2008 NFL Playoffs

[ShinyHubCaps]

Wow, the post explosion over the past 24 hours. I can hardly reply to the heat from the East on my Patriots tirade, considering it's like 6 pages behind us now. I would like to thank Rams80 for reiterating my points in my stead.

A couple of loose ends:

so let me get this strait, entertain me if you will. The patriots success is as legitimate as most of Edge's wrestling matches or matches involving his story line.

I never implied that it was written or stunted. The Ravens messed up a lot of stuff in that game. However, the referee acknowledged a timeout that shouldn't have been called because it came from an invalid source (the defensive coordinator, if I recall correctly). That made void the play that would have given the Ravens the ball back in the final minutes. The Patriots, however, retained the ball and ended up scoring. There was also a bogus penalty on the Ravens that gave them the yards they needed. All in all, the evidence against the officials seems to be stacked up, that in some capacity, they affected the outcome of the game with bad calls (that were conspiciously absent against the Patriots, prominent against the Ravens), and the conspiracy theorist in all of us wants to blame the NFL for stacking the deck.

The next day on PTI, the question was asked of Tony Kornheiser if he thought the NFL wanted the Patriots to win. He said "Did the NFL make the Ravens not get any first downs in the fourth quarter? NO!" Well, Mr. Kornheiser, lots of teams have won the game without first downs in the fourth quarter. However, cheap calls affect a game directly. They were on pace to win without those first downs, until the refs handed the game to New England.

There a million reasons to dislike the Patriots and their fans, but this is a great one.

The worst part? The "ahem."

Thank you. This is an example of what I was thinking of when writing this. As a note to fans in general (maybe 5% of ALL New England fans are douchebags, but it's like 60-70% of ones I come into contact with, that lead conversations with "haters" by talking about the Patriots), this is the arrogance that I was talking about. It's just like taunting: cheap, unsportsmanlike, and redundant. We aren't jealous, just fed up. You, on the other hand (in general), are so insecure that you need to say we're jealous to make yourself feel better. It's kind of like that kid we all knew that always wanted attention. You need to think that we're jealous so that you can fully feel the counter-emotion, pride. (Perscription: a good dose of humility, but you haven't suffered defeat yet, so you wouldn't know.)

[ShinyHubCaps]

Finally, my creative writing for the year.

For another, another BS reason. How do you not vote for the guy whose team was 16-0?

Because that's a relatively small accomplishment.

PARABLE TIME

Let's say that you, Rams80, and I are salesmen. For this example, we will be selling hot pretzels. You say, "I'm going to go out and sell 50 pretzels today." So you are given one day, from 6:00 in the morning to 12:00 at night to sell all the pretzels you can. You come back after 12:00, and you say that you sold 56 pretzels. However, you did it with the help of experienced pretzel-sellers and other people, for whom you signed with a great deal of money.

Rams80 is set to sell pretzels the next day. "I should be able to sell 25 pretzels," he says. So Rams80 goes out, and he tries his best to sell his pretzels. He doesn't boss people around or use force. He sells his pretzels unique to each individual, playing fair. He came back at 12:00, after 16 hours of selling pretzels. He reports, "I did well above what I thought. I sold 46 pretzels." Rams80 was proud of his accomplishment, but he did not boast. He played fair, using some inexperienced pretzel-sellers who worked hard every day, and he proudly reported that they served him adequately.

Shinyhubcaps goes out and does the same. "I believe," said Shinyhubcaps, "that I should be able to sell about 25 pretzels. After all, the pretzel-selling competition is strong, especially in this district." So he went out, labored in selling pretzels for 16 hours, and when he returned, he reported some good news. "I was able to sell 39 pretzels. It was more than I thought, and the competition was tough, but I did the best I could." He sold these pretzels willingly; he rose to the challenge of tough pretzel-selling competition, and he did it with very few experienced pretzel-sellers.

