly uncomfortable or that fourth wide receiver who has a problem actually are important pieces to a teams success. Now they have to go. And in an era of football where a injuries are a frequent fact of life, those 3 or 4 players, who already know the systems, could be the difference starting the off-season early and holding together a playoff run. Or what if the uncomfortable player is a starter?

A lot of people talking about opportunities for societal shifts in perception have to remember the NFL is about football (and money), not any one group's agenda or an individual player's personal ideals.  This is a league has previously found players who want to continue their education lacking in commitment and dinged them accordingly. But, if this young man's commitment is to social change and not wholly unto that which is football, can he be also dinged? Not without accusations of homophobia. As a GM, why would you voluntarily subject your team to that?

Even the man who normally cuts through the dross, Jon Stewart kinda missed the point. Mr. Stewart seemed to think the question was opportunity, wondering how racists, dog killers and the like were NFL material and somehow Sam was not. But this is a sport where men run into each at top speed so it understands violence, and criminal problems ain't even brand new to the league. As a GM you're the good person giving a guy a second chance, and if you cut a guy convicted of sexual assault, nobody cares. But you try cutting the "gay Jackie Robinson." Apples and seahorses, mate. It's not about opportunity - bottom line, Micheal Sam should get a chance in the NFL - it's really about the situation after he gets the opportunity, and how it will affect the team's Football Decisions trying to meet a not football agenda.

That said, my Cowboys could draft him. Think about it, Jerry Jones just does not give a damn what you think about his Football Decisions. You see Garrett's still the coach, right?

Barkeep, some brown. We all gonna pray the NFL does right by that fella...

Okay, if the Cowboys could not mess this up...again.

Ramblings Post #243
Sport teaches a lot of things. Young people learn teamwork, as well as the ability to play your position and not try to be the hero. It teaches us that training and dedication are necessary evils. It teaches us that sometimes one little thing can change a the ultimate outcome. But most importantly, it teaches us that time moves on, that we put our failures behind us, and get ready for whatever happens next. 

For the past few seasons, the NFC East championship has come to the the Dallas Cowboys versus somebody. And by versus I mean the a game of the season who wants it more affair. And for the past few seasons my beloved Cowboys have come up short.

And this season is looking no better.

The Cowboys of late, the last few years really, have developed a habit of playing to the level of their competition. I don't know if it's the attitude or the training, but the level of ability seems to rise and fall as a needed (when it doesn't just evaporate). They played the "on pace to set records" Broncos to a standstill until the last two minutes. They just lost to the Chiefs. But then turnaround and played down to the level of the hapless Vikings to scrape out a win. Then this week, after dominating the Giants for the first half, actually three quarters, needed a drive in the fourth quarter to win the game.

It pains me to think that it will be a tight game against Oakland.

This is ridiculous. I'm just saddened that Jerry Jones's ego has doomed my team for the last two decades. Yes, because you better believe that he's still mad that everyone credits the last Cowboy Superbowl victories to Jimmy Johnson (this would include the Barry Switzer one, because that was all Jimmy momentum). He has to prove that he did it. With his hand picked coach. With his draft picks. In his stadium.

The Cowboys need a consistent running game. A better offensive line. And a defense. Man do they need a defense. When they built the new stadium the grass must have come from the Bermuda Triangle, because defenders keep disappearing.

All I want is for the Cowboys to make the playoffs and win one game. End the Romo hate. Or at least dampen it down a bit.

Barkeep, you know what I want. From the private Cowboy Nation stock.

The Football Wrap-up

Ramblings Post #212
This does not concern college football, something I usually only watch because it's the hosts alma mater (or favorite team) and the drinks are free. And just so you know, for the next two weeks "Alabama jokes" are on a moratorium. Now, my team did not make the playoffs. So for me, the NFL season is on hiatus. Combined with the fact that the proximity of the Superbowl to the Georgia Bar Exam means I might not watch it all and that any excitement the event might generate will have to boxed up for St. Paddy's Day. Priorities mate, priorities.

I'm going to comment on teams that are NOT the Cowboys first. Do not be alarmed.

Arr - Gee - Three

I don't even like the Redskins, me being a Cowboy fan and all, but what the hell was Shanahan doing? RG3 thought he could play? The player always thinks they can play! Who in the hell cares! I was worried about a few of my friends who are Redskin fans who I think saw the future of the franchise limp off the field in the fourth quarter, but I think I'm more worried about a promising young player ...he's playing for the wrong team, but still... whose career may have been cut short for no good reason at all.

