Question for American sports fans

[Godless Dave]

http://www.truthspeaker.org/img/ragnar.jpg

[Dingfod]

No.

[Crumb]

No.
:yeahthat:

[Dingfod]

I am watching a game right now, sort of: Tulsa vs Oklahoma. I didn't turn it to that channel, given a preference I would've chosen AMC or TCM.

[Ymir's blood]

No.
:yeahthat:
:yeahthat:

:hijacked: :pirate2: :pirate: :ahoy: :jollyrog: :xbones: :parrot:

[godfry n. glad]

Yessir, Dave, I sure am.

I already launched the college ball season with a round of apple pie making during the West Virginia vs. Syracuse game.

I'll be rooting for the usual turkeys. :Hokie:

[beyelzu]

:dawg:


I am listening to the uga/sc game

[godfry n. glad]

Kewl... I got home to find Texas (#2) vs. Ohio State (#4) on the boob tube.

With my new work schedule that includes every stinkin' Saturday, it's gonna put a crimp in my college football enjoyment. I'll have to learn to enjoy pro ball more....a challenge for me.

So, GD... You're obviously a Vikings fan. Is that purely a parochial kinda thing?

[RevDahlia]

I live less than half a mile from the stadium where the UT Longhorns play. I can see it from my driveway. On game days, the noise is unbelievable and kind of sinister -- I half expect the crowd to start chanting "KALI-MA! KALI-MA! KALI-MA!"

Oh well. Hook 'em Horns, I guess.

I was happy to see that my Raiders didn't totally suck in their opening against the Pats; they only kind of sucked, so they've definitely improved since last year. Also? I want to break Tom Brady's arms and spit in his sneering, George W. Bush campaign fundraising, white-bread face.

[godfry n. glad]

It's a road game for the 'Horns. It's nearly halftime and Ohio State has come back from a 10 point defiecit to take a 13 -10 lead, and they're threatening another touchdown.

Good game.

[viscousmemories]

I've been turned off by football all my life, based on the fact that my brother was a football player in high school when I was a burnout, and having my hometown of Ann Arbor overrun by fanatics every season.

Still, I've probably watched more football in the last week than I have in my whole life. I don't know why, I've just felt like it. I can't stand the announcers, couldn't care less about the endless stream of stats and honestly can't even imagine caring which team wins any given game, but it's a good way to space out and the occasional play is exciting to watch.

[Dingfod]

I didn't care at all who won, but I paid enough attention to the game to know Tulsa got totally spanked by Oklahoma in the 4th quarter.

[RevDahlia]

Still, I've probably watched more football in the last week than I have in my whole life. I don't know why, I've just felt like it. I can't stand the announcers, couldn't care less about the endless stream of stats and honestly can't even imagine caring which team wins any given game, but it's a good way to space out and the occasional play is exciting to watch.
I hated football for most of my life. HATED it. It just looked like a bunch of mutants milling around to me. One simple thing changed all that: the computer-generated first down marker. Once the networks started putting in that damn orange line, something weird happened: I suddenly understood the plays. It all became clear to me. My brain reorganized itself to accomodate football, and now I like it a lot. Not as much as basketball, but it's all kinds of fun.

[godfry n. glad]

Well, see there...

I'm from a AA town, in terms of college and pro football, so I have no hard and fast loyalties. I'm a grad of Portland State University, the state's urban university, filled with part-time students who are working their way through college. We almost voted the football team out of existence when I was there.

I'm short, stocky and used to be muscular. I played rugby. I more readily associate with American football than any other team spectator sport. After deciding that I was going to watch it while my wife watched a week's worth of soap opera tapes on the weekends. It was cheap amusement. I decided that pro ball was just too... pat. I dunno. I guess I can't really express what it is I don't like about pro ball. It's corporate? It's big-time? It's corrupting? Nothing quite touches on what it is for me.

College football (American, we're talkin' here) is great enjoyment to me. As said, I've no loyalties to any of the televised teams. So, I watched for a year and found a team that I thought was a "contender" (actually had an outside chance at the national championship - a long shot - an underdog) in the Virginia Tech Hokies.

I picked 'em 'cause I liked their name. Hokies. Sounds hokie, don't it? You know what a hokie is? It's a wild turkey.

Yes, football fans, my selected football team is a buncha turkeys. They even have fans who wear rubber turkey heads on their heads to the games. I understand the fans do the hokie-pokie on the field after a home victory.

Ya gotta love a buncha hokie turkey football players. Probably all on scholarship.

The team yell is a turkey gobble.

Kewl, huh?

[D. Scarlatti]

Badgers had a bit of a cakewalk (http://www.jsonline.com/badger/fb/sep05/354842.asp) today.

I haven't been able to get too excited about the Vikings since Tommy Kramer retired.

I met Bud Grant's wife though. She was a lovely lady.

[Stephen Maturin]

The answer is a rousing "Hell yeah," but who's that ponytailed, moustachioed, horn-helmeted cartoon sissy posing the question? That dude seems to be laboring under the delusion that the Vikings have a bona fide NFL defense and/or that Daunte Culpepper is a big-time NFL quarterback without Randy Moss. Man, is he in for some unpleasant surprises. :D

I was happy to see that my Raiders didn't totally suck in their opening against the Pats; they only kind of sucked, so they've definitely improved since last year.

I respectfully disagree, at least in part. Our Raiders' pass defense and kick coverage sucked every bit as totally on Thursday as they have for the past two seasons. I was hoping for 8-8 or maybe even 9-7, but there doesn't appear to be much chance of that.