The master of the pretzel company returned on the fourth day, after all of the pretzel sellers had finished selling their pretzels. "To you, gingerbreadmann, you clearly sold the most pretzels. You converted every sale you could. However, you used dirty tactics, and you boasted in the face of your fellow man. Besides all of that, the number of pretzels you sold was only slightly higher than that which you hoped to sell.

"To you, Rams80. You did a great job selling your pretzels. Your turnout was much greater than that which you expected to sell, and you did it fair, with many inexperienced salesmen. To you also, Shinyhubcaps. You did a great job rising to the competition within your own district. You sold many more pretzels than you had previously anticipated. While the change was not as great as Rams80's, you did it with inexperienced salesmen, and you did very well selling against your direct competition."

"However," said the great master of the pretzel company, "I can only award one of you with the Salesman of the Year trophy. After long deliberation, I have come to a decision..."

Who do you believe should win the honor of being named Salesman of the Year? The one who sold the most pretzels but played unfairly? The one who played fairly and sold much more than was expected of him, even with inexperienced salesmen? Or would it be the one who sold better than others in the district, including much greater than he was expected to sell?

Bonus points to whomever can identify all of the symbols in the parable!

Sorry for calling Rams80 "Ramsfan" in the original. I was typing it up off-line and forgot his name.

[PeytonManningRocks]

I just saw the results on sportsnet connected. I was shocked because I thought the Cowboys were 15-1 and not 13-3. It's too bad we won't see a TO vs Moss confrontation in the SB.

Nah I think it's great...... enough of the promotion of these me-first guys..... the league needs more Torry Holts and Marvin Harrisons (sans fumbles).

[udubs03]

Finally, my creative writing for the year.

For another, another BS reason. How do you not vote for the guy whose team was 16-0?

Because that's a relatively small accomplishment.

PARABLE TIME

Let's say that you, Ramsfan, and I are salesmen. For this example, we will be selling hot pretzels. You say, "I'm going to go out and sell 50 pretzels today." So you are given one day, from 6:00 in the morning to 12:00 at night to sell all the pretzels you can. You come back after 12:00, and you say that you sold 56 pretzels. However, you did it with the help of experienced pretzel-sellers and other people, for whom you signed with a great deal of money.

Ramsfan is set to sell pretzels the next day. "I should be able to sell 25 pretzels," he says. So Ramsfan goes out, and he tries his best to sell his pretzels. He doesn't boss people around or use force. He sells his pretzels unique to each individual, playing fair. He came back at 12:00, after 16 hours of selling pretzels. He reports, "I did well above what I thought. I sold 46 pretzels." Ramsfan was proud of his accomplishment, but he did not boast. He played fair, using some inexperienced pretzel-sellers who worked hard every day, and he proudly reported that they served him adequately.

Shinyhubcaps goes out and does the same. "I believe," said Shinyhubcaps, "that I should be able to sell about 25 pretzels. After all, the pretzel-selling competition is strong, especially in this district." So he went out, labored in selling pretzels for 16 hours, and when he returned, he reported some good news. "I was able to sell 39 pretzels. It was more than I thought, and the competition was tough, but I did the best I could." He sold these pretzels willingly; he rose to the challenge of tough pretzel-selling competition, and he did it with very few experienced pretzel-sellers.

The master of the pretzel company returned on the fourth day, after all of the pretzel sellers had finished selling their pretzels. "To you, gingerbreadmann, you clearly sold the most pretzels. You converted every sale you could. However, you used dirty tactics, and you boasted in the face of your fellow man. Besides all of that, the number of pretzels you sold was only slightly higher than that which you hoped to sell.

"To you, Ramsfan. You did a great job selling your pretzels. Your turnout was much greater than that which you expected to sell, and you did it fair, with many inexperienced salesmen. To you also, Shinyhubcaps. You did a great job rising to the competition within your own district. You sold many more pretzels than you had previously anticipated. While the change was not as great as Ramsfan's, you did it with inexperienced salesmen, and you did very well selling against your direct competition."