It's not like the Redskins are bereft a backup of some quality, I think Cousins could actually start for a team or two. Now I understand Griffin has torn ligaments, for the second time. I know he's young and invincible, we all were once, but he's about to find out that odds are he's more like Bo Jackson (hip) than Adrian Peterson (knee). They won the division his first season, brought excitement back to DC football, secured Shanahan at least another year, wasn't that enough?

Post his surgery, they're optimistic that he can rehab in six to eight months. Optimistic. For a repair of a repair. Walking is more important than football. And even repaired, they're going to have "adjust" the offense to take this into account. Which makes the novelty of what Griffin can do less effective. Which makes what makes him good...less. That said, here's to hoping to RG3 has a long career. And here's to hoping the 'skin's trade him....Hey, man can dream!

The ground now counts as a player.

And what is this new follow through to the ground rule? If the player has the ball in hand, two feet on the ground, how is that not a catch? I can understand the control issue, but now it seems like one of the basic rules of football since  the push-around matches of Pop-Warner that "the ground can't cause a fumble" has been changed. Which is a fundamental change in football. 

More Games

The NFL, which already has a sixteen game schedule, is considering adding even more games, pushing the total to eighteen. I'm not sure if they intend to eliminate a couple of pre-season games or slide a few more in in the middle, but I'm fairly certain they can't push the Superbowl back any further. Or shouldn't anyway.

And I realize it's all part of the push to give the client "more product" but have they looked at the game? Players get injured, and adding more games means the players are more likely to get injured. Which dilutes the product they're trying to sell. Maybe the coaches will have to strategize like baseball and keep key players on the bench (or not even suit up) for some games...but wait that will only water down the product. No, wait, maybe they could make it illegal to tackle? Think about it... high scoring and no injuries! No, wait, that too would water down the product.

But then, are the owners really worried about watering down the product?

Now onto the Cowboys.

The Cowboys need to address primarily the offensive line and shore up the corners a little bit more. They've got two decent receivers, a good set of defenders if they can all stay healthy, and a quarterback that actually isn't half bad...despite the detractors who swear he's the worse thing throwing since JaMarcus Russell. My brother thinks I am being a little too much of a fanboy...but the only reason they even got to where they were is Romo. On his good days.

Then they fired Rex. Why? He only had middle linebackers and defensive tackles disappear from the roster like the team played in the Bermuda Triangle which is not his fault. Considering what he had to work with injury-wise, the man did a fairly decent job. I liked that he didn't dial up a blitz option every other snap, which must have confounded a play caller or three. Rex just ran out of healthy players. Let's be honest, the only reason Jason Garrett still has a job after a season of single minded play calling is that's he's Jerry Jones handpicked guy. And Jerry's been stewing about making it work HIS way since everyone watching believed reality and gave the credit to Jimmy Johnson instead of the boss. Which would have been how it worked in corporate America, but not in football.

The 'Boys for the past few seasons have a made it a business to make the simple look difficult, and the difficult to look easy. And a large part of it is the coaching. And maybe if they hired an actual general manager, although Jerry has been playing at one so long he may now actually considered to be experienced at the task. Terrible, but experienced. Whatever happened to that petition to the White House to get Jerry separated from the team?

Sigh.

Go Cowboys. It's not like I'm gonna stop being a fan. Through thick and thin.

Barkeep. Ice Tea. I'm studying for the bar....and sitting at it. Oh, I made a pun.

Not again: Cowboys edition

Ramblings Post #203
One has to have faith in those institutions you believe in. We cannot discard them simply because they have become inconvenient or uncomfortable for the moment. Loyalty. Or else you just look like a whiny little "they suck" band wagon jumping .....um, cough, er. Loyalty.

I like many other Cowboy fans always enter the season with high hopes. I have defended Tony Romo on many occasions, noting his effectiveness and ability to make plays, saying his mistakes mostly happen because he tries too hard. They had a good start this season, two promising wins, and so I watched the game last night feeling good.

I am currently looking into if it is possible to file charges against Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboy Organization for "intentional infliction of emotional distress."

Sigh.

We'll strap it back up. Get up, dust ourselves off. After all, Peyton Manning had a terrible game earlier this season, but nobody's written him off. Tony will will bounce back.

Cowboys, win lose or draw.

Bill Clinton vs. The Dallas Cowboys

This is a political post. Kinda.

I remember a cartoon from a long time ago, Regan's second inauguration if you will. By happenstance, the inauguration fell on Super Bowl Sunday. I kid you not. And the cartoon suggested that Regan take is second oath of office at halftime, that way we could be sure someone noticed. I didn't think it was that far fetched an idea. Because sometimes, you have set the silliness aside and focus on the important things in life, like football. Okay, that time I was kidding.

