Why do the steroids that began plaguing Major League Baseball in the 90s seem to generate a substantially more profound outrage than the same steroids that have a traceable presence in the NFL since the 1970s? I ask this question today, December 13th 2007, as George Mitchell prepares to present his thoroughly-researched, Selig-approved report on the steroids era. Today will be the most embarrassing day for a major sport in this country in my lifetime.
And let’s be honest: all this report can do is cast more shadows upon an era already blanketed in darkness. We know MLB turned a blind-eye to the problem at a time they were desperate to resurrect from the fan purge, post-'94 strike. We know the Player’s Association had no interest in adding in-depth drug testing to the collective bargaining agreement in an organized effort to protect its members from sure humiliation.
The truth is media outrage over steroid use in baseball has caused Selig and co. to take these drastic steps and now that same media is chastising the report’s veracity, the reporter’s ties to the Boston Red Sox and what most believe will be its lack of impact. Then you hear the Charlie Brown question asked over and over again: why’s everybody always picking on baseball?
Because baseball is for old people, that’s why. And old people care about steroids. (Note: when I say old people, I refer to a dying sports fan mentality, not an age.) Baseball’s about as much the current national sport of this country as roller hockey and not nearly as much fun as the New Jersey Rockin' Rollers were. By my count, it’s fourth – behind pro football, college football and Nascar. Baseball clings to its individual statistics in a half-ditched effort to maintain its place in the history of a country that – while still attending the games en masse – has lost its passion for its pastime. Baseball has become the Broadway stage: a tourist destination disguised as a relevant endeavor.
The fervency of the NFL fan has never been higher. Last year the man considered the best defensive player in the game – Shawn Merriman – was suspended four games and…nothing. Rodney Harrison missed the first four games of this season for HGH and there was John Madden singing his praises a week or so ago (and he's not even good anymore). We don’t care…and you know why? Because football's a game where the individual numbers mean about as much to fans as the name of the line judge, even as fantasy football is slowly marking a shift in that ideology toward focus on single-season accomplishments. I don’t know a single NFL record outside of the Chicago Bears organization and if you told me, I’d forget in nine minutes. Football understands what baseball has yet to comprehend: eras can not and should not be compared. Sid Luckman's ability to play quarterback can not be compared with Jim McMahon's. They played different games.
Football is the American bullfighting. It’s scary and grotesque and if the combatants would like to risk their lives for fame and fortune, I’ll lay down my $6 for over-priced Josie Wood’s wings. Football isn’t about numbers. It’s about winning and losing and on a field of aggression, the football fan forgives the athlete who needs non-natural help to survive the grind. We don't care and why should we? I don't want my athletes to be role-models. I don't care about the "purity" of the game. I want my athletes - and more specifically my Chicago Bears - to do two things and two things only:
1. Care as much as I do.
2. Win.
Other than that, I'm okay with sports players just playing sports.
#2 Phil from SATX said . . .First! Another great post, Jeff.
December 13, 2007
#3 Midway Monster said . . .Jeff, wow. That's probably your best writing ever (at least that I've witnessed).
Kudos, major kudos. Belongs in mainstream print somewhere.
December 13, 2007
#4 jeff said . . .Jeff, cool write up. Kudos!
Here is my bone tho- if it true that we expect our football players to be monsters; why do we care about off the field activities (i.e., Mr Tank Johnson).
-- Midway --
December 13, 2007
#5 Willie from Chicago said . . .great question and my answer is: do we? if we do, then its because we still don't quite tolerate illegal behavior that endangers the well-being of others - though we're completely okay with drug abuse, steroids...etc. tank johnson is a nice example as he's most likely going to play in his second straight super bowl this year. how much did people really care? how much did people care about sean taylor's pistol-whipping a man and avoiding cops through three states before he was killed? it was barely reported. the off-the-field stuff is what it is: USWeekly reporting for the sports world.
December 13, 2007
#6 Pissed Off said . . .This should be an article in the Chicago Sun Times. It is probably the best post that I have ever read in my life.
Nice job Jeff!