"However," said the great master of the pretzel company, "I can only award one of you with the Salesman of the Year trophy. After long deliberation, I have come to a decision..."

Who do you believe should win the honor of being named Salesman of the Year? The one who sold the most pretzels but played unfairly? The one who played fairly and sold much more than was expected of him, even with inexperienced salesmen? Or would it be the one who sold better than others in the district, including much greater than he was expected to sell?

Bonus points to whomever can identify all of the symbols in the parable!

Mike McCarthy and his inexperienced salesmen.

[ShinyHubCaps]

Mike McCarthy and his inexperienced salesmen.

I agree, but be careful to not sound like a homer.

[Viper]

The game is lost

The Cowboys' season's done

They couldn't beat the Giants

And cut short their playoff run

Should we blame Tony Romo?

Or blame the porous D?

Or should we all just blame the referee?

No, blame Jessica

Blame Jessica

For making T.O. cry

And Dallas's Super Bowl hopes die

Blame Jessica

Blame Jessica

Their wounds are rubbed with salt

It's Jessica's fault!!!

(sung to the tune of South Park's "Blame Canada", obviously)

[gingerbreadmann]

There a million reasons to dislike the Patriots and their fans, but this is a great one.

The worst part? The "ahem."

Thank you. This is an example of what I was thinking of when writing this. As a note to fans in general (maybe 5% of ALL New England fans are douchebags, but it's like 60-70% of ones I come into contact with, that lead conversations with "haters" by talking about the Patriots), this is the arrogance that I was talking about. It's just like taunting: cheap, unsportsmanlike, and redundant. We aren't jealous, just fed up. You, on the other hand (in general), are so insecure that you need to say we're jealous to make yourself feel better. It's kind of like that kid we all knew that always wanted attention. You need to think that we're jealous so that you can fully feel the counter-emotion, pride. (Perscription: a good dose of humility, but you haven't suffered defeat yet, so you wouldn't know.)

Well. First of all let me say I have no intention of entering another long flamewar over this.

I would reply to the first paragraph, but it's 11:20.

Anyway, let me tell you why I think your experiences with Pat fans are so bad. First, I am not insecure. I truly believe, that deep down you are jealous in some way, large or small. I couldn't blame you; who wouldn't want to be us right now?

However, on to the real reply. I stand by my theory that ~5% of all Patriot fans are douchebags, and yes, I have seen some myself as well. However this is my hypothesis: You live in the Midwest, right? Well, as commonly known, most New England fans live, you know, in New England. I believe that these fans account for 70-80% of all NE fans. The vast, vast majority of these people can be defined as TRUE fans; fans that have been with our teams through all the ups and down their entire lives. The Diehards. These people know what is like to lose, believe me, so they are NOT jerks to other fans. Sure, you may hear the occasional brag, but it's all in good fun; no harm.

Then there are the Diehards who for some reason or another, have relocated. These account for 10-15% of NE fans, spread out across the country. They share the same characteristics as us in NE, but for some strange reason have left the Mothership. Weird, huh?

Now we enter the Ugly fans. the Non-fans. The universally hated, always-stupid BANDWAGON fans. Having seen our recent period of prosperity, these phonies have become inclined to join our respective nation of fans. Thing is, they only support our teams while they're doing well. That is no doubt, a VIOLATION of rule #1 in "NE Nation." these "fans" make up 5-10% of our fanbase. Unfortunately for you, 90% of bandwagon fans live outside of New England(because, come on, if you live here, how could you NOT be a diehard?). Anyways, another unfortunate trait of bandwagon fans is that they like to brag. And be jerks. And other otherworldly, moral-less things. They tend to rub it in your face, and be complete ass holes to folks like you. Overall, this loudmouthed phony bunch evens out to be anywhere from 3-7% of our total fanbase, but spread across the country, in YOUR hometown.

