- 10:22 PM
- 11/21/09
Edwards is going from Mangini to Rex Ryan, like the rest of the Jets. There's bound to be some on-field improvement, given the intense, winning atmosphere there. Then again, who knows? Edwards did well under Lloyd Carr, so he has some idea what it's about.
posted by afl-aba at 11:19 AM on October 07
What about the dementia of countless NFL fans? I'm looking in your direction, Philly . . .
posted by afl-aba at 08:26 AM on September 30
As long as they don't fine players for gay sex. That would be overkill.
posted by afl-aba at 03:47 PM on September 25
Afl-Aba just wants to feel bad about eating meat and turn that into collective guilt for the rest of us.
Not true. I enjoy eating meat, even though I know where it comes from. And I'm not in the collective guilt business, either. I merely made my points, and you and others responded. That's all.
posted by afl-aba at 11:55 AM on August 16
If i understand Alfalfa's posts, he is saying that i'm a coward because i ate a burger without looking in the cow's eyes, but Vick is stand up guy for killing dogs for fun because he "looked at his victim in the eye"...did i get that right?
Umm . . . no.
posted by afl-aba at 08:34 AM on August 16
If you are so sensitized to this issue that you wallow in guilt over what you eat, why do you then defend cruelty to animals for sport? It doesn't make sense. If you really care about animals, you should be deeply offended by what he did.
I've made that very clear. Follow my thread.
I was raised with dogs. The idea of torturing them makes me sick.
Did you miss this sentiment by me?
posted by afl-aba at 02:51 PM on August 15
I guess that my issue then is the hyperbolic moral black-and-white of your argument
But my argument isn't "moral" or at all black and white. I acknowledge the complications and contradictions of what I'm stressing. I simply rebel against the notion that somehow Michael Vick is the worst person ever for his cruelty and crimes -- which he paid for.
I was raised with dogs. The idea of torturing them makes me sick. But I also try to acknowledge that torture takes many forms, some of which please me (when I'm eating filet mignon), and some of which I don't consider at all.
And the sweatshop angle is a good one. Here again people make choices. We live in a brutal world. If trying to expand one's thoughts about it makes me "fringe," so be it. The American mainstream ain't looking too healthy these days, anyway.
posted by afl-aba at 02:15 PM on August 15
You seem to equate a resignation toward some of life's necessary evils to a sadistic joy in the pain and suffering of creatures for sport. If you can't see the problem with that argument, I'm not prone to humoring your perspective.
I think that those who tolerate slaughterhouse conditions for intelligent mammals before eating or wearing them are actually worse. They're indifferent to or comfortable with mass suffering. Vick was sadistic and cruel, but at least he looked his victims in the eyes.
I can only assume that your smug attitude comes from a position of relative moral superiority. You don't eat meat, you don't wear leather, you don't watch football or baseball (involving leather-wrapped balls), you don't do anything that in any way subjects animals to less than ideal (i.e. natural) conditions.
Oh please. As I said in my first post: "Meat eaters and leather wearers are selective. We're hypocrites. At least Vick went to prison for his abuse. The rest of us only get slower and fatter."
I watch most sports. I eat meat. I wear leather. I'm part of the hypocrisy. It's you who sounds smug and morally superior.
I'm not saying I'm proud of the way feed animals are treated, but to say that one who eats meat or wears leather "has no moral leg to stand on" when condemning a man who tortured dogs for sport is nothing short of ridiculous.
It's selective outrage. A lot of people have a hard time reconciling that, so they create safe categories where their behavior isn't so bad. And yes, this includes me.
p.s. Do you keep pets?
A dog and a cat.
posted by afl-aba at 01:10 PM on August 15
"The unfortunate conditions on many of this country's feed lots and slaughter houses do, indeed, cause the animals harm. I do not, however, relish or delight in that harm."
But you take advantage of those conditions, which are as bad if not worse than what Vick did to those dogs. At least Vick looked his victims in the eye. If you killed your own meat, then you might have a point.
"Those animals feed people, and if you know a better, kinder way to keep 350 million Americans fed, by all means, pipe up with a suggestion."
There are numerous alternatives to the present system, some of which are employed at local levels. The problem is, most Americans are lazy and conditioned to eat fast food and processed crap. If anything, they're overfed, as a walk through a suburban mall will quickly show.