Also? I want to break Tom Brady's arms and spit in his sneering, George W. Bush campaign fundraising, white-bread face.

Go tell it on the mountain, sista!

[D. Scarlatti]

:laugh:

Randy Moss was born for the Raiders, to be sure.

[SharonDee]

I'll be a Titans fan if they turn out to be worth a shit this year. Fair weather fan = me.

[Godwhacker]

You can buy shirts here that read:

Pittsburgh is a drinking town with a football problem.

This city goes bananas over its football team.

Go Stillahs!

[Dingfod]

godfry: Maybe this is just my perspective, but college football makes the NFL look like they're in slow motion. Mind you, this doesn't apply to the megabuck star ends and running backs, some of them are very very fast, but I think the average NFL lineman moves much slower than their collegiate counterparts. Perhaps this is because there's quite a bit more mass to set in motion.

[Godless Dave]

That dude seems to be laboring under the delusion that the Vikings have a bona fide NFL defense

No one, including Mike Tice, suffers from any such delusion.


and/or that Daunte Culpepper is a big-time NFL quarterback without Randy Moss.

I'm actually looking forward to watching some real games instead of the Randy Moss show. Daunte is a big-time NFL QB (and Rush Limbaugh can kiss his black ass), and last season he hit plenty of other receivers besides Moss. He had to, because the opposing defenses covered Moss so well.

Granted, Moss was fun to watch on the field. I just got sick of him shooting his mouth off and trying to run over traffic cops off the field.

[viscousmemories]

One simple thing changed all that: the computer-generated first down marker. Once the networks started putting in that damn orange line, something weird happened: I suddenly understood the plays. It all became clear to me. My brain reorganized itself to accomodate football, and now I like it a lot.
I totally agree, that makes it much easier to understand what they're doing.

So can someone explain the whole safety thing to me?

[Dingfod]

You mean the two points awarded for tackling the offensive player with the ball behind the goal line or the defensive player that lines up in the secondary?

[viscousmemories]

I guess it's the former. I could've sworn it was still fourth and goal when the offense suddenly turned the ball over to the defense and then sacked the QB in the end zone for a 'safety', but now that we're talking about it I guess it was a straight turnover after a failed run on the 4th and sacking someone in the end zone is just called a safety.

[Dingfod]

I've heard it called a "touchback" too. Or was that something else?

[viscousmemories]

I'm thinking of the last score in the Longhorns game last night, if you happened to see that.

[Dingfod]

Not me. I was sort-of watching Deadwood.

[Dingfod]

See what I know about football:

From about.com football glossary:
touchback - A play in which the ball is ruled dead on or behind a team's own goal line, generally after a kickoff, punt, interception, or fumble.

[viscousmemories]

They'd never let us host The Man Show.

[godfry n. glad]

I'm thinking of the last score in the Longhorns game last night, if you happened to see that.

Yeah, the 'Horns won by three points, two of them on a touchback, and got the ball back on a fumble. Man, it all came down for Texas in the last three minutes.

A good game. Close. The lead switched at least twice. Excellent plays. Some really painful and embarrassing turn-overs, by both sides. Called a "kicking game" because both sides had problems besting the defence of their opponent. Instead of just run 'n' shoot, it was run 'n' shoot 'n' kick.

[viscousmemories]

Actually it was a safety, not a touchback. :giggle:

On the next drive, Ohio State fumbled and the Longhorns recovered on the OSU 21 with 2:19 left. Texas did not score on the drive, turning the ball over to OSU on downs inside the 1-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Smith was sacked in the end zone for a safety, pushing the Texas lead to 25-22.

[godfry n. glad]

I'm thinking of the last score in the Longhorns game last night, if you happened to see that.

Yeah. The 'Horns tried to take it a couple of inches to a touchdown and failed. The Buckeyes got it back on their own one yard line and then the quarterback was sacked in the goal zone. It gave Texas two points more, for a three-point lead. The Buckeyes just had to get within kicking distance to tie the game (inside Texas' 30 yard line)...a long shot, but possible. Then their ball carrier fumbled and Texas picked it up. All the 'Horns had to do was sit on it (hike and fall on the ball, letting the clock run) for the remaining time.

Ohio State played an excellent game. They led through most of it. Their defensive linebackers were a real problem for the Longhorns. They made hay out of the Longhorns' foul ups in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, but the Longhorns stayed in the game and took advantage of the Buckeyes' foul ups in the last three minutes.

[godfry n. glad]

Whatever. It was two points.

Actually it was a safety, not a touchback. :giggle:

On the next drive, Ohio State fumbled and the Longhorns recovered on the OSU 21 with 2:19 left. Texas did not score on the drive, turning the ball over to OSU on downs inside the 1-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Smith was sacked in the end zone for a safety, pushing the Texas lead to 25-22.

[viscousmemories]

I didn't catch the whole thing, but I did see most of the last quarter and it was pretty exciting.

[RevDahlia]

I didn't catch the whole thing, but I did see most of the last quarter and it was pretty exciting.
I missed the end of the game, but I did see Guadalupe Avenue (the main drag of the UT campus) immediately afterwards. It was pure madness. I admit I did make a little "hook 'em" gesture out the car window at some cute boys.

[Dingfod]

They'd never let us host The Man Show.You got that right.

[Clutch Munny]

Also? I want to break Tom Brady's arms and spit in his sneering, George W. Bush campaign fundraising, white-bread face.

No... really? He did? Arrrgh... now I must despise him.