Naturally, these douchebags influence your view of ALL us NE fans. You hear them rub it in or do something annoying and you think, "WHY ARE ALL BOSTON FANS SUCH ASS HOLES?!?!" I assure you, we are not like this. If you experienced time here, I believe you would feel the same way. Sure, you would be heckled for being an outsider, and we are extremely biased, but we are FAR from those scumbag bandwagoners and I believe you would not feel so fed up, but hopefully be able to laugh about it along with us. I think and hope that other New Englanders will vouch for that.

So, In conclusion, I kindly ask you, next time you are mad at a Boston "fan" and are about to rant about it here and attack me and other Bostoners, please take this into consideration. I have no reason to attack you if you do not attack me for unfair reasons. Believe me, I feel your pain.

I hope you have learned something from this post. Oh, and if you are sick and tired of ugly fairweathers, I advise you to consider moving up here to Olde New Englande. you'll love it! It's a whole 'nother country.

PARABLE TIME

Believe me, this is a fine work of literature, but as of now I have but no energy to reply.

[rams80]

I hope you have learned something from this post. Oh, and if you are sick and tired of ugly fairweathers, I advise you to consider moving up here to Olde New Englande. you'll love it! It's a whole 'nother country.

I think I'll pass. You guys want to be ruled by a Chicagoan...something I've been desirous of escaping for some time now.

[infrared41]

First, I am not insecure. I truly believe, that deep down you are jealous in some way, large or small. I couldn't blame you; who wouldn't want to be us right now?

You have got to be kidding. That may be the dumbest -ing thing I have seen on this board...and that's saying something. You can't possibly believe that can you?

[gingerbreadmann]

First, I am not insecure. I truly believe, that deep down you are jealous in some way, large or small. I couldn't blame you; who wouldn't want to be us right now?

You have got to be kidding. That may be the dumbest -ing thing I have seen on this board...and that's saying something. You can't possibly believe that can you?

Oh, is it now?

jeal·ous /ˈdʒɛləs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[jel-uhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

?adjective 1. feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages (often fol. by of)[:/b] He was jealous of his rich brother.

re·sent·ment /rɪˈzɛntmənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-zent-muhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

?noun the feeling of displeasure or indignation at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult.

You guys have certainly shown your displeasure at me and other Boston fans because ouf our teams' success, much less felt it. Some people more than others, obviously, but I would be a bit jealous of you if you had this much success! I don't mean it as some terrible thing.

[KennyRock]

First, I am not insecure. I truly believe, that deep down you are jealous in some way, large or small. I couldn't blame you; who wouldn't want to be us right now?

You have got to be kidding. That may be the dumbest -ing thing I have seen on this board...and that's saying something. You can't possibly believe that can you?

Oh, is it now?

jeal·ous /ˈdʒɛləs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[jel-uhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

?adjective 1. feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages (often fol. by of)[:/b] He was jealous of his rich brother.

re·sent·ment /rɪˈzɛntmənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-zent-muhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

?noun the feeling of displeasure or indignation at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult.

You guys have certainly shown your displeasure at me and other Boston fans because of our teams' success, much less felt it. Some people more than others, obviously, but I would be a bit jealous of you if you had this much success! I don't mean it as some terrible thing.

See, you are correct in one regard - you and other Boston fans HAVE seen some displeasure from people.

What you're not getting right is the cause of that displeasure; people are not upset because the team is successful. I think any sports fan can grasp the concept that with the right mix of coaches, players and situations, a team can become successful. In fact, I'd go as far as to say most fans understand the goal for ANY team is to have as much success as possible.

I have no problem with the fact that the team has achieved a lot of success, and I do think that long-time Patriots fans have a reason to celebrate. My problem is this: You can not play the long-suffering card and in the same line of thought say that fans of other teams are JEALOUS of you. That's crazy. I'm an Islanders fan and I've had to watch the Devils win 3 championships and the Rangers win one, while the Isles have one zero in my lifetime. But am I jealous of their success? No. I've had to see the Yankees win 4 World Series titles while the Mets have won just one since I was born, and I was only a few years old. That doesn't mean I'm jealous of the Yankees nor does the team's success make me want to be a Yankees fan.