December 13, 2007
#7 jeff said . . .The mitchell report is not "selig-approved" that report was allowed to be seen by MLB first so they could possibly prepare for questions that may arise but that report was coming out "as is" with MLB not being able to modify it in any way.
December 13, 2007
#8 Pissed Off said . . .i meant selif-approved in the sense that this report was not compiled absent the approval of mlb. and also made mitchell and his staff a fortune...funded by selig.
December 13, 2007
#9 AfroCelt said . . .Selig gave the orders to do the report but has no bearing on how its done or who's in it.
December 13, 2007
#10 jeff said . . .Did anyone have doubts about McGuire and Sosa juicing? I didn't and I was a freshman football player during their run.
December 13, 2007
#11 Rancid said . . .this report was a non-issue. it essentially had one effect: it elevated roger clemens to the level of barry bonds.
December 13, 2007
#12 Midway Monster said . . .I think the issue with guys like Tank is that their behavior shows a lack of dedication to the team. jeff said he wants the players to care as much as he does. Well, if I'm a player and I care that much and I'm on a playoff bound team, I don't break the law and risk a suspension/jail time. Doing so shows that I care about myself, my ego, and my celebrity lifestyle than my team and winning. That's why I think it has some relevance. When it can't hurt our team (Urlachers impregating habits for example) we don't care. It's when a player obviously places self ahead of the team that I can kind of understand that line of reasoning.
December 13, 2007
#13 Rancid said . . .Good point Rancid....It's perfectly ok to disagree with me BUT... I always thought that once Tank paid the price to society for his guns, the Bears put cross-hairs on him to part with him. I mean, he got nailed for being tipsy in a no nothing town after visiting Grammy and the Bears dumped him. Mistake.
Don't we want nut-job crazy-mo-fo defensive players? Or do we want boy scouts with a Citizenship merit badge? Answer - we want nut-job crazy-mo-fo on our D who can look & act like scouts saluting the flag. IMO, all this is in the timing of any infraction. "Do what you want, just don't make the headlines" is the unwritten NFL law. Vick made headlines; he is out. Tank made headlines; he is out.
-- Midway --
December 13, 2007
#14 said . . .Midway - I love your comment and your general Kick Ass attitude concerning defense. The only point I would make is that you don't necessarily have to be an law-breaking asshole to be good at D. For example, Tommie goes to Africa and builds churches during the offseason, but when he's healthy he's the best in the business. I also think there's a difference between generally being a tough mean MF (good ) and violating the law at the possible expense of the team (bad).
December 14, 2007
#15 Shady McBears Fan said . . .Rancid: Point : Counter Point
Sure, I agree- "you don't necessarily have to be an law-breaking asshole to be good at D" .... but it sure helps.
-- Midway --
December 14, 2007
#16 Jimbo said . . .Jeff I was with you until the 3rd and 4th paragraphs.
The players, ballclubs and commissioner are responsipble, not the media. And I know you hate baseball and all, your bias is pretty obvious. But did you really have to put coll. football and NASCAR ahead of baseball? Are you kidding? As much as I love the Bears, I still bleed Cubbie blue.
And it's not a good thing football turns a blind eye to steroids or HGH. Intergrity of the game still matters, regardless of how football views historic statistics. You don't care about the purity of the game? Really? So if the Pats go undefeated or even 15-1 but several players were found 'juicing' plus the whole 'video-gate' should we still consider them the best team ever to play? No.
I'm not saying football isn't 'hot' right now because it is, just remember every major sport has it's decade or 2 of success before another takes over. The post is well written Jeff, but it definitely rubs me the wrong way... If you even care.
December 14, 2007
#17 Shady said . . .Jeff, very well written post.
For what it's worth though, I have no interest in watching mutants play baseball OR football. We need strict testing rules.
December 14, 2007
#18 jeff said . . ."We don't care and why should we? I don't want my athletes to be role-models."
YOUR athletes are role-models whether you like it or not.
If my son grows up to become a football player, I don't want him shooting up anything.
December 14, 2007
#19 Shady said . . .i vehemently disagree with the very concept of athletes as role models. i greup about as big a chicago bears as there is in the universe and never did i look up to a "man" on the roster because i saw them as football players. role models? if you need a role model, you have a fundamental weakness in your own life that athletes should not make up for.