"Other carnivorous animals kill, and their prey probably doesn't like it, but to call a mountain lion or eagle immoral is simply asinine."
I spoke only of humans, specifically Americans. You can mention every creature on earth, and it doesn't diminish the point that Americans support and enjoy mass cruelty to animals as a matter of practice. Bashing Vick is largely hypocrisy and selective outrage, features that Americans are quite comfortable with.
posted by afl-aba at 11:48 AM on August 15
Not to defend Vick's brutality to dogs, but --
Unless you're a vegetarian, or better a vegan, then you really have no "moral" leg to stand on. What is done to cows and pigs, also mammals, is way beyond what Vick did to dogs. Indeed, people make fortunes from it. And most of you eat it. No jail time, no career-altering penalties.
Meat eaters and leather wearers are selective. We're hypocrites. At least Vick went to prison for his abuse. The rest of us only get slower and fatter.
posted by afl-aba at 08:08 PM on August 14
Another AFL legend gone. Hated Kemp's politics, but he was a vital part of that rebel league. Might've been in Super Bowl I, had the Chiefs not steamrolled the Bills in the 1966 AFL title game. Probably for the best. I doubt that Bills team would've done much better against Lombardi's Packers.
posted by afl-aba at 01:41 AM on May 03
Have Buffalo take Plax. That would be fun to watch.
posted by afl-aba at 10:05 AM on April 04
"These things never work"
Umm, the American Football League -- 1960-70?
posted by afl-aba at 07:56 PM on March 11
Well, at least he wasn't hitting a bong a la Michael Phelps. Imagine the horror.
posted by afl-aba at 10:57 AM on February 02
I predict that the Chicago Cardinals will narrowly defeat the Pittsburgh Pirates in the World Championship Game.
posted by afl-aba at 11:08 AM on January 19
As a Pistons fan, I'm psyched by this trade. The P's needed a shake up, and this is more than I imagined would happen. AS BornIcon said, AI's more mature and should fit nicely into the line-up. And now the spotlight shines on Stuckey. I think he can handle it.
posted by afl-aba at 03:09 PM on November 03
Well, Oklahoma was once serious Indian country, and until the Redskins change their name, or the Cleveland Indians dump Chief Wahoo, then I see no reason why we can't keep dipping into our glorious history of ethnic cleansing -- err, "westward expansion" for team monikers. How 'bout the OKC Screaming Cherokees? OKC Battlin' Choctaws? OKC Wild Arapahos (or, to tie into the gangsta demographic, just the 'Hos)? The Wind or Thunder? How very World Football League, c. 1974-75.
posted by afl-aba at 09:34 AM on July 27
"Fight Club" is out there, I'll admit. It might fit into the extreme fighting slot, though domestic terrorism is rarely seen as a legitimate contact sport.
posted by afl-aba at 01:57 PM on June 19
I agree with including "Eight Men Out." "Slap Shot" as well. "He Got Game" has its moments. Dunno if it's a Top 10, but the Earl Monroe montage alone is worth the view (as are the opening credit images), and the pre-Celtic Ray Allen does a nice job alongside Denzel. I'd definitely include "Fight Club." Maybe too homoerotic for the avg. male sports fan, though.
posted by afl-aba at 01:33 PM on June 19
Further evidence of getting what you pay for. Clearly, Boston's money was not wasted, and the team came together beautifully in the last two series. Still, I bet the Hawks are kicking themselves. They were thisclose. Oh yeah -- Auerbach was an asshole. But then, I have ABA in my tag.
posted by afl-aba at 07:18 AM on June 18
So much for Stephen A. Smith's "insider" guarantee on ESPN Radio that D'Antoni was all but wrapped up by the Bulls, whose roster supposedly better fit D'A's style. Personally, I would've gone with the Bulls, as the Knicks are a complete disaster and further away from any redemption.
posted by afl-aba at 06:32 AM on May 12
If the BCS knows this, Afl, why did they even float the proposal of this plus-one playoff? Testing the waters, I suspect. There's been such a clamor for some kind of playoff system that it was inevitable that the BCS would at least dip its toe in to see the reaction. However, I agree that, eventually, a playoff will emerge. I'll probably be too old to care or dead by that point.