We understand the nature of sports. It's cyclical. It flows with the tide. Dynasties come and go. The only time I could ever understand jealousy is if a team won, say, 10 Superbowls in a row. And even then, I doubt it would be jealousy so much as disbelief that could even happen.

My real problem with the Patriots? I happen to think that for an amazingly good team, they're completely boring to watch. I fell asleep during the Pats-Jags game, and that's the PLAYOFFS. If they go 19-0, I will give them their proper respect and mark them as perhaps the best team ever. But it's storylines like the Packers or even the Giants that I would like to see have happy endings. In sports, something emotional like one last chance for a ring or a young QB coming into his own is simply more exciting than an emotionless juggernaut.

[infrared41]

First, I am not insecure. I truly believe, that deep down you are jealous in some way, large or small. I couldn't blame you; who wouldn't want to be us right now?

You have got to be kidding. That may be the dumbest -ing thing I have seen on this board...and that's saying something. You can't possibly believe that can you?

Oh, is it now?

Well it was until you wrote this...

jeal·ous /ˈdʒɛləs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[jel-uhs] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

?adjective 1. feeling resentment against someone because of that person's rivalry, success, or advantages (often fol. by of)[:/b] He was jealous of his rich brother.

re·sent·ment /rɪˈzɛntmənt/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[ri-zent-muhnt] Pronunciation Key - Show IPA Pronunciation

?noun the feeling of displeasure or indignation at some act, remark, person, etc., regarded as causing injury or insult.

You guys have certainly shown your displeasure at me and other Boston fans because ouf our teams' success, much less felt it. Some people more than others, obviously, but I would be a bit jealous of you if you had this much success! I don't mean it as some terrible thing.

You are out of your mind If you honestly think that people spend any of their time wishing, as you put it, "they could be you." Don't mistake someone's dislike of asinine behavior for jealousy. People don't dislike you because the teams you root for are successful. They dislike you because you're acting like a pompous ass hole. It is the height of arrogance to honestly believe that anyone would spend enough time worrying about your sports teams to become jealous of you. If anything, Rams80 is probably glad he's nothing like you. If you want to see that as jealously then knock yourself out.

[illwauk]

Now we enter the Ugly fans. the Non-fans. The universally hated, always-stupid BANDWAGON fans. Having seen our recent period of prosperity, these phonies have become inclined to join our respective nation of fans. Thing is, they only support our teams while they're doing well. That is no doubt, a VIOLATION of rule #1 in "NE Nation." these "fans" make up 5-10% of our fanbase. Unfortunately for you, 90% of bandwagon fans live outside of New England(because, come on, if you live here, how could you NOT be a diehard?). Anyways, another unfortunate trait of bandwagon fans is that they like to brag. And be jerks. And other otherworldly, moral-less things. They tend to rub it in your face, and be complete ass holes to folks like you. Overall, this loudmouthed phony bunch evens out to be anywhere from 3-7% of our total fanbase, but spread across the country, in YOUR hometown.

Nice theory, except most Patriots fans, regardless of where they live, ARE bandwagoners. You don't think we notice how it took until 2001 for New Englanders to realize they've had a football team for over 40 years... and now every single one of them claims to have been one of the 12 people that were supporting them back in 1992? Add to the fact that this is the same team that had to move to Foxboro in and rename itself to represent a 6-state region because they couldn't drum up a fanbase in Boston. Now suddenly Bostonians want to claim them as one of "their" teams again... what a joke.

[gingerbreadmann]

See, you are correct in one regard - you and other Boston fans HAVE seen some displeasure from people.

