11/05/24
December 17, 2009
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
I must have missed this announcement when it happened, but this year's NFL Pro Bowl is going to be
1) in Miami (home of this year's Super Bowl), not Hawaii.
2) the week between the last round of the playoffs and the Super Bowl.
3) missing (obviously) any players on the teams that make the Super Bowl.
Wow.
posted by grum@work at 10:01 AM on December 17, 2009
The new format for the Pro Bowl is pretty stupid. Along with the players that are in the Superbowl, I would bet most guys who play in the AFC/NFC Championships for the losing team will not participate. That takes the players from the top 4 teams in the league out of the ProBowl. I think that kind of defeats the purpose. It will prob be back in Hawaii in 2-3 years.
posted by Debo270 at 10:09 AM on December 17, 2009
That's nonsensical. There goes my excuse to be in Hawaii. Drats... So does anyone know the rationale?
posted by yzelda4045 at 10:14 AM on December 17, 2009
Most of the players who go far in the playoffs skip it anyway. Plus, those who miss the playoffs haven't played football in nearly a month and then have to go play.
posted by bperk at 10:56 AM on December 17, 2009
So does anyone know the rationale?
The league felt that They were not getting a huge crowd in Hawaii and It being held after the season was over made it more irrelevent. They also figured this would be a way to kickoff a week of Superbowl activities in the host city. The problem I see is players always complained and it was in Hawaii. Think they are going to want to go to detroit fo a game in January. I really do not think it will last long.
posted by Debo270 at 11:03 AM on December 17, 2009
To be fair, the old Pro Bowl format was pretty stupid too.
It's probably too much for the suits of Professional Football to admit, but maybe the NFL just doesn't need an all-star game.
posted by Ufez Jones at 11:07 AM on December 17, 2009
I think it's a much better idea to have the Pro Bowl during the season, and the dead week before the Super Bowl is prime territory for some kind of game. I couldn't get excited about a Pro Bowl even after the Cowboys won the Super Bowl. It was too anticlimactic.
I'd like to see the NFL tinker with it until they come up with something good. Perhaps they could cut teams down and play college all-stars, or play it in Canton at the beginning of preseason.
posted by rcade at 11:11 AM on December 17, 2009
Tiger Woods' high-school sweetheart Dina Parr told E! News that he was crushed by his dad's infidelity and dumped her via letter for telling people at a tournament she was his girlfriend. The weirdest part: "My parents ... and myself, never want to talk or hear from you again." His parents?
I don't see how Woods kept a cork on this kind of stuff for so long. With so many people in his life who either bear a grudge or need money, the media is all over him. Where were they before this? A few stories over the year knocking holes in his character might have made this fall from grace less newsworthy.
posted by rcade at 11:36 AM on December 17, 2009
why is it when all the "talking Heads" are talking about the elite football teams this season, why aren't the San Diego Chargers included in the mix?
I believe they are very much included. Just yesterday, Merrill Hoge said that he believed the Chargers would beat the Colts in the playoffs. Other than that, maybe it's because the Chargers have gotten in the habit of losing two or three games early in the year and playing catch up.
posted by tahoemoj at 12:06 PM on December 17, 2009
Just throwing it out there, but who might want to see a "Consolation Bowl" of sorts b/w the NFC/AFC finalists? Bragging rights are on the line ... and it would be a way to have a game of note in that dead week. Being named to the ProBowl is, in my opinion, what it's all about. It's really kind of a meaningless game, no?
posted by Spitztengle at 12:19 PM on December 17, 2009
Tiger Woods wife says Divorce 100% gonna happen..
posted by Debo270 at 01:12 PM on December 17, 2009
I would like to take this chance to thank the creators/runners of Sports Filter. 2-3 times this week, I have made the mistake of reading the comments posted at the end of some stories on fox and yahoo sports. Most of the comments are idiotic rants and people going back and forth about who is dumber or which one knows more about sports like little kid bickering back and forth about how "your fans are assholes, NO your fans are assholes. no you are." It made me mad at how ignorant people are and i wanted to stick a pen in my eye so I would stop reading. I left the story pissed. I really enjoy having this site where people who know what they are talking about discuss it in a grown up manner and endlessly mock those who don't have a clue .