December 14, 2007
#20 AfroCelt said . . .So people shouldn't have role models now?
December 14, 2007
#21 Shady said . . .Role Models need to be found outside of athletics, which is an artificial world. I think that the whole idea is that we're supposed to look for people doing good and striving for better in real life.
Of course, I WAS the boy scout with the Citizenship merit badge who played defensive line....what do I know? :P
December 14, 2007
#22 jeff said . . .Athletes are some of the most imitated people on the planet. The fact is they ARE role models whether we like it or not. I'm not saying they should be, but it is what it is.
December 14, 2007
#23 jeff said . . .i mean role models as people. athletes, actors...these people shouldn't be role models because they're performing a task. now, you can find things to admire in the way they perform their task. the minute we start asking the great athlete or performer to be something more than that we're being fundamentally unfair. i don't believe in it. athletes are imitated, sure. but when's the last time you heard a kid say, "i wanna be tom brady!" and mean that he's going to date two supermodels at once and leave the one who has the kid?
December 14, 2007
#24 Shady said . . .though having the option would be something, wouldn't it? maybe tom brady's my role model.
December 14, 2007
#25 Megan said . . .With the millions of dollars they are getting paid and the attention they garner, I don't believe it's unfair to expect something more from athletes other than just home runs or touchdowns. Sports are a big business and they have a responsibility to the (younger/impressionable) public to portray a positive image.
Things in sports have changed.
Maybe I'm being cynical, but it seems like the common athlete is more concerned with money and fame and less concerned with intgerity and class. This situation is making it more and more difficult for commissioners to fulfill their obligation to the public. The trend is not a good one. Thankfully most superstars (Woods, Jordan, James, Manning and even Brady) have embraced that responsibility and have been positive examples of human beings. But if things continue they way they are, we're bound to see more examples of guys like Michael Vick.
December 14, 2007
#26 Tone Capone from Jersey said . . .Many professional athletes loose their human-meter. Starting in high school, athletic stars are put on pedestals, given special treatment at times (special academic help, for example) and doted upon. I realize that these are all generalizations, but that's what kids see.
Attitudes such as, "If I become a really great HS football player, my education in college could be a free ride. "
That kind of pressure and attitude often times, translates into "I'm special...I can get away with more..." How these guys/gals turn out depends on upbringing, environment and luck of the draw.
We hear more about the bad things our superstars are involved in more then the good. Mike Singletary is a good example of a talented athlete who managed to become an okay, regular, upstanding citizen. Jordan is/was a superstar but was no angel.
There is so much thrown at these people at such a young age and often without censorship or common-sense gauges. In order to stay superstars, many think that their own special edge or talent isn't enough and they turn to chemical enhancers to keep their edge.
Role models or not, these people and their images bombard every media outlet and saturate and influence, good or bad, young minds.
Jeff, you may not believe in the concept of role models, but that doesn't mean that some kid from a poor neighborhood isn't thinking that if he was as good at any sport, he can get the heck out of dodge, or that that the concept of role models don't exist.
Fact: Too much emphasis and reward is given to those who excel at sports.
Fact: These guys influence kids.
Question: Do you want your kids to admire an all-star athlete, emulate him if he is a thug? Or, do you want your kids to understand that they happen to have this incredible physical talent, but they may not live up to your standards of what you think is moral?
I think your post is well written and I enjoyed reading it. I just think that you are forgetting that as easy as it is for mature well-rounded adults to write-off idiots in professional sports, it is that much harder for parents to bring doses of reality or what is acceptable human behavior into their kids' minds.
December 14, 2007
#27 Unforgiven said . . .Here's my problem with this steriod crap. In New York (2 or 3 months ago) we had NYPD over here busted for "roidin up". We all know cops don't always walk as they should, but these are the same cops that tell OUR kids to stay in school and DON'T DO DRUGS. Little boys for as long as we can remember have often has said..."WHEN I GROW UP I WANNA BE A COP". Do these individuals ask to be role models...NO. Though NO ONE IS PERFECT....These cops took an oath of HONOR to SERVE AND PROTECT and assumed the position (no pun intended) GOOD VS. EVIL and RIGHT VS. WRONG.