What you're not getting right is the cause of that displeasure; people are not upset because the team is successful. I think any sports fan can grasp the concept that with the right mix of coaches, players and situations, a team can become successful. In fact, I'd go as far as to say most fans understand the goal for ANY team is to have as much success as possible.

I have no problem with the fact that the team has achieved a lot of success, and I do think that long-time Patriots fans have a reason to celebrate. My problem is this: You can not play the long-suffering card and in the same line of thought say that fans of other teams are JEALOUS of you. That's crazy. I'm an Islanders fan and I've had to watch the Devils win 3 championships and the Rangers win one, while the Isles have one zero in my lifetime. But am I jealous of their success? No. I've had to see the Yankees win 4 World Series titles while the Mets have won just one since I was born, and I was only a few years old. That doesn't mean I'm jealous of the Yankees nor does the team's success make me want to be a Yankees fan.

We understand the nature of sports. It's cyclical. It flows with the tide. Dynasties come and go. The only time I could ever understand jealousy is if a team won, say, 10 Superbowls in a row. And even then, I doubt it would be jealousy so much as disbelief that could even happen.

My real problem with the Patriots? I happen to think that for an amazingly good team, they're completely boring to watch. I fell asleep during the Pats-Jags game, and that's the PLAYOFFS. If they go 19-0, I will give them their proper respect and mark them as perhaps the best team ever. But it's storylines like the Packers or even the Giants that I would like to see have happy endings. In sports, something emotional like one last chance for a ring or a young QB coming into his own is simply more exciting than an emotionless juggernaut.

Nice theory, except most Patriots fans, regardless of where they live, ARE bandwagoners. You don't think we notice how it took until 2001 for New Englanders to realize they've had a football team for over 40 years... and now every single one of them claims to have been one of the 12 people that were supporting them back in 1992? Add to the fact that this is the same team that had to move to Foxboro in and rename itself to represent a 6-state region because they couldn't drum up a fanbase in Boston. Now suddenly Bostonians want to claim them as one of "their" teams again... what a joke.

You are out of your mind If you honestly think that people spend any of their time wishing, as you put it, "they could be you." Don't mistake someone's dislike of asinine behavior for jealousy. People don't dislike you because the teams you root for are successful. They dislike you because you're acting like a pompous ass hole. It is the height of arrogance to honestly believe that anyone would spend enough time worrying about your sports teams to become jealous of you. If anything, Rams80 is probably glad he's nothing like you. If you want to see that as jealously then knock yourself out.

Sheesh, all of you think of the word "Jealous" and think of the most derogatory term ever created. Not once have I said it as an insult or a put-down. There are many people I have seen or heard who feel resentment toward me/us because of our success. But jealousy could also mean "envy" or even just "I wish that were me." It may not be the #1 definition I quoted but that is one of them. KennyRock, you don't have to have felt resentment toward those teams, but don't you wish it were the Islanders instead of the Devils? That it could have been your team achieving success instead of some other team? Sure you do. It may not take you over or take over your emotions, but everyone does in some way. Just calm down a bit, and stop taking everything out of context(infrared). I have never said it as a bad thing at all, but you guys just beat me up for it.

Infrared, I don't believe that post was justified. I haven't been a pompous . You may be mad at me for the actions of other Boston Fans(PLEASE READ REST OF POST ABOVE, BESIDES THE JEALOUSY PART), but could you stop attacking me for once. Anything I say, no matter how rational, develops into some kind of attack on me as a person.

Illwauk, I disagree. Like I said, where do you live? The Midwest. I don't know if you've been here within the last 1-2 decades, and I doubt you've ever lived here. Most Boston fans you encounter are the ones I described above. I don't think you were here in 1992, so please don't go making biased judgements about our fans like that. You are in no position to be saying that, because I guarantee you you are wrong. So they were 1-15, but do the Dolphins have only 12 fans? Do you abandon your team when they aren't doing well. Oh, and I'm sorry that the Patriots weren't doing so well in their first decade of existence so they changed their name. Can't we say that the 1960's are in the past. And Boston is the biggest city in New England, but nowhere did I blatantly claim them as "Boston's team." Sorry, no joke there.