posted by afl-aba at 07:45 AM on May 01
A boycott will never happen. Too many 'Muricans love football too much to ever do that (why do you think the Detroit Lions continue to sell out their home games?). The BCS knows this, which is why its immovable. You'll watch. I'll watch. Case closed.
posted by afl-aba at 12:14 AM on May 01
Hey, 15 in country music years is around 32. Plus, messin' around while married is part of the C&W experience. Why the fuss?
posted by afl-aba at 11:02 AM on April 28
Finally, an NFL player who can kill or be in the presence of killers and not be punished, so long as he ices Iraqis. Pacman missed his calling.
posted by afl-aba at 08:47 AM on April 28
Brandy -- when you are part of only 12-15% of the population, coming out of a history of slavery, violence, and apartheid, and still must deal with lingering hatred for your tribe by the dominant tribe, then perhaps the "racism" of blacks might take on a different meaning. I agree that all racism, no matter the source, must be discouraged if not eliminated (impossible, in my view). But not all racism is equal, however noxious it is.
posted by afl-aba at 02:03 PM on April 20
I think you have a lot to add to the discussions around sports here generally (and have found your thoughts regarding the ABA and AFL interesting), but using every thread as an opportunity to rail against some mythical, monolithic American populace that is stupid, loves NASCAR, loves war, and loves violence is tiresome. Fair enough, and thank you for that. I can talk sports qua sports without problem. I'm a fan of many, used to play a few. But when the topic arises, I won't shy from tying sports to their larger cultural, at times political, function. In this highly-integrated world, most everything laps over something else.
posted by afl-aba at 01:18 PM on April 20
As trite, cliche, and non-responsive as expected. Coming from whom -- spokes-insect of the mantispeople?
posted by afl-aba at 01:11 PM on April 20
Be nice or I'll talk about our hefty and uneducated war mongering nation. Oh dear God, don't do that. Wise folk know that this is a troll-inspired fantasy. America is peaceful, highly-educated (especially in geography and history), and in peak physical condition. Just look around at any NFL or NCAA tailgater.
posted by afl-aba at 07:40 AM on April 20
Your visceral reaction and utter disdain for the implication of the question points to one of two things; complete self-loathing of your own race or hatred of another's. My race is the human race. What's yours?
posted by afl-aba at 07:37 AM on April 20
reading your other posts, you Sir are a troll of the highest order. Please go find a nice, in your case, liberal politics board to vent your venom. Liberal?!
posted by afl-aba at 10:56 PM on April 19
I'll point it out again, though others already have. This is an article in a Canadian newspaper, about an event in Canada. How you grasp at this to tear at the U.S.A's military excursions is clutching at straws at best. I was talking about MMA overall, using that article as a jumping off point (and the fact that CBS, an American network, was mentioned). But hey, I understand why some try to play down the militaristic aspect. Much nicer to pretend that it's all a game, disconnected from larger cultural context.
posted by afl-aba at 09:29 PM on April 19
No, CBS stands for Columbia Broadcasting System. Just in case you're unaware, CBS is available in Canada, both as an over-the-air, and on basic cable televison. Here in Canada we do have a television network referenced by the call letters CBC(Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Perhaps that's why you were confused. Ha ha. Get literal much?
posted by afl-aba at 07:21 PM on April 19
What an idiot. The word "endure" really pisses me off. When I was over there living in a tent, away from my family and worried about getting my ass shot off and orphaning my daughter, I wasn't doing it for you. Finally -- some honesty. As a veteran of the U.S. Army, I thank you for that.
posted by afl-aba at 07:19 PM on April 19
Americans = Bloodthirsty Warmongerers Close. Not all, of course. Just those who don't give a shit about our violence or worse, cheer it on. You might add hefty and uneducated to that statement.
posted by afl-aba at 07:17 PM on April 19
Certainly Americans enjoy violence, but to say that this is a particularly American phenomenon or something new that highlights the "American Idiocracy" (heh heh, Southerners are stoopid) is just as holden pointed out "facile pop anthropology". I never said that this was an exclusive American concept. I said, quite clearly, and in English, that being an American, living among other Americans, that the homeland variety was my chief concern. Easy to scoff at those you don't live among or where you don't pay taxes. One's own turf should be one's primary focus.