Now, in sports we've had scores of athletes past and present that people of all ages, races, colors, and creeds (have at one time or another) looked up to. How many kids you knew wanted to be LIKE MIKE? Fans don't consider the fact that athletes are mere mortals...they just become STAR STRUCK and captivated with the awesome gift, ability, and athleticism they possess. Athletes have not asked to be role models, but if you are in the LIME LIGHT, whether sports, movies, music or whatever...kids are watching AND ARE DYING TO DO AS THEY DO.
Are we OK with rappers talking about being PIMPS, DRUG KINGPINS, MURDERERS....
Are we OK with rockers talking about getting stoned and defying the authority of parents.....
I guess NO ONE PAYS ATTENTION TO THIS....IT'S JUST ENTERTAINMENT
December 14, 2007
#28 Rancid said . . .Personally, If i want to watch a bunch of steroid pumped freaks, I would be a pro wrestling fan.
For every juicer, their is someone waiting in the wings doing stuff the right way . So the guy doing the right thing get penalized because of cheating. It is a pretty sad situation.
I dont want to come off as a guy that's done everything perfect in my life,but i know this for a fact. You need to learn from you're mistakes. Tank Johnson was to dumb or arrogant or both to understand that.
The heat has been on for a number of years as far as steroid use is concerned, so you switch to HGH. It flat out shows anyone with half a brain that these guys will pump anything in their systems to play/keep playing. They are addicts. They also should be treated as such.
I believe that everyone should be given a second chance. The problem with most of these guy's they are on their 10th or 15th chance since they were young.They have not been held accountable because they were great players. Sad but true.
December 14, 2007
#29 Phil from SATX said . . .I understand jeff's point. There is a difference between these two statements:
1. Athletes can serve as role models and when they screw up it can have a negaitve impact on the kids who idolize them.
2. Since athletes are role models they are RESPONSIBLE for the kids who idolize them.
I am with the first one. I won't hold an athlete responsible for a kid's actions who was emulating him. We don't do it with actors or musicians (if anything a crap lifestyle is a bonus to the career there)
Also, when an athlete screws up, they lose their kid fan base. I don't think we'll see a rash of kids killing dogs now because of Vick. An 11 yr. old kid in my church has been a big Vick fan for the last few years. He maintained his innocence for a short while until it was obvious (like a good fan would, very similar to Tank for me). Then he began looking for a new player/team to follow. (stinkin' kid picked the Pats, my attempts to convert him failed. But the point is, he dumped Vick. I think that at that age, getting burned like that and having to move on was actually a good overall experience. But the Pats!?!? WHY!?!?!
December 14, 2007
#30 Pissed Off said . . .This has been a great conversation, and forgive me for interjecting a change of subject, but you gotta hear the latest from our esteemed coach:
[the following in response to the fact that Vasher said chances are slim to none that he'd be ready for Monday's game]
Coach Lovie Smith was asked if putting Vasher on injured reserve would have been the right move looking back.
"Definitely not," he said. "Hopefully Nate will be able to go soon. I know I've said that a few weeks, but we have football left to go. And if we have a player who can help us win, we'd like for him to be available. I don't see what purpose that would have served to be on IR."
How about the purpose being to fill the roster with the required number of bodies who can play? Should we add inability to properly judge injuries to Lovie's ugly looking report card for 2007?
"He should be ready to go soon. We have football left to go."
3 games, Lovie, 3 games. 5-8. That was downright silly. I know hindsight is 20-20, and Vasher is important enough to take some risks to keep, but wasn't the right response something more like
"Yeah, in retrospect I guess we would have been better off putting him on IR. But we thought he'd be ready, and we were wrong."
Is that so hard to say coach?
In other coaching news, Atlanta is suggested to be salivating over the possibility of hiring our choice for the next Chicago Bears head coach, Bill Cowher. The only glimmer of hope is that Cowher has reportedly said he's NOT returning to coaching next year. Maybe because he's waiting for that position to open in Chicago? Can we hope?
BTW, if it sounds like I'm hoping Lovie has a bad year next year so he gets fired, I'm clearly not. Just looking to the future a bit.
