Check out this article from today's Philadelphia Daily News (the people's paper). Numbers 5, 6, and 7 are interesting, on very different levels. All in all, such lists and the rest of the column simply cannot make the football gods happy.
Posted by Roy at January 31, 2005 11:11 AMCome on, the litany of things someone could write about Philly would be much more interesting than the list that was composed here. And who wrote that article? Here is an amusing Onion-type article about the implosion of Veterans' Stadium.
Posted by: John at January 31, 2005 12:09 PMAs the resident Guy Who Hates Philly, I feel a need to counter every item on that list individually. I apologize in advance.
1 - Big defensive plays from no-name players? Go-deeps as often as the Rams? Pats football isn't boring...they're just good.
2 - Kerry is as cool as Gore, yes, but you can't put the faults of the red states on the heart of the blue states. Invalid argument.
3 - True, but irrelevant. How many teams come from whole states larger than the New England area? Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings, and about 12 baseball teams.
4 - 2 out of 3 isn't nonsense...the only thing you can't argue about in sports is winning.
5 - Tool, no. Oppurtunist, yes. Wanna be a Senator? Get yourself on TV during the State of the Union address. That's just good PR.
6 - ...and every player in the NFL watched the Philly cherleaders change for years through spyholes. Also, this.
7 - Hell, even Annapolis was the nation's capital for a few years, a lot of revolutionary activity was based in Boston (tea party, Paul Revere). It's not exactly fair (or even realistic) to paint NE as unwilling to fight the Brits.
8 - Philly fans in all sports are the most evil, disrespectful fans in sports. They throw shit at children and Santa Claus, for chrissakes. And, the Pats got Gillette Stadium before their Super Bowl victory. The Eagles played in the bombed-out shithole of the Vet until this year despite several straight NFC-Champ appearances. I think there was a bit of support - maybe more fan support - in NE.
9 - How can you not root for Belichick? He's a genius that doesn't give a fuck about the press, fashion, or anything else except winning football. What the hell do Philly fans care about a Green Bay legend like Lombardi anyway? Belichick doesn't have any cool quotes like Lombardi...he doesn't care to.
10 - So every city is allotted one miracle per century? I disagre with that. Also, since he invoked the World Series, Philly baseball teams made 13 World Series appearances in the 20th century and won 6. You see what Boston did.
Posted by: Chris at January 31, 2005 12:59 PM
sigh. here we go with comments to chris:
5. brady an "opportunist" rather than a hypocrite? has someone else logged in as chris?
8. the eagles played in the linc last year, not the vet. and i have no idea how the time when a stadium gets built has anything to do with fan support. the whole santa claus thing is misunderstood. and i'm not familiar with throwing anything at kids, but i am familiar with how the city has responded to this kid.
10. i don't know what "you see what boston did" means. philadelphia baseball teams (including the athletics, who last played a home game in philly in 1954) have won fewer world series than boston baseball teams.
and most importantly, the whole column was a joke. granted, in poor taste, but it's the philadelphia daily news! does anyone think that the author really thinks boston as a city was unwilling to resist the british? or that life actually will cease to exist if belichick supassess lombardi's record? would anyone maintain that any of the things on the list are a real reason why the pats shouldn't win?
Posted by: roy at January 31, 2005 01:51 PMYeah, I know I was way out there with 5, but I had to side with Brady because I no longer discuss politics (people around me are still rejoicing).
And with 8: every city would rally behind a cancer kid that wants to sing the national anthem (I assume those are the details and that's your reference...Philly.com now wants me to subscribe, and all I know of the story is what I saw before the NFC Champ. Game). But John's link says it all - satire like that is written for a reason. There was a freaking courthouse in the freaking stadium, man.
And for 10 - the BoSox went what, 86 years? Not winning the World Series was the struggle by which many Bostonians defined their life, sad as it may be, whereas Philly occasionally won a title (their worst drought was "only" 50 years). Red Sox fans display a passion for their team that no other fans in the world can claim to equal.
I know it was a joke, but (the rest of this post has been truncated by the TerrapinTables staff to avoid Roy misinterpreting anything Chris may have wished to type regarding Philadelphia as a personal attack. The TT staff will summarize the remainder of Chris' post as: "Yay Football!")
Also, if you have another link, I would like to know the story behind that kid. I really haven't heard anything about him.
Posted by: Chris at January 31, 2005 03:03 PM