Really? Whose brilliant idea was it to hold the Democratic National Convention at the start of football season? I mean come on. That was patently unfair to those of interested in the future of country as a whole...AND in what Bill Clinton had to say. Yes, that is correct, I equate the success or failure of my favorite football team with the success of the country. I'm only almost partially kidding. I clicked over the convention (because I was watching the game!) and they were telling Bain horror stories, nothing I didn't already know so I figured I'd check back later.

I missed almost all of Elizabeth Warren watching the Cowboys offense give'em the peppa! As much as I know I can get the text someplace or run through the clips later, you should want to hear it live if possible. But the Cowboys were leading at the half 7-3! As a long time Cowboy fan, do you know how fleeting that is as of late. The way we were handing out points in the second half last year, we Cowboy fans have to savor those precious moments that we're up while we can.

Then then sent out ole' Slick Willie. And then I was truly torn. Because this year the 'Boys have actual cover corners, guys who might be able to stop a pass every now and then.  But Bill Clinton knows how to turn a phrase, and although we want Obama back....let's just say the President should be happy ole Billy Boy can't run again.  So I clicked back and forth between the game and convention. I missed the second touchdown, but caught the part about us being better off.  I missed the Giants field goal as the former President waxed on about math being the key to the economy.  With just a seven point lead I was now pressed. Would Coach Garrett make Tony Romo throw the ball all over the field for no reason, increasing the possibility he'd throw a game wrecking second pick? I was sorely tempted to go make myself a drink.  Instead I clicked back over to Clinton breaking down what the Republican budget plan means in real terms.

I listened to Clinton toss out zinger after zinger, doing the dirty work, something he knows the President won't be able to do in his own speech.  Then I watched Miles Austin make a leaping catch on first and thirty, then scamper into the end zone to make it a two touchdown game. It is at this point I wish I could say I relaxed a bit. But then the Cowboys gave up three games last year where they were up by 12 or more fourth quarter, including one to the Giants.  I continued bouncing back and forth, but they were cheering so hard I could barely hear Clinton speaking. And when the Giants closed the gap, I feared that the 'Boys would somehow figure a new way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

I don't really sound like a fan do I?

Let's just say I've been disgusted with the way Jerry has done my team as of late, all ego and bluster amounting to much disappointment. But through thick and thin, you stay with your team. I wish I could say I did the responsible thing and watched Clinton. What I watched was the Cowboys RUN for a game winning first down as the Giants were out of timeouts, only to get it called back for holding. I really needed that drink about then. Then Romo didn't choke and threw for a first down! And then Romo didn't fumble the ball on the kneel down! Then the Cowboys won the game!

Well damn.

And Clinton gave a great speech as well. At least the parts I heard. Thank God for the internet.

Barkeep, a tall glass of ice tea and chicken sandwich. I got some reading to do.  

Off the Top Rope....Touchdown!

Ramblings Post #175
The sports festival that is the New Year is about to go into overdrive. Between the bowl games, the NFL, the NBA and my Playstation, it's gonna be a weekend to remember. Well, not really. Because the "match-up of the century" is going to happen every year from now until they run out of adjectives. And next year, I'll have the new iteration of whatever is supposed to be the hot sport. Maybe FIFA. Isn't sports grand?

This week the NFL, apparently desperate for ratings, has stolen a page out of the book of the people Jim Crockett Productions and staging a Loser leave town match...er, game for the NFC East title. If the refs get "accidentally" get knocked out at some point, don't be surprised. Happens all the time in wrestling.


Sunday night, in the last regular season game of the year, the Cowboys and the Giants will square off in New York for the NFC East crown, and the loser has to wait until next year to prove they didn't give up on the game. And since neither team can mount a running game at this point - Dallas due to injuries and New York because they just can't - it promises to a battle of quarterbacks. Much to the delight of the schedulers, this will be a off the top rope type affair, a high scoring shoot-out....

...unless the Cowboys defensive coordinator Rob Ryan does his job and actually stops somebody.

Ryan is the son of Buddy Ryan, the Buddy is the man who invented modern football defense for all intents and purposes. So Rob comes from good stock. He also is running a defense that in three games this season have given up leads in the fourth quarter of more than one score. He is currently...overrated. A lot of people look down upon Romo, wondering why the media and the football experts heap so much praise upon a man whose team comes up short so often. But Romo doesn't play defense, so he's not dialing up the risky blitzes in the fourth quarter...nor is he a play caller like Manning, so he's not the one deciding to keep tossing it when the team is up two scores. But then the 'Boys can't cobble together a running game for nothing these days.