Megan, longest post you ever did by far. Nice job girl!
December 14, 2007
#31 Duff Diggler said . . .Wow great thread.
Nobody is perfect, lets say that. I am not in agreement that everyone should have a role model but kids especially are going to look up to people whether we like it or not. Nearly every person that a kid could look up to has vices. A pro athlete could be a thug, juicer, gambler, etc. A cop could be a dirty cop, heavy drinker, gambler, cheats on his wife, etc. This list could go on but the point is NO ONE is perfect. People, smoke, drink, gamble, cheat, steal, lie the list goes on. Even these kids that look up to the people arent perfect, even they will in time develop some of the above mentioned vices.
My point is that if kids are going to look up to someone and model themselves after them they should be seen in the positive light only when possible. As an adult I will agree with Jeff that no one should need a role model. When you get older your realize a lot of things about a lot of people and should make the decision you dont need a role model.
December 14, 2007
#32 Megan said . . .Please forgive my tardiness...and Bravo Jeff!
Small point....
I don't really mind steroids for two reasons....
1. I get to witness maximum athleticism
2. My balls are still big
December 14, 2007
#33 Midway Monster said . . .This whole steroids thing in MLB is really a joke. Not a joke that they are using but as if we couldn't figure it out. And it is so obvious that Selig has turned a blind eye for a long time.
I wrote off baseball a long time ago, after they cancelled the World Series/Strike. I have to admit that I have gone to Wrigley a couple of times after the strike, but not because of anything else but to see Wrigley itself.
I will not be a fan of NASCAR. I just can't wrap my brain around the fact that it is a sport. I understand that there is skill involved but these guys to me are not athletes, they are jarheads? Maybe I'm a snob.
Oh, and I don't think RPS (Rock Paper Scissors) is a sport either, ESPN.
Next we'll see RPS people with Popeye-like arms becoming legends in their "sport"... will it ever end??December 14, 2007
#34 Midway Monster said . . .Jeff is my role model.
-- Midway --
December 14, 2007
#35 Rancid said . . .Megan - I agree. We need to stop dem Rock-Paper-Scissors druggie bastards!
-- Midway --
December 14, 2007
#36 Megan said . . .Maybe not great to bring back the QB conversation of a few days ago but ESPN lists their opinion of the top 64 QBs in the league (why do they do this stuff?) Here's a few notables from our conversation:
Anderson: 12
Pennington: 24
Grossman: 25
Griese: 35
Carr: 63
Orton:unranked
Simms: unrankedAll a bit meaningless but I loved the write up on BG: "Griese is a caretaker quarterback who turns the ball over too much." That's just funny. True unfortunately though.
Heres the link if you're bored
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/insider/news/story?id=3147842&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab1pos1
December 14, 2007
#37 Pissed Off said . . .Sorry for the lectures fellas, I think I have had too much coffee this am.
I feel like we should be with Jeff at Josie Woods!
As a drunk friend said to me once, "Bink a deer and shuddup!"I do tend to rant..
December 14, 2007
#38 mikebdot said . . .NASCAR blows. Ok I'll bring out all the stereotypes, its for trailer trash, hicks, etc.
December 14, 2007
#39 Phil from SATX said . . .Speaking of MJ being something other than an "angel", he bulked up pretty big when he played for the Wizards...
Just sayin'.
December 14, 2007
#40 jeff said . . .Guys, look at your TVs tonight, a chance to watch Joe Flacco in action in the championship game, Appalachian State v Delaware, should be a great game, ESPN2.
December 14, 2007
#41 Papa Bear said . . .phil, seriously...you're kidding me. i was just coming on here to say i'm going to leave this post up the rest of the day to keep the conversation going...will have a picks things tomorrow and will wait till monday to pick the bears game....but also to add that flacco's playing his title game tonight...i'm going to be into it.
December 14, 2007
#42 Midway Monster said . . .One of the best running backs ever once wore a Bears uni. His number: 34.
Watching highlights of his on Youtube, you're left thinking not only "how on earth did this man ever do all these amazing things?" but also, "man he looks an awful lot smaller than many of today's running backs". We admire the super-human things he did on the football field, the simple grace with which he carried himself, and his humanity.