Thank you Sports Filter for making it so i dont have to smash my laptop against a wall when i read peoples thoughts on sports.
posted by Debo270 at 01:17 PM on December 17, 2009
Shut up, Debo...your team sucks and you're stupid...
posted by MeatSaber at 01:37 PM on December 17, 2009
I know
posted by Debo270 at 01:44 PM on December 17, 2009
MeatSaber, u suck cuz u got both uses of you're/your right in you're parody. LOLZ!!!!!
posted by yerfatma at 01:52 PM on December 17, 2009
Whatever People from Dover dont know anything about sports.
u got both uses of you're/your right
grammar police. Now this is more like it.
posted by Debo270 at 02:14 PM on December 17, 2009
Tiger Woods "mistress number four" Jamie Jungers films an incredibly amateurish endorsement for BidHere.Com.
posted by rcade at 03:06 PM on December 17, 2009
Most of the comments are idiotic rants and people going back and forth about who is dumber or which one knows more about sports like little kid bickering back and forth about how "your fans are assholes, NO your fans are assholes. no you are." It made me mad at how ignorant people are and i wanted to stick a pen in my eye so I would stop reading.
Sadly, those comments are infinitely more intelligent than the ones you will find on YouTube comments. It's the black hole for intelligence.
posted by grum@work at 03:19 PM on December 17, 2009
Debo270, I was just thinking that exact same thing(except for sticking a pen in my eye) about all of the dumb comments. Some people will say the most idotic things when they can be anonymous. I think that is such cowardly behavior. I am so glad I was surfing for a sports site to read after my spouse died and I needed a sports discussion outlet. Thanks, Sportsfilter!
posted by yzelda4045 at 04:00 PM on December 17, 2009
yerfatma,
I contemplated swapping them, for parody's sake, but I just can't bring myself to ever do it, even jokingly...
posted by MeatSaber at 04:14 PM on December 17, 2009
Just throwing it out there, but who might want to see a "Consolation Bowl" of sorts b/w the NFC/AFC finalists? Bragging rights are on the line ... and it would be a way to have a game of note in that dead week.
I think it would be a fun game to watch but I just can't see the two teams having the motivation to play in that game. After falling one game short of a Super Bowl berth I'm sure they'd be less than willing to play in an ultimately meaningless game.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:44 PM on December 17, 2009
A few various comments:
Hooray for Tiger Woods' wife for getting a divorce. While divorce is a terrible thing for a family, having a father who has made such a complete sham of the marriage/family thing and embarrassed them publicly in such a manner, is even more tragic. His wife deserves to live her life happily and hopefully with someone she can have some shred of trust in.
The NFL Pro Bowl should be eliminated completely. It's a ridiculous game to begin with. If it does have to be continued, take it to London in place of the regular season game the league feels it has to stage there each year.
Maybe the Yankees actually will go the entire off-season without purchasing any of the top-tier free agents. I did, however, read they may go after Nick Johnson, who would definitely bolster their injured reserve list.
posted by dyams at 05:23 PM on December 17, 2009
Most of the comments are idiotic rants and people going back and forth about who is dumber or which one knows more about sports like little kid bickering back and forth about how "your fans are assholes, NO your fans are assholes. no you are." It made me mad at how ignorant people are and i wanted to stick a pen in my eye so I would stop reading.
The only contributors to Sports Filter who make intelligent and thoughtful comments are those from New Hampshire. There I've said it, and I'm glad. Of course, an awful lot of the rest should be honorary citizens of the Granite State, because their comments come within a comma fault or two of being pretty good too.
What I'm trying to say is that I'm proud to be even a small part of this community, and I echo the thanks and appreciation for the pantheon and the work they put into it.
posted by Howard_T at 05:44 PM on December 17, 2009
Tiger's pending divorce probably speeds his return to the PGA...child support payments and all.
I like the idea of a pre-season NFL all-star game. Get some excitement going at the start of the year, and most all-stars aren't competing for a roster spot anyway.
