While we heard some praising the Nebraska black helmet look, we are not amused. That is not Nebraska. That is not Wisconsin. The Scarlet Letter game.
That is all.
Sunday, September 30, 2012
College Football Uniform Watch Week 5
Usually we want to mention winners and losers of the weekly uniform watch. This week only losers. From only one game. Nebraska, Wisconsin and adidas: Shame on you. See for yourself.
While we heard some praising the Nebraska black helmet look, we are not amused. That is not Nebraska. That is not Wisconsin. The Scarlet Letter game.
That is all.
While we heard some praising the Nebraska black helmet look, we are not amused. That is not Nebraska. That is not Wisconsin. The Scarlet Letter game.
That is all.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Enjoy the Texas Rangers Post Season
Our Texas Rangers are on the verge of their third straight playoff appearance. We are just as excited this year as we were two years ago. Or in the late nineties.
Our advice is to never let it get old. Or taken for granted. Ask the fans of the Royals. What would they give for one playoff appearance?
The 2012 is both fun and frustrating. They never give up, except when they do. They can come back from a six run deficit or be totally inept in a 1-0 loss. The pitching can carry for while, the bats can carry for a while. Ian Kinsler can throw the ball into the stands or turn an amazing double play. Josh Hamilton can wave helplessly at breaking balls for weeks or can hit 242 homeruns in a homestand. Derek Holland can be the best pitcher in baseball for a month or can give up 108 runs in a third of an inning.
They lost two fifths of their starting rotation. They have seen the entire lineup slump for an extended period. They have won a total of nine games in a month.
But you know what? Their magic number is three with six games to play. They hold a four game lead over Oakland. They will be in the playoffs.
Enjoy this. It doesn't happen all the time.
Our advice is to never let it get old. Or taken for granted. Ask the fans of the Royals. What would they give for one playoff appearance?
The 2012 is both fun and frustrating. They never give up, except when they do. They can come back from a six run deficit or be totally inept in a 1-0 loss. The pitching can carry for while, the bats can carry for a while. Ian Kinsler can throw the ball into the stands or turn an amazing double play. Josh Hamilton can wave helplessly at breaking balls for weeks or can hit 242 homeruns in a homestand. Derek Holland can be the best pitcher in baseball for a month or can give up 108 runs in a third of an inning.
They lost two fifths of their starting rotation. They have seen the entire lineup slump for an extended period. They have won a total of nine games in a month.
But you know what? Their magic number is three with six games to play. They hold a four game lead over Oakland. They will be in the playoffs.
Enjoy this. It doesn't happen all the time.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
The Great Replacement Ref Controversy of 2012
There are many people outraged by the ending of the Monday Night Football game between Seattle and Green Bay. Rightly so. The end of the game was a debacle of epic proportions. the people opining are passionate about the NFL. Good for them.
However, much hot air, bandwidth, air time and ink will be wasted this week. Why? Because this changes nothing.
The owners have decided what they are going to offer the referees. End of story. They are dug in.
This lockout ends one of two ways: The regular refs cave or someone gets killed because of the replacements' incompetence. We've written that here before and still believe it to be true.
Meanwhile, the league and network executives are laughing all the way to the bank. NFL telecasts have now become "must see tv" just to find out what ludicrous thing will happen. While the ESPN talking heads have to decry this situation, the ad execs have to be loving it. This latest situation will rule the airwaves for the next week.
Here in the Cheap Seats we are popping popcorn and sitting back to watch the fireworks. Most fun we've had in a while. We know the replacements are terrible and in over their heads, but much like a train wreck, we cannot turn away. That makes us part of the problem, but we're OK with that.
However, much hot air, bandwidth, air time and ink will be wasted this week. Why? Because this changes nothing.
The owners have decided what they are going to offer the referees. End of story. They are dug in.
This lockout ends one of two ways: The regular refs cave or someone gets killed because of the replacements' incompetence. We've written that here before and still believe it to be true.