The reason, to this day, that he stands out is that it is evermore amazing that he accomplished all this without the supplement of performance enhancing drugs. This is the standard that we should expect. I would caution those that all too casually accept that today's players have implemented performance enahancers and dulled the public to this dilemma.
Long live 34.
December 14, 2007
#43 Midway Monster said . . .Megan - no way. I love when you post!
-- Midway --
December 14, 2007
#44 jeff said . . .PO - "NASCAR blows"? .... "bring out all the stereotypes"?
Now you've done it... you've gone and pissed off the whole trailer park!
-- Midway --
December 14, 2007
#45 Papa Bear said . . .papa bear, you're dead right. but walter is the exception to the rule so much that the award given to good people in football is named after him. he's the gold standard. as for the nascar stuff, i can't agree. even being a northener, i've come around in the last year. i think its a terrific sport.
December 14, 2007
#46 Pissed Off said . . .So then, should we hold our players to the higher standard or settle for the lowest?
Jeff, as for the role model thing, I grew up in the twighlight of Sweetness's career. But I remember vividly playing football trying to be him. Trying the stutter step, jumping over people, etc. Even now, as an adult, when I see highlights of him not stopping til he crossed the goal line, with 3 people hanging on to him, it makes me want to try that much harder at my daily job. I remember the his joy in playing in his only Super Bowl, his bent head sitting on the sideline in his final game against the Skins in the playoffs, his HOF induction speech, and the day announced his illness to the world. I remember because I remember seeing the man laugh and cry. That's why he's still my role model.
It's okay to have role models, but it's easier to do remembering that they're human beings, not a gladiator in pads and a helmet. You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you do.
December 14, 2007
#47 jeff said . . .I could care less about Joe Flacco considering I think theres about 5-10 better QBs coming out of college in my mind. I dont think the Bears will draft him, if they do, I'll wish him the best with this team, unlike I did with BG. For that matter I'll wish any QB drafted to this team the best. That said I still want Rex back. Rex is young yet (27) and has the chance to be a terrific franchise QB for this team for a long time, possibly the best QB we've had ever since Luckman. (hard to make that comparison though since this is a completely different game nowadays).
My dad and even my brother to an extent have gotten on board with NASCAR and I just cant do it. I'll admit I wont immediately change the channel away from sportscenter if they get into NASCAR talk but I have never watched a race on TV or cared to do so. In order of sports to watch in my book it goes 1NFL, 2NBA, 3MLB/College football/basketball. Pretty much cant stand any other sports on TV incl hockey.
December 14, 2007
#48 Phil from SATX said . . .every scout out there has flacco no lower than 6 right now...and i have him higher. flacco can play, po'd...watch him tonight. that being said, he'll be 5-23, 90 yards and 4 picks
December 14, 2007
#49 Megan said . . .PO'd, just want to let you know I'm still there in my second row seat cheering on Rex - I too want him back with the Bears, and I think it could be one of the greatest success stories in recent history if he turns out to be THE franchise quarterback.
But still check out Flacco, his only problem may be throwing TOO hard.
Papa Bear, I was at Walter's last game and remember walking past him as he sat on that bench for quite a while after the game was over (at least as I remember it), tears in my eyes.
PO'd, the way to appreciate NASCAR is to go to a race. One of the most exciting, testosterone-pumping deals ever - the smell of the jet fuel alone is worth the price of admission. The best part is the first time they come around you at full speed after the pace car's gone - it's really indescribable. I've been to two of the Texas Motor Speedway races, and it's really fun.
Now that said, I still don't get much into watching it or following it as a sport, but going there makes you understand why people love it.
December 14, 2007
#50 jeff said . . .Ah, I see...jet fuel.
Phil, I had a friend whose father owned part of an indy car. We used to go to Elkhart and watch races. Maybe it was my young impressionable mind but the fans (even indy cars) looked like carnies. (For PO'd, adding another stereotype)
I guess with NASCAR, you either like it or you don't. But, Why in the HECK do people drive around with the number "3" emblazoned (sp) with angel wings and halo? Did he win a nobel prize that I'm not aware of? I'm with Papa Bear. Think I'll go out to my car, get a #34 sticker and draw angel wings around it. Okay, there I go again.