KennyRock, where am I playing the long suffering card? I mean, we were in the past, but that is the past. I haven't used it at all to back up my arguments. And I addressed the jealousy issue above.

I disagree with you 100% about the Patriots being boring. I don't see how that is, but I'm not gonna argue about it now because that's your opinion and, as much as I disagree, I am not in any way offended by it. I have absolutely no problem whatsoever with any of your other views stated there about the Pats... fine with that.

Alright. I have learned in my time here that respect is far too much to ask for, for some reason, especially being from where I come from. So, I am going to ask for something else. I ask that you not take my posts out of context and make a big deal trying to accuse me of being a "pompous ass hole" or "douchebag" or "by far the most ignorant person you've ever seen." I ask that you not take the smaller points in my posts(i.e. this paragraph) and blow THAT up out of context, but instead focus on the main point of my posts(i.e. my post above I talked the whole time about why you dislike Boston fans so much, yet ALL of you in some way responded to the sentence or two about jealousy and blew that up... does that mean you all besides illwauk agree with me about the bandwagon part? You haven't been acting like it), and try to respond to THOSE in a more mature way. I notice that not doing so has become somewhat of a theme to my posts lately(ignoring the main part and nitpicking the little part). Thanks.

Oh, and I GUARANTEE that the above paragraph will draw some out of context response.

[gingerbreadmann]

double post

[TFoA]

This is off-topic, but kinda on...but gingerbreadmann gets props for life for taking on three people in an argument and holding his own, IMO. Well done.

[gingerbreadmann]

This is off-topic, but kinda on...but gingerbreadmann gets props for life for taking on three people in an argument and holding his own, IMO. Well done.

Thanks Flame, that actually made my day. I was kind of expecting another attack from someone, but seeing that brought a smile to my face. Now I (sorta) know how it feels to have someone (sorta) on your side(even if in a completely different way)!

Again, thanks a bunch, your compliment is much appreciated(and a bit of a relief!).

[TFoA]

I mean, I don't like the Patriots either...but I get what you're saying about the fans and whatnot. The minority outside of the city are the real douches, and that added with ESPN just shoving them down people's throat results in major resentment.

And I kinda get what you're saying about the whole jealousy thing. Not necessarily agreeing with the jealousy thing, but just saying it'd be nice if the Falcons had all those Lombardi Trophys and looking down an undefeated season.

Just can't stand the douche bandwagon fans.

[udubs03]

Alright. I have learned in my time here that respect is far too much to ask for, for some reason, especially being from where I come from. So, I am going to ask for something else. I ask that you not take my posts out of context and make a big deal trying to accuse me of being a "pompous ass hole" or "douchebag" or "by far the most ignorant person you've ever seen." I ask that you not take the smaller points in my posts(i.e. this paragraph) and blow THAT up out of context, but instead focus on the main point of my posts(i.e. my post above I talked the whole time about why you dislike Boston fans so much, yet ALL of you in some way responded to the sentence or two about jealousy and blew that up... does that mean you all besides illwauk agree with me about the bandwagon part? You haven't been acting like it), and try to respond to THOSE in a more mature way. I notice that not doing so has become somewhat of a theme to my posts lately(ignoring the main part and nitpicking the little part). Thanks.

Oh, and I GUARANTEE that the above paragraph will draw some out of context response.

Okay...props or whatever to you for taking on three people. I just want to know one thing: Why? What is the point? It's pretty obvious that everyone here has their minds pretty well made up on the Patriots/fans issue. They're not going to change your mind, and you're not going to change theirs (especially with comments like the ones I bolded above; no one likes being talked down to).

I petition you and all other combatants in this case to drop it and let's get back to discussing the playoffs.

[udubs03]

double post.