Meanwhile, the league and network executives are laughing all the way to the bank. NFL telecasts have now become "must see tv" just to find out what ludicrous thing will happen. While the ESPN talking heads have to decry this situation, the ad execs have to be loving it. This latest situation will rule the airwaves for the next week.
Here in the Cheap Seats we are popping popcorn and sitting back to watch the fireworks. Most fun we've had in a while. We know the replacements are terrible and in over their heads, but much like a train wreck, we cannot turn away. That makes us part of the problem, but we're OK with that.
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Winners and Losers in the College Football Uniform Watch
Here in the Cheap Seats, we sometimes yell at kids to get off our lawn. Sometimes we get a little cranky. We are not fans of most of the "alternate" uniforms spotted in the college football landscape these days. We will try to have a synopsis here every week, but for those that need more real time info, check out Twitter hashtag #CFBUniWatch on Saturdays. And sometimes Thursdays and Fridays.
Winners
This part of the entry is usually going to be very short - see above.
Oregon - We never now what to expect from the Ducks week-to-week. This week they went fairly traditional (for Oregon) and it worked.
Rutgers - I don't think their's is an alternate uni, but the sleek silver and scarlet look they now sport on the road (haven't seen them at home yet) is very attractive.
Virginia Tech - The camo look they had going on with the all white unis was a definite upgrade from the atrocious Maroon and Orange combo that is their usual look. Any combination of that is bad.
Losers
Missouri - If this drab gray and mustard combo is what the SEC move has wrought, they have lost even before they step on the field.
West Virginia - See Missouri above, only substitute Big 12 for SEC.
Arkansas - Now, they have much bigger problems than fashion, but still. For us mostly it was the white helmets with the faint Razorback outline. This is Woo Pig Soooie. Red headgear with the distinctive hog outline, please.
Utah - We thought we were watching Cincinnati. No disrespect to the Bearcats, but the Utes are supposed to feature red.
Winners
This part of the entry is usually going to be very short - see above.
Oregon - We never now what to expect from the Ducks week-to-week. This week they went fairly traditional (for Oregon) and it worked.
Rutgers - I don't think their's is an alternate uni, but the sleek silver and scarlet look they now sport on the road (haven't seen them at home yet) is very attractive.
Virginia Tech - The camo look they had going on with the all white unis was a definite upgrade from the atrocious Maroon and Orange combo that is their usual look. Any combination of that is bad.
Losers
Missouri - If this drab gray and mustard combo is what the SEC move has wrought, they have lost even before they step on the field.
West Virginia - See Missouri above, only substitute Big 12 for SEC.
Arkansas - Now, they have much bigger problems than fashion, but still. For us mostly it was the white helmets with the faint Razorback outline. This is Woo Pig Soooie. Red headgear with the distinctive hog outline, please.
Utah - We thought we were watching Cincinnati. No disrespect to the Bearcats, but the Utes are supposed to feature red.
Open Letter to Rangers Fans
Dear Fans of the Texas Rangers,
Here in the Cheap Seats, we appreciate the overwhelming support of our Rangers by everyone involved, whether you have been a fan for 40 years or 40 minutes.
We have been here for most of the 40 years. We were here when Tom Grieve (TAG) was a player. We were here for three managers in two days. We remember Ferguson Jenkins, Toby Harrah, Buddy Bell, Bump Wills, Jim Sundberg, Jeff Burroughs, Mike Hargrove, Gaylord Perry, Mickey Rivers, Odibe McDowell, Steve Buechele, Gabe Kapler, Charlie Hough, etc., etc.
We suffered through managers such as Frank Lucchesi, Billy Hunter, Pat Corales, Darrell Johnson, Doug Rader, Bobby Valentine, Toby Harrah, Kevin Kennedy and Jerry Narron. We have seen "names" such as Ted Williams, Whitey Herzog, Billy Martin and Don Zimmer come and go. We have seen two pretty good managers in Johnny Oates and Buck Showalter come through.
We have seen owners such as Tom Hicks, George Bush, Brad Corbett, and Eddie Chiles.
