General Sports Discussion (Be Warned!)

[Horseman]

Originally Posted by Raylorne

Third should be doable with a healthy Rogers. I mean last year. Damn. That’s just next level “God hates the Jets and their dreams of making the post season” kinda stuff. It’s that Astro turf man. I was just glad we kept our QB after the rogersless jets took us down. Damn last year sucked.

I'm skeptical, just based on history alone. Seems like most my life I've seen aging pro bowl QBs sign with the Jets and it doesn't result in anything tangible comes from it. I empathize with the Jets fans and get their hopes up. See Boomer Esiason, Vinny Testeverde, Brett Favre.

[Horseman]

Akron Zips 3 Ohio State 7 at the end of the First Quarter

GO ZIPS !

[Squeak]

OK, big frustration here.

College football is has a stoppage with 2 minutes left in the half and the game.
They are calling this the ‘two minute timeout’… Why? Why isn’t it the ‘2 minute warning’ like it is in pros?

And Horseman — I was getting a bit excited for a bit. I tend to root against Ohio State (Oklahoma fan here).
But, it was just a blip.

[Horseman]

The pro and college games are becoming more alike all the time. Probably not too long before college does away with kickoffs too
However, I think college will always have a wider variety of offensive concentrations. Running for some programs will still dominate as colleges that can get a deep bench of great lineman can just crush most competitors. And I like the variety in college football.

The Akron Zips are a personal joke for me I started some time ago. To me they are the analog for all the loveable losers out there that are never going to compete with the powerhouses, they might see a bowl game once every 15-20 years and go back to the cellar. So, every season in August I joke, GO Zips ! This is your year !

There's nothing better in college ball than the big upsets. Appalachian State beating Michigan or Boise State over Oklahoma in the Fiesta Bowl. It's one of the things that makes college football great.

[Ildrahil]

Yeah, I'm a Rutgers guy here. That's right, Rutgers and the Mets. For me every year is next year!

[Horseman]

Rutgers had a few good years over the last decade.

[Admin Dirk]

Originally Posted by Horseman

Rutgers had a few good years over the last decade.

See, there's hope il. Next year could be the year.

[Squeak]

Originally Posted by Horseman

The Akron Zips are a personal joke for me I started some time ago. To me they are the analog for all the loveable losers out there that are never going to compete with the powerhouses, they might see a bowl game once every 15-20 years and go back to the cellar.

I thought that was Vanderbilt.

[ruffdove]

Originally Posted by Ildrahil

Yeah, I'm a Rutgers guy here. That's right, Rutgers and the Mets. For me every year is next year!

You from Jersey, Idrahil? That's where I grew up. I root for Rutgers and the Jets. But I needed one winning team, so I picked the Yankees. My dad wasn't amused.

[Drifter One]

Originally Posted by ruffdove

You from Jersey, Idrahil? That's where I grew up. I root for Rutgers and the Jets. But I needed one winning team, so I picked the Yankees. My dad wasn't amused.

This confuses me about US sports and their teams. Do you just pick a team based on success and follow them there on in? Do you stick with that team through thick and thin? What happens when a franchise moves?

I can't get my head around it. Generally, here in Ol' Blighty, you root for your local team and follow them until the end of days, passing the baton to ones kids, grandkids etc...

there are obvious exception, but we call those fans "Glory Boys(and girls)".

[Ildrahil]

Yup, my dad was a Marine but he retired before Vietnam blew up. He said two wars were enough for anyone. I was born in NC while he was still in, but we moved to NJ, where he and my mom were from, when I was very young. We lived in Maplewood for most of that time. My dad went to Rutgers, although it was University of Newark back then, I went there, and my oldest girl went there. My dad was a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and hated the Yankees. When the Dodgers abandoned him, he became a Mets fan and burdened me with that too. Actually, I was a kid in '69 and watched as the Mets went from last to first and won the World Series. That was really my first year where I was old enough to follow sports. What a great year. I've been stuck with the Mets ever since.

Originally Posted by ruffdove

You from Jersey, Idrahil? That's where I grew up. I root for Rutgers and the Jets. But I needed one winning team, so I picked the Yankees. My dad wasn't amused.

[Raylorne]

Quality game last night between chiefs and ravens. Losing by a toe has to bite a bit deep. That was an incredible catch.

[Admin Dirk]

Originally Posted by Raylorne

Quality game last night between chiefs and ravens. Losing by a toe has to bite a bit deep. That was an incredible catch.

If it makes anyone feel better, they can think that they lost by the QB throwing too high for a 6' 4" tall acrobat to high jump and catch the ball, or they lost by the QB throwing 6 feet behind a wide open receiver coming across the middle.

Either of the two prior plays would have resulted in the two point conversion chance they wanted... But Lamar couldn't put the ball where it was needed on any of the last three attempts.

[Admin Dirk]

Originally Posted by Drifter One

This confuses me about US sports and their teams. Do you just pick a team based on success and follow them there on in? Do you stick with that team through thick and thin? What happens when a franchise moves?

I can't get my head around it. Generally, here in Ol' Blighty, you root for your local team and follow them until the end of days, passing the baton to ones kids, grandkids etc...

there are obvious exception, but we call those fans "Glory Boys(and girls)".

Well, we have Glory Fans (tend to call them "bandwagon" fans, or worse).

One thing that may help in understanding US sports teams is the vast size difference between the US and most other countries. I always remind my wife's family that we have COUNTIES that are bigger than several European COUNTRIES... so "local" takes on a different meaning when the nearest sporting team might be 800 miles away. If you live in Albuquerque New Mexico, for example... what NFL team do you follow? Dallas? 10 hours by car. Denver? 7 hours. Phoenix? 7 hours. You aren't attending games every other sunday. So you pick one based on who gets TV coverage, perhaps. Or who you like otherwise (mascot, colors, players, records, etc.).

In general: Many fans follow their "local" team... but with the advent of TV, and the movement of a lot of Americans around the country, you can more easily follow your Boston team, even if you move to Denver. So if your dad was a Chicago fan, but moved to Spokane... he could still catch most Chicago games, and you might grow up a Chicago fan too. Passed down, generation to generation, via TV (and now Cable, Satellite, and the internet). There's a solid chance, however, that you might like the "new" local team more than your Mom's team, and so her love of Miami doesn't mean anything to you, out in Denver... you like the Nuggets or the Broncos (spit) instead, because they are your local team.

Alternately, you might grow up without much allegiance, and just choose a team for some reason. Friends, where you went to school, player, colors, mascot, etc. There's also the fact that a lot of folks are fans (even lifelong fans) of whatever teams were really good in their formative years... they liked watching X team win, and so... they'll always like X team. It's familiar to them, it evokes childhood, or family memories.

And some fans are fairweather fans.. .they like the hot teams, and skip to new ones when they are hot.

[Raylorne]

I can’t believe what I’m watching right now.