Note: The key to great offense is a GREAT offensive line.

If the Cowboys lose, most likely it will not be the fault of the offense. Most likely. I'm not saying Romo is perfect, but he's doing more than a few things right. If we're gonna assign blame, how about we assign it's where it's due.

I wonder if I'll make it all the way through this game. Cowboys games tend to make me...um...testy. I get upset, loudly upset, at stupidity. Or at least what I deem stupidity. If there was ever a time I've screamed at a television set, it was during a Cowboys game. In the past few years I have had to turn them off lest I strike something. And since this game is a for a ticket to the big dance...a seat they weren't even supposed to have? Blood pressure medicine and a large whiskey sedative.

Barkeep...start setting them up now. Bottles, not glasses.

Stand up and Admit it

Ramblings Post #143
There are times in a man's life when he must own up to those things he is. I have no other belongings, my actions and my beliefs are my sole possessions, for all else is gone, those will be what I have to live on. I am what I am. That is all that I am.

I am a Dallas Cowboy fan.

These are not good times.

I have been a Cowboy fan since I first started watching the game, for reasons I'm not quite clear about. Raised in South Carolina before the Panthers existed, and when the Falcons were...let's just say before the Falcons were who they are now, the Sunday football packages were limited. Probably because we only had three channels. Well, five channels, but one was PBS and the other a Christian broadcasting station, so...we had three channels. And they broadcast the Cowboys a lot. There was something about the team, the crisp precision of team execution and Coach Tom Landry, with the phone in his jacket

Did you know that a coach now has to get special permission to wear a suit on the sidelines?


The reality that they are now in the midst of a losing season does not deter my loyalty at all. Yes, I said losing season, because until they reach .500, it's a losing season. I made it through the one win season that Troy Aikmen's baptism by fire, I'll make it through this. I cannot believe I trusted Wade with my team. At times like this I can't even watch the games, as the frustration would raise my blood pressure and endanger my furniture. There was time that my mother would put off her Sunday night call until Tuesday or Wednesday because she knew I'd be upset after a Cowboy loss.

I am very passionate about some things.

I also am very aware that my fine tuning is a little rusty. As a youth I had trouble modulating certain expressions of frustrations (i.e, I used to get very angry and break stuff) so I dialed it all the way back to point where for the most part I appear aloof. Its not that I don't feel things, I'm just not very good with them.

Which is why I'm writing this, to vent my frustration at the random Cowboy hate that seems to be free floating about. Okay, it was funny when people say something like, "My team is the Redskins, and whoever is playing the Cowboys" or some variation thereof when the 'Boys were winning. Yep, all fun and games until somebody gets a penalty that negates a game winning pass. But now it looks like its kind of deserved: racking up stupid penalties, uninspired playing calling, etc, although they were really only a penalty or three away from winning a couple of those. And maybe now I'm only just seeing the ire, but there are people whose team isn't even playing the Cowboys who just want to see them lose. Okay, I give Sporty a pass because although her team doesn't play Dallas, she is actually in Dallas, so the comments do have a bit of an outsider defensive rationale. That and I'm stupid for her. The rest of these mugs, especially those whose teams aren't even in the same division mystify me.

I don't think I'm being sensitive either, I lived through a whole season in college with two rabid Redskins fans, I've heard the Cowboy criticism, both deserved and not. But ragging on the Cowboys who were picked to win it all and failing? They didn't anoint themselves, the sports writers picked them. And now things aren't going the way they planned, which happens in football. A lot.

No, these are not good times.

But I'm still a Cowboy fan. Good or Bad.

Barkeep. One Tall Texas beer. Hey, maybe they can still pull it out!

Dogs and Direct TV

It was a less than memorable weekend.

I watched Sporty's dogs this weekend as she went out of town for a Flag-Football Tourney (ah, the sportswoman). Much like me forgetting why I will only sit in Club Level or above in the Georgia Dome, I also forgot why I don't own pets.

1. Pets mean you have to go home. Regularly.
2. Pets mean feedings.
3. Pets have accidents.
4. Pets have a unique aroma.

Now I like dogs, much like I like children. I like the kind you can give back to their owners/parents after say 5 minutes of interaction. I can play toss the stick with the cute puppy, or toss the football with the kid, but hey isn't that your mommie calling?

So I spent the weekend dipping out then heading home to check and make sure the "kids" hadn't gotten into something and destroyed something else. And to keep my floors clean, I must have walked them six times a day (it didn't work). The little one apparently won't go if you're watching him. And the only times I wasn't watching him was when I was asleep or not there. You get the picture. He's not invited back.