Right now we have an ownership group headed by Nolan Ryan. Jon Daniels as general manager and Ron Washington as the field manager. This group has taken the Rangers to back-to-back world series. In the 37 years of franchise history before this trifecta, our Rangers had won exactly one playoff game.
Don't become Red Sox Nation or the Evil Empire. Realize that this is special. Realize that we could be fans of the Astros, or the Royals, or the Rockies, or the Pirates, or........well, you get the picture.
If the manager decides to call for a bunt in the eighth inning of a game in which the offense has been inept and it fails, it is not the end of the world. We will take the last two years with the "worst manager in baseball" over the previous 37 any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Just a little perspective.
Sincerely,
Long time Rangers fans in the Cheap Seats
Here in the Cheap Seats, we appreciate the overwhelming support of our Rangers by everyone involved, whether you have been a fan for 40 years or 40 minutes.
We have been here for most of the 40 years. We were here when Tom Grieve (TAG) was a player. We were here for three managers in two days. We remember Ferguson Jenkins, Toby Harrah, Buddy Bell, Bump Wills, Jim Sundberg, Jeff Burroughs, Mike Hargrove, Gaylord Perry, Mickey Rivers, Odibe McDowell, Steve Buechele, Gabe Kapler, Charlie Hough, etc., etc.
We suffered through managers such as Frank Lucchesi, Billy Hunter, Pat Corales, Darrell Johnson, Doug Rader, Bobby Valentine, Toby Harrah, Kevin Kennedy and Jerry Narron. We have seen "names" such as Ted Williams, Whitey Herzog, Billy Martin and Don Zimmer come and go. We have seen two pretty good managers in Johnny Oates and Buck Showalter come through.
We have seen owners such as Tom Hicks, George Bush, Brad Corbett, and Eddie Chiles.
Right now we have an ownership group headed by Nolan Ryan. Jon Daniels as general manager and Ron Washington as the field manager. This group has taken the Rangers to back-to-back world series. In the 37 years of franchise history before this trifecta, our Rangers had won exactly one playoff game.
Don't become Red Sox Nation or the Evil Empire. Realize that this is special. Realize that we could be fans of the Astros, or the Royals, or the Rockies, or the Pirates, or........well, you get the picture.
If the manager decides to call for a bunt in the eighth inning of a game in which the offense has been inept and it fails, it is not the end of the world. We will take the last two years with the "worst manager in baseball" over the previous 37 any day of the week and twice on Sunday.
Just a little perspective.
Sincerely,
Long time Rangers fans in the Cheap Seats
NFL Week 3 Snaps
What can we glean from the NFL's third week so far? Other then we are not doing well in our Survivor/Suicide Pool picks.
In a battle of two surprise 2-0 teams, Arizona is for real, Philadelphia is not. The Cardinal defense is for real. Michael Vick is not a winning NFL QB.
New Orleans is Arkansas. Two teams who lost their head coach amongst off season upheaval are now both floundering. In opening the season 0-3, the Saints defense has been horrid. The offense is lacking. Could be a long season.
The Week 1 matchup between the Jets and the Bills confuses us to no end. New York dominated Buffalo in that game. Since, the Bills have crushed Kansas City and beat Cleveland on the road. The Jets were not close in a game against Pittsburgh (which lost to previously winless Oakland in Week 3) and were taken to ovetime by a Miami squad that many have said is in disarray and beat the aforementioned Raiders in Oakland.
Our Twitterverse centers around Dallas area teams and the consensus was that a not-very-good Cowboys team beat a horrid Tampa Bay outfit. The majority opinion being that the Week 1 win over the Giants was a fluke. Perhaps overlooking the facts. The Cowboys beat the Giants. The Bucs should have beaten the Giants. The Cowboys beat the Bucs, should have won easily. Perspective, people.
Which allows us a nice segue to Tampa and head coach Greg Schiano. Schiano stuck to his guns in defending playing to final gun. We're sure you remember the controversy caused by the Week 2 effort by Schiano's team on the final "victory formation" play by the Giants in the game's waning moments. Well, the Bucs were at it again against the Cowboys. This time even calling timeouts to extend the game. Dallas was prepared for it, so it didn't become an issue. Here in the Cheap Seats, we have no problem with those tactics. The offense should not dictate when a game is over. The rest of the league will adjust.