posted by afl-aba at 07:15 PM on April 19
[B]ut to then draw a line from the UFC to US foreign policy is specious reasoning of the most fuzzy-headed sort. Agreed. So far, the UFC hasn't used cluster bombs -- yet. Besides, the NFL is much closer to domestic war games than anything else. Last time I checked, Americans were playing and enjoying watching hockey, rugby, and Muay Thai. Yes. I just registered my son in the local Muay Thai group.
posted by afl-aba at 04:38 PM on April 19
I'm not dodging anything; my original point was that you have taken an article from a Canadian publication about an event to be held in Canada to rail against American militarism. It just seems incongruous, is all. This event is also, and most primarily aimed at, the American public. Of course there are violent knobs in Canada. So what? Last time I checked, Canada isn't invading or occupying numerous countries. Not on the US scale, anyway. Canada and the US, in many ways, share a common culture. But in terms of global impact, who has the upper hand?
posted by afl-aba at 04:32 PM on April 19
My point is not that Americans don't eat up MMA, it's that it is by no means a uniquely American phenomenon and your facile pop anthropology is crap. There are a host of "violent" sports (hockey, rugby, Aussie rules football, Muay Thai, etc.) that have their origins in, or are widely popular in, countries outside of the U.S. True, but I don't live in those countries. I live in the US, and so this is my main concern. One can always point to other countries in order to downplay one's own (a time-honored, popular tactic), but it ultimately begs the question, one that you seem to dodge. "Plus America has nowhere near the level of fan violence that accompanies certain sports in other countries." I'll keep that in mind when wearing NY Giants gear at an Eagles home game. More than that, we in the States must endure "tributes" to the military before big games like the Super Bowl. While we're slaughtering foreigners in their beds, we cheer F-16s screaming above a stadium at home. I'm guessing that fighter jets kill more people than do soccer riots.
posted by afl-aba at 03:43 PM on April 19
So how are you any different than the people who get off on MMA [that] will be the great-grandparents of American Idiocracy in the future? Because I no longer get off on this crap. Testing oneself physically is one thing; participating in corporate-funded distractions is another. Am I the only one here put-off by the slobbering jackasses who hoot and holler at these matches? It's Rollerball/Running Man time.
posted by afl-aba at 03:29 PM on April 19
afl-aba, you need to get an atlas (book of maps) or a globe and find Montreal. Thanks for the tip. I guess that CBS stands for Canadian Broadcasting Service.
posted by afl-aba at 03:10 PM on April 19
I look to MMA to fulfill my combat sport jones. Who's stopping you? Jones out to your fullest desire. I used to fight in karate tournaments, and bristled at their tight restrictions. My friends and I then conducted Fight Club-type matches in basements and garages. I'm familiar with the impulse.
posted by afl-aba at 02:52 PM on April 19
Yes, those blood-thirsty Americans in Montreal. Oh -- MMA is a Canadian import? Well then, I take everything back. Imagine me thinking that war and war-related sports are popular in America.
posted by afl-aba at 02:47 PM on April 19
So some guy makes millions playing on the stereotype and that gives everyone free reign to do the same? That is an amazingly dumb statement. But look who buys into the stereotype -- southern white people (among other regions)! Are you telling me that blacks and Latinos are laughing at Larry because he conforms to the stereotype? Please. Not to mention that larry the cable guy is from nebraska; not exactly the deep south. Right. His name is Dan Whitney, and he was a failed stand-up who created Larry. Smart move. A NASCAR comic who feeds the prejudices of his white audience. God Bless 'Murica.
posted by afl-aba at 02:45 PM on April 19
America is a war nation. Always has been. Hell, ratting was a popular Colonial spectator sport, and I seriously doubt we'll see a mainstream return to that game. So some progress has been made. Still, the people who get off on MMA will be the great-grandparents of American Idiocracy in the future -- assuming it hasn't already arrived. Hoo-yeah!