Sheesh, I'm getting crabby.
Carry on boys, is it 5 o'clock yet?December 14, 2007
#51 Pissed Off said . . .i had the thrill of going to the nascar awards at the waldorf and the party afterwards and it was just a group of the down-to-earth regular guys you'd ever meet. good people who enjoy their families and budweiser.
December 14, 2007
#52 Phil from SATX said . . .I have better things to do than watch freaking Delaware play tonight, I think I have some paint I'm going to watch dry and when thats done I have socks to sort. Busy busy. But if I get time then I'll watch him. I've seen him once and it wasnt overly impressive, a lot of college QBs look good but if I had to endorse a college QB it would be Ryan from BC. He's #1 on my list, Flacco would be about 8ish.
If Rex comes back and plays like he can he's going to be a franchise guy. Good QBs are so hard to come by and if he plays like he did since the benching its going to be awesome. I think he did learn something about sitting...he doesnt like it an he'll do what it takes not to sit again, that means better decision making, etc. Now this staff needs to put some more talent around him, mainly at O-line. The D has looked bad almost all year too but with guys getting healthy (Vash, Harris, Brown ((yeah right)) Dusty D, etc.) that will work itself out, that and if we keep Briggs. Imagine if we had "second half of the season Rex" all year? We would be in the playoff hunt, no question. How far we could go is a question with this group but we would have won some more games and been in the hunt unlike we are now being completely inept.
This will be my last post about NASCAR, but I will say that I can imagine a situation where I appreciate it if I were to attend a race as Phil said. That may be the only way. I still dont think I could follow it like I do NFL or NBA but I could appreciate it as a sport. My dad has been trying to get me to go to Vegas with him for the NASCAR race there in March, maybe I'll oblige, or maybe it'll take me a couple more years to come around.
December 14, 2007
#53 AfroCelt said . . .Seriously, PO'd, do it. It won't change your life or anything but you're guaranteed to have a blast. Believe me, I thought the whole sport was dumb as shit even as I walking into the racetrack and I was pretty much converted by the time I got to my seat, never mind what happened after the race started. The whole thing is fun.
Still don't know why you hate Flacco though.
December 14, 2007
#54 Fifty and Four said . . .I wish I had been around for more of Sweetness' life. My father met him in passing and had nothing but praise for the man. I have a ball he signed to my brother and I in the room with me now.
I have trouble reconciling the great athlete with the great person/role model. It feels as if increasingly they cannot exist in one person.
Will watch Flacco tonight and see if he's the real deal.
December 14, 2007
#55 jeff said . . .Megan has it RIGHT, nascar is about carnies types who have gotten to the next tier of respectability by means of the media's need to fill up your TV screen. It's not unlike Hallmark and their incessant desire to create more and more holidays.
Then again. the Mc Casket's have done the same to Chicago football...offering second rate rate entertainment and third rate role models - of course at inflated First Rate prices.
December 15, 2007
#56 Pet Peeve said . . .if you're going to hate the mccaskeys...isnt now the wrong time to do it? sure a bad year...but coming off back to back division titles and a super bowl trip?
December 15, 2007
#57 Midway Monster said . . .Hello Megan.
December 15, 2007
#58 Shady McBears Fan said . . .* ************** *
Sidebar - My daughter goes to Appalachian State. 3rd year in a row for that football team. Of course they've been sky high since the Michigan game. Party on!-- Midway --
December 15, 2007
#59 Megan said . . .Speaking of sky high (and role models):
http://canadianpress.google.com/article/ALeqM5j8ODmHi6ikCxBH1MdlQf2W4FawWw
December 15, 2007
Shady, CRACK me UP!
"strong odour of marijuana" wacky Canadians and their spelling.Hi Pet Peeve
December 15, 2007
Here at DaBearsBlog, you are free to kill us or the Bears as you so wish. You are not free, however, to be an asshole. So if you spew racism or ill-meaning foul language (cursing about football is just fine) or anything of that ilk, your comments ain't gonna last long, jerk.