The games are becoming interminably long due to the replacement refs. Too many times they have to be corrected by replay. In one game, five (5), yes five, plays were overturned by replay. However, as we've opined before, this doesn't get settled until the refs cave. Roger Goodell and the NFL owners have dug in. There is no way this ends well. Either the refs cave or someone gets killed on the field. Helmet to helmet contact is running rampant because none of the players or coaches have any respect for the replacements.
We didn't cover everything here, but it has become too long already. More later
In a battle of two surprise 2-0 teams, Arizona is for real, Philadelphia is not. The Cardinal defense is for real. Michael Vick is not a winning NFL QB.
New Orleans is Arkansas. Two teams who lost their head coach amongst off season upheaval are now both floundering. In opening the season 0-3, the Saints defense has been horrid. The offense is lacking. Could be a long season.
The Week 1 matchup between the Jets and the Bills confuses us to no end. New York dominated Buffalo in that game. Since, the Bills have crushed Kansas City and beat Cleveland on the road. The Jets were not close in a game against Pittsburgh (which lost to previously winless Oakland in Week 3) and were taken to ovetime by a Miami squad that many have said is in disarray and beat the aforementioned Raiders in Oakland.
Our Twitterverse centers around Dallas area teams and the consensus was that a not-very-good Cowboys team beat a horrid Tampa Bay outfit. The majority opinion being that the Week 1 win over the Giants was a fluke. Perhaps overlooking the facts. The Cowboys beat the Giants. The Bucs should have beaten the Giants. The Cowboys beat the Bucs, should have won easily. Perspective, people.
Which allows us a nice segue to Tampa and head coach Greg Schiano. Schiano stuck to his guns in defending playing to final gun. We're sure you remember the controversy caused by the Week 2 effort by Schiano's team on the final "victory formation" play by the Giants in the game's waning moments. Well, the Bucs were at it again against the Cowboys. This time even calling timeouts to extend the game. Dallas was prepared for it, so it didn't become an issue. Here in the Cheap Seats, we have no problem with those tactics. The offense should not dictate when a game is over. The rest of the league will adjust.
The games are becoming interminably long due to the replacement refs. Too many times they have to be corrected by replay. In one game, five (5), yes five, plays were overturned by replay. However, as we've opined before, this doesn't get settled until the refs cave. Roger Goodell and the NFL owners have dug in. There is no way this ends well. Either the refs cave or someone gets killed on the field. Helmet to helmet contact is running rampant because none of the players or coaches have any respect for the replacements.
We didn't cover everything here, but it has become too long already. More later
Friday, September 21, 2012
2012 NFL Week 3 Survivor Pick
Our pick of New England last week turned out to be a big flop. We were tempted to take the Giants, hindsight being 20/20 and all, should have. That one was also too close for comfort.
Everything that says you should pick a team aligned with the Patriots/Cardinals game last week. Double digit home favorite. Inter-conference opponent. West Coast (almost) team going east in an early start time. Every cliche in the book is apropos here. Any given Sunday. That's why they play games. Etc.
Ninety nine times out of 100, we would make the same pick. These things happen. So we are officially out (as is close to 50% of the field). However, this will not stop us from further analysis. So on to Week 3.
Stay Far, Far Away
Tampa Bay (+8) @ Dallas - After last week's meltdown in the Pacific Northwest by the Cowboys and Tampa's near upset of NYG, we're just not comfortable going with the home favorite here.
Jacksonville (+3) @ Indianapolis - We have absolutely no idea what may happen in this game. Two young QBs on bad teams. Nuff said.
NYJ (-1.5) @ Miami - Division game. Favorite on the road. We don't think the Jets are as good as they think they and the Dolphins are as bad as everyone thinks they are.
Cincinnati (+3) @ Washington - This game is way too evenly matched to risk a pick. That is all.