But I asked for that, so...

...but Direct TV. I'm so ready to ....ooooh. Okay, so I've been without my Direct for like a month and half. Line of sight issues. Three techs have been out. The fucked up part is that the second tech found a spot to get a signal. The first was lazy and the third tech blew me off like I was nuts. I requested the same tech but they didn't send him.

To get the signal adequately, I need to get a branch cut down however. And do you know how hard it is to find a ladder? I mean like for real...apparently ladders are like gold.

The second tech says cut this branch down, you're in the house. The third tech tells me the second tech was crazy. If I hadn't gotten NFL Sunday ticket, Super fan and the Premier Package for being a persistent customer (I've never been nasty with anyone on the phone) I would have quit a while back. As it is, now I just want to be able to watch some damn TV.

As it is, I'm going to have to find a bar to watch the Cowboys-Bills tonight. I'm not amused.

Barkeep, a boilermaker with a tequila shot on the back.

Wait...what?

Goodell is full of it

I hoped to make my next NFL related notation when the Cowboys were 8-0 and looking like juggernauts on a drive to playoffs, but the Pats have forced my hand. This is about some bullshit to the left, and the idea that you can justify what he did borders on the belief in the Great Pumpkin.

The head coach cheats.
Blatantly.
And gives a half-assed apology to no one.
And the commish who's cracking down and getting tough....gives him a fine?

Now this isn't alleged or unproven allegations that there may have been some improprieties. This isn't your name appeared in suspicious or less than reputable company among people of interest. This isn't off the field shenanigans or tomfoolery or criminal activity.

THIS WAS CHEATING AT THE GAME!

And Goodell had the audacity to state he is charged with "maintaining the integrity of the game."

And then to state that their actions had no impact on the game. If it didn't help, then what the hell did you do it for? Knowing the defense play before hand is a huge advantage, and in the hands of QB like Tom Brady, it's like handing him the keys to bakery. If I owned a team that lying ass fuck coach beat, Goodell would have a lot of explaining to do as to why he didn't put the man's shit in a box and show him the door.

Say what you want, all the guys Goodell "cracked down on" never cheated ON the field. Never.

Integrity of the game my ass.

Barkeep...gimme some dirty tequila. in a dirty shot glass.

Ooops, out of quarters...

Banished for a year from the NFL for acting the ass, Adam "Pacman" Jones still hasn't figured it out. Instead of picking up stakes and moving to say Arizona, renting a spot in the middle of the desert and spending his days working out and meditating, he's up in yet another urban strip club causing incidents. It's a shame to say it, but he almost deserves what happens to him if it goes bad after this.

Wanted for "questioning" about a shooting incident? Does he realize he's on probation? I mean seriously.

The meat of the story is that at a Strip Club in south Atlanta some men, as men do in strip clubs, offered a woman some money. Only she wasn't a dancer, just hanging out (It's really a big thing now, women go to strip clubs just to hang out. In one or two spots there are more women than men some nights). One of the men with her - allegedly Pacman Jones - took offense and as these things are wont to happen, a scuffle ensued. The group of men who started the incident took their leave, but were followed by men in Pacman's entourage. And that's when the shooting started. Nobody died...this time..but the police would love to speak to speak to everyone involved.

Now I doubt he anything to do with the actual shooting, but it's fairly certain he precipitated it. The crowd this soon to be former NFL star hangs with is a posse of people from his old neighborhood, old buddys and people who are going to get him in trouble. If they really were concerned about him, not the superficial posturing that all "thugs" do, a) they would make him stay home, b) make him move to Brewster, KS (pop. 285) and 95% caucasian or c) realize that they're actions are jeapordizing his future and avail to curtail their activities. But none of this is going to happen, and so another potential great talent is going to be lost to foolishness.

In the venacular of them streets...them Dope boys doing him dirty. Sure, they've got a few stacks in their pockets and if Pacman never plays ball again they'll hook him up for the minute. But that never lasts forever, and it's only a matter of time before someone as dramatic as Pacman ends up in the wrong spot at the wrong time saying the wrong thing. Chances are he'll be with the wrong people and they'll make the wrong decision, and things from that point will only get less right. Given the choice between standing in an alley at 3am with your boys and standing on the field at the Superbowl with your team, the idea that you would choose the former means I might understand less about the human psyche than I realize. Because that choice means the ghetto is in his mind.

Bartender...Thunderbird if you got it. No? How about Wild Irish Rose?