posted by afl-aba at 12:59 PM on April 19
Would the same outrage occur if it was an image of a shirtless, hairy, bib-overalled, southern, white guy spitting tobacco juice saying, "Shazam!"? You mean like Larry the Cable Guy, who makes millions playing that very stereotype? I doubt it. Like clockwork, anytime racism is exposed, someone must defend the poor, exploited American white man. These are usually the very people who slam "PC" takes on non-whites (which is usually code for, "How's come I cain't say nigger no more?!"), but whine and cry about the tender sensitivities of whites. Typical.
posted by afl-aba at 12:50 PM on April 19
Given that most sports have authoritarian overtones, as well as tribalistic feelings among fans, Nazi tie-ins are inevitable, but much better suited to the NFL and college football.
posted by afl-aba at 10:44 AM on April 11
Yep -- "progeny." A typo, y'all.
posted by afl-aba at 02:57 PM on April 03
Coming from someone who used to fight in karate tournaments, I must say that these events make films like "Idiocracy" look like documentaries. Can't wait to see the progency of those louts screaming in the stands. On second thought, I can wait.
posted by afl-aba at 01:34 PM on April 03
Given the smaller tournament field in the '60s, Pete Maravich's LSU never appeared in the Big Dance, so far as I know. I believe you had to win your conference to get in. The upside was, this made the NIT an exciting tournament. Also, Bob Knight is the only coach to win NCAA, NIT, and CCA titles. He's still a dick.
posted by afl-aba at 02:50 PM on March 17
As half of my tag proclaims, I'm an old ABA guy. Grew up watching the Pacers coached by Slick Leonard, so his takes in the Stokes piece were appreciated. I think talent-wise, there were as many good players then as now, only now the training's different, the outlook more corporate, etc. You don't think a Mo Stokes, with 2008 facilities, would shine in the modern NBA? Or Elgin Baylor? Bob Love? Roger Brown? Okay, I'll give you George Mikan, whose only advantage was that he was big when there were few big men (and I like Mikan -- the first ABA commish, remember). But players like Maravich or Charlie Scott, whom a friend of mine says would not make the Bobcats, much less a better team today, I believe would do just fine, applying their gifts to the modern age. Enough of this generation segregation!
posted by afl-aba at 08:05 AM on March 15
Since the vast majority of Americans are not directly engaged with the day to day politics of the country -- something that is reserved for elites and those the elites employ -- they are merely spectators and occasional lever-pullers come election time. That's it. So for many, sports serves as a substitute, and there one can be an "active" participant in the spectacle, which usually translates into binge drinking, oafish behavior, tribalist conformity to one's team, and as we see more and more, violence and threats of violence. And I say this as a sports fan myself, though I have yet to destroy property or threaten a stranger to show my enthusiasm.
posted by afl-aba at 11:01 AM on February 28
To be expected in an apolitical country like ours. Such nativist behavior has long been encouraged, whether promoting a war or getting hammered in a parking lot and screeching like a rabid ape in the stands. Americans love to shout, bump chests, scream inanities, and generally act stupidly and blindly in support of whatever tribe they happen to identify with. And guess what? It's only gonna get worse. Go to a Little League game this summer and see where it starts.
posted by afl-aba at 10:12 AM on February 28
Two corrections are in order: First, from the original article: "The USFL had all the green lights to making it, unlike the World Football League, the American Football League, and (cue to snicker aloud) ... the XFL." Ummm, the American Football League did make it. It's now called the AFC of the NFL. The old AFL was the most successful of any alternative league in American sports history. The entire league merged with, and heavily influenced, the older, stuffier NFL. And from jmcnally: "Despite that, the influence of the USFL has been significant. The league was the first to allow two-point conversions in professional football . . ." Bzzzt! No, it was the AFL that first allowed two-point conversions. The AFL also put names on the backs of football jerseys for the first time, and did allow players to mess around with the form, like Edward McDaniel for the Dolphins, who used "Wahoo" on his back. FYI.
posted by afl-aba at 02:32 PM on February 26
Dock Ellis & the LSD No No
I don't think that steroids give you mystical visions. The drugs jocks ingest today reflect the corporate mindset that defines what passes for society. Still, I find it amazing how Ellis was able to pitch while tripping. Images shift without warning; auditory input floods your ears and mind. I know that Bill Lee pitched after ingesting hash (and I doubt he was the only one), but that's mother's milk compared to a loaded tab.