Detroit (-3.5) @ Tennessee - Never pick against Detroit. Never trust Detroit unless you have to. We think the Lions will pull it out, but would not risk it. Chris Johnson could figure out how to run at any moment, we would hate for it to be this week if we picked Detroit.
Philadelphia (-3) @ Arizona - The Eagles and Mike Vick have been very, very lucky the past two weeks. The Cards are a very good defensive team. Their offense, however, leaves much to be desired.
Atlanta (+3) @ San Diego - This is pretty much a pick 'em. Nothing to see here. Move on.
Pittsburgh (-3.5) @ Oakland - James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are out for the Steelers. Enough of a reason for us to stay away.
Houston (-2) @ Denver - Peyton Manning will not throw three picks again. The Texans are going from sea level to altitude. We think the line is too tight and that Houston will prevail, but there are better options.
New England (+2.5) @ Baltimore - Both teams coming off games they could have (should have?) won. This should be a great game to watch. Not a great game to pick.
Green Bay (-3) @ Seattle - Strange things happen in the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks defense is good. The Packers have not looked like world beaters up to this point.
Looks Good on Paper
Kansas City (+8.5) @ New Orleans - We confess, this should be a walk in the park for the Saints. Should be. The Chiefs have been blown out twice. But the New Orleans defense has been a sieve. A game between to 0-2 teams is not where we want to put our faith in Week 3.
Worth a Look
St. Louis (+7) @ Chicago - A lot of people are down on the Bears and Jay Cutler. Sam Bradford and the Rams looked pretty good against the Redskins last week. Chicago has three extra days. And they're a pretty darn good football team.
Buffalo (-3) @ Cleveland - What is that you say? You think we're crazy? Maybe. Or maybe like a fox. This is tough week to pick. We think that debacle against the Jets was an aberration for the Bills. They are better than that. The Browns are..........well, the Browns. Brandon Weeden may or may turn out to be a good NFL QB. Right now he is not.
San Francisco (-7) @ Minnesota - The 'Niners may be the best team in the NFC. This game screams trap. But Jim Harbaugh is the coach. Yes, it's a road game. But are the alternatives any more attractive?
The Pick
This, my friends, is a tough week to call. We are a bit conflicted. New Orleans should be the pick, but they have been a hot mess thus far. Jay Cutler is hard to trust with the Bears. Buffalo, really? That's how tough this week is. San Francisco on the road.
Wow. We really want go with the Bills, but in the end, San Fran is the pick. We just don't see the 'Niners having a meltdown in Minnesota.
Everything that says you should pick a team aligned with the Patriots/Cardinals game last week. Double digit home favorite. Inter-conference opponent. West Coast (almost) team going east in an early start time. Every cliche in the book is apropos here. Any given Sunday. That's why they play games. Etc.
Ninety nine times out of 100, we would make the same pick. These things happen. So we are officially out (as is close to 50% of the field). However, this will not stop us from further analysis. So on to Week 3.
Stay Far, Far Away
Tampa Bay (+8) @ Dallas - After last week's meltdown in the Pacific Northwest by the Cowboys and Tampa's near upset of NYG, we're just not comfortable going with the home favorite here.
Jacksonville (+3) @ Indianapolis - We have absolutely no idea what may happen in this game. Two young QBs on bad teams. Nuff said.
NYJ (-1.5) @ Miami - Division game. Favorite on the road. We don't think the Jets are as good as they think they and the Dolphins are as bad as everyone thinks they are.
Cincinnati (+3) @ Washington - This game is way too evenly matched to risk a pick. That is all.
Detroit (-3.5) @ Tennessee - Never pick against Detroit. Never trust Detroit unless you have to. We think the Lions will pull it out, but would not risk it. Chris Johnson could figure out how to run at any moment, we would hate for it to be this week if we picked Detroit.
Philadelphia (-3) @ Arizona - The Eagles and Mike Vick have been very, very lucky the past two weeks. The Cards are a very good defensive team. Their offense, however, leaves much to be desired.
Atlanta (+3) @ San Diego - This is pretty much a pick 'em. Nothing to see here. Move on.