I love Sports Filter as well. Even when I'm in total disagreement with someone, the conversation never degrades into a name calling, mudsling, vulgar, free-for-all. Well, not usually.
posted by dviking at 05:55 PM on December 17, 2009
I also think a pre-season all-star game would be the way to go. This could take the place of the game in Canton as previously stated by rcade. Great idea.
posted by kerrycindy at 06:09 PM on December 17, 2009
According to Wikpedia, the Pro Bowl is back in Hawaii in 2011 and 2012. (Although considering that they have a photo that claims to be of a tackle being made in the Pro Bowl, I don't know how reliable that is.)
SportsFilter: a name calling, mudslinging, vulgar, free-for-all.
why is it when all the "talking Heads" are talking about the elite football teams this season, why aren't the San Diego Chargers included in the mix?
They're kind of flying under the radar because people are starry-eyed about the undefeated Colts and Saints.
Which, as a Vikings fan, I hope keeps up. The Saints are already in unexplored territory as (I believe) the most successful team in the history of the franchise, and the longer they go undefeated the more pressure they'll be under if they face some adversity. They've been struggling against some seriously subpar teams, blowing a 23-9 lead against a 6-6 Falcons team playing backups at QB and running back. The Saints will probably get the #1 seed, but they could be surprised by a Vikings team at 14-2/13-3 that's better than the cupcakes they've had trouble with.
Meanwhile the Vikings are 3-0 against teams with nine or more wins. The Saints beat the Eagles, who were missing McNabb; that's their only game against a team with 9+ wins. The Colts haven't played a team yet that currently has at least 9 wins. The Chargers have played one team with 9+ wins, beating Philadelphia.
posted by kirkaracha at 06:14 PM on December 17, 2009
Major international event will cause the Cowboys / Saints game to be postponed till Dallas gets a coaching staff and GM that has a clue.
posted by kerrycindy at 07:26 PM on December 17, 2009
Just posting the score for tonight's game -- the rest of The Hoser will follow tomorrow.
Indianapolis (-3) at JACKSONVILLE [43]: Apparently the Jaguar mascot got hung up 100 feet in the air over the field before last week's game. Pretty fitting metaphor for Jacksonville's progress this season, huh? Colts 23, Jaguars 17.
posted by wfrazerjr at 08:21 PM on December 17, 2009
kirkaracha...shhhh...no jinxing the Vikings.
posted by dviking at 08:25 PM on December 17, 2009
23, Jaguars 17.
Yeah, like at the midpoint of the 2nd quarter ... this thing is a shootout.
posted by Spitztengle at 11:00 PM on December 17, 2009
The first time the Colts and Jags met this season, they scored 26 points combined.
Which is one of the things I love about the NFL. Well, all sports to some extent, but especially the NFL. Teams in the same division play twice a year, yet the two games played by the same pair of teams can be very different.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 12:49 AM on December 18, 2009
The Jags mascot also caught fire earlier this year and had to come out later in a bandanna to hide it. They've been full of metaphors this year.
But considering that half of the roster was turned over in the offseason, I think the Jags have made enormous progress.
posted by rcade at 08:56 AM on December 18, 2009
As Al Davis would say ... okay, well, he'd mumble evilly under his breath and cackle afterward:
"Just win, baby!"
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:11 AM on December 18, 2009
I think the Jags have made enormous progress.
Agreed, but the Jags seem to be the team that perennially seems to underachieve. Either that or prognosticators seem to overvalue them every year. It's weird.
posted by dfleming at 09:36 AM on December 18, 2009
As Al Davis would say ... okay, well, he'd mumble evilly under his breath and cackle afterward:
"Just win, baby!"
I swear if you put Al in a robe with a hood, he is the emperor from Star Wars.
posted by Debo270 at 09:57 AM on December 18, 2009
Last night's game gave little confidence for neutrals that Indy will do so well in the playoffs, giving up 31 to the Jags and holding on by knuckles at the end. Garrard played so well the whole game, apparently saving almost all his blown passes for the last drive.
Saints can make a statement tomorrow night, we shall see.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:41 AM on December 18, 2009
why is it when all the "talking Heads" are talking about the elite football teams this season, why aren't the San Diego Chargers included in the mix?