Pittsburgh (-3.5) @ Oakland - James Harrison and Troy Polamalu are out for the Steelers. Enough of a reason for us to stay away.
Houston (-2) @ Denver - Peyton Manning will not throw three picks again. The Texans are going from sea level to altitude. We think the line is too tight and that Houston will prevail, but there are better options.
New England (+2.5) @ Baltimore - Both teams coming off games they could have (should have?) won. This should be a great game to watch. Not a great game to pick.
Green Bay (-3) @ Seattle - Strange things happen in the Pacific Northwest. The Seahawks defense is good. The Packers have not looked like world beaters up to this point.
Looks Good on Paper
Kansas City (+8.5) @ New Orleans - We confess, this should be a walk in the park for the Saints. Should be. The Chiefs have been blown out twice. But the New Orleans defense has been a sieve. A game between to 0-2 teams is not where we want to put our faith in Week 3.
Worth a Look
St. Louis (+7) @ Chicago - A lot of people are down on the Bears and Jay Cutler. Sam Bradford and the Rams looked pretty good against the Redskins last week. Chicago has three extra days. And they're a pretty darn good football team.
Buffalo (-3) @ Cleveland - What is that you say? You think we're crazy? Maybe. Or maybe like a fox. This is tough week to pick. We think that debacle against the Jets was an aberration for the Bills. They are better than that. The Browns are..........well, the Browns. Brandon Weeden may or may turn out to be a good NFL QB. Right now he is not.
San Francisco (-7) @ Minnesota - The 'Niners may be the best team in the NFC. This game screams trap. But Jim Harbaugh is the coach. Yes, it's a road game. But are the alternatives any more attractive?
The Pick
This, my friends, is a tough week to call. We are a bit conflicted. New Orleans should be the pick, but they have been a hot mess thus far. Jay Cutler is hard to trust with the Bears. Buffalo, really? That's how tough this week is. San Francisco on the road.
Wow. We really want go with the Bills, but in the end, San Fran is the pick. We just don't see the 'Niners having a meltdown in Minnesota.
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Texas Rangers Fans Hatred of CJ Wilson Unfounded
We have been dyed-in-the-wool Texas Rangers fans long before Al Gore invented the internet. In fact, we've been around for all of the past 40 years of Rangers baseball (though we were too young to remember the first few years).
We were there with Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Hargrove, Jeff Burroughs, Toby Harrah, Buddy Bell, Jim Sundberg. We remember Bump Wills, Odibe McDowell, Gary Gray*, Tom Grieve (as a player).
*Our first Rangers game attended was a double header against the Evil Empire. Gary Gray hit a walk-off (not yet a term at that point) homer in the bottom of the ninth of the first game.
While the teams of the Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers and Rusty Greer era, the first Rangers teams to make a playoff appearance, will always hold a special place in our hearts, the current cast of characters has spoiled Rangers fans who do not have the franchise's long record of futility to reflect upon.
What, you may be asking yourself, does this lesson in nostalgia have to do with CJ Wilson? That is a good question.
There has been plenty of vitriol spewed in Wilson's general direction by Ranger fans lately. Sure, a lot of it has to do with him signing with division rival Los Angeles California Angels of Anaheim California. Another good portion comes from his failures in the playoffs.
Let's get one thing straight: Without CJ Wilson, the Rangers are probably not two time defending American League Champions.
While Wilson is a bit "out there" and can rub people the wrong way, he was an integral part of the past two Ranger teams. Good-natured fun is one thing. Out and out hate is another.
We were there with Ferguson Jenkins, Mike Hargrove, Jeff Burroughs, Toby Harrah, Buddy Bell, Jim Sundberg. We remember Bump Wills, Odibe McDowell, Gary Gray*, Tom Grieve (as a player).
*Our first Rangers game attended was a double header against the Evil Empire. Gary Gray hit a walk-off (not yet a term at that point) homer in the bottom of the ninth of the first game.
While the teams of the Juan Gonzalez, Pudge Rodriguez, Kenny Rogers and Rusty Greer era, the first Rangers teams to make a playoff appearance, will always hold a special place in our hearts, the current cast of characters has spoiled Rangers fans who do not have the franchise's long record of futility to reflect upon.
What, you may be asking yourself, does this lesson in nostalgia have to do with CJ Wilson? That is a good question.
There has been plenty of vitriol spewed in Wilson's general direction by Ranger fans lately. Sure, a lot of it has to do with him signing with division rival Los Angeles California Angels of Anaheim California. Another good portion comes from his failures in the playoffs.
Let's get one thing straight: Without CJ Wilson, the Rangers are probably not two time defending American League Champions.
While Wilson is a bit "out there" and can rub people the wrong way, he was an integral part of the past two Ranger teams. Good-natured fun is one thing. Out and out hate is another.
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
The NFL Referee Lockout Will Not End Until the Refs Cave
For everyone calling for the NFL to end this ludicrous lockout of the referees, we would not hold our collective breaths waiting for this to happen.
This thing ends only one way: the refs caving.
Or, God forbid, a player getting killed because of the incompetence of the replacements.
The NFL claims to care about the fans. It doesn't. If it did, we would have at most two preseason games (with no addition of regular season games) and charged a pittance for admission. As long as fans will allow themselves to be screwed over in order to obtain season tickets, all the moaning and groaning in the world will not change things.
The NFL responds to one thing: the size of its collective wallet. If fans cannot hit the NFL in the pocketbook, nothing else matters. The NFL will not care about the fans until the fans no longer care about the NFL. Now, that's a wicked catch 22, is it not?
This referee lockout cannot hurt the NFL. Sure people could stop watching on television. But the television rights are locked into place. The refs will cave long before the next negotiating window and all will be long forgotten. Besides, we don't think the NFL will lose viewers because of this. It's like a train wreck. You can't help but look even if it may disgust you.
Until and unless fans can make a dent in the NFL's revenue, we are stuck with whatever the NFL force feeds us every week.
This thing ends only one way: the refs caving.
Or, God forbid, a player getting killed because of the incompetence of the replacements.
The NFL claims to care about the fans. It doesn't. If it did, we would have at most two preseason games (with no addition of regular season games) and charged a pittance for admission. As long as fans will allow themselves to be screwed over in order to obtain season tickets, all the moaning and groaning in the world will not change things.
The NFL responds to one thing: the size of its collective wallet. If fans cannot hit the NFL in the pocketbook, nothing else matters. The NFL will not care about the fans until the fans no longer care about the NFL. Now, that's a wicked catch 22, is it not?
This referee lockout cannot hurt the NFL. Sure people could stop watching on television. But the television rights are locked into place. The refs will cave long before the next negotiating window and all will be long forgotten. Besides, we don't think the NFL will lose viewers because of this. It's like a train wreck. You can't help but look even if it may disgust you.
Until and unless fans can make a dent in the NFL's revenue, we are stuck with whatever the NFL force feeds us every week.
Monday, September 17, 2012
Can Faith Hill Just Let Janis Rest in Peace?
We were watching some country music fest on ABC earlier and caught Faith Hill doing "Piece of My Heart". This begs the question: Why? First, here is the music video to document the original hatchet job Hill did on this classic song.
While the live version we saw tonight was not near this bad, it still wasn't good. The above video caused us never to take any of Ms. Hill's music seriously. Maybe she has been performing this live for years. Maybe her fans like it. But for the love of everything right and good in the world, please stop this atrocity and let Janis Joplin have some peace.
Which reminds us, exactly when was the last time Faith Hill was relevant? Sure she has the whole Sunday Night Football gig. With a Joan Jett song. At least Hank Jr. used his own song. Watching her tonight trying to do her best Carrie Underwood was sad at best. Really more pathetic than anything else.
Which reminds us, exactly when was the last time Faith Hill was relevant? Sure she has the whole Sunday Night Football gig. With a Joan Jett song. At least Hank Jr. used his own song. Watching her tonight trying to do her best Carrie Underwood was sad at best. Really more pathetic than anything else.
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