A Li'l Bit Of Everything

Gangsta D:

Boy, somebody on the Pats must be in league with the Dark Lord cause that game should've been over twice. Even though I'm no Rave die-hard, that loss was gut wrenching. They get stopped on 4th down, but Rex Ryan calls a timeout. Then they get stopped again, but the right guard false starts? That benefited the Pats, cause now they can go back into their spread offense. Then Bart Scott goes absolutely APESH*T after the TD. If he keeps his cool, the Raven probably get the ball back at the 35, at the minimum. Either Yamon Figures is gonna have a good return, or the Pats are gonna kick it away from him. Crazy game. Crazy game. God, I hope SOMEBODY beats the Pats. I don't care if they win the Super Bowl, I just don't want them to go undefeated:)

Waldini:

The zebras must have not gotten enough moolah from Shula and the remaining '72 Dolphins cuz they definitely blew this game. Besides the B'more meltdown, they also screwed up the Gaffney catch (that 'bama was juggling the ball like a circus performer). 4 games left and I only think one of those teams (Pitt) has a legit shot at beating NE. And they get that game at home, lol.

I can't hate completely too much since I got Brady as my Fantasy QB :-).

Gangsta D:

You know Ed, Ray, and Willis were hurting in the locker room. You know Ray cussed Billick out and probably Rex Ryan too:)

If the Pats don't lose in the regular season, hopefully we'll get a shot at them in the Super Bowl. Imagine an undefeated Patriot team going against a one loss Cowboys team. If we win, you know Romo's gonna bust out the threesome with Carrie Underwood and Jessica Simpson:)

Da Realist:

I hope your hatred doesn't extend to all things Boston because if they get Johan Santana you can wrap it up for the next five years. Beckett and Santana is LETHAL

Gangsta D:

I will spit on a Boston cream pie. SPIT!!! lol

Da Realist:

i don't see how baseball stays in business. only a small percentage of teams have a shot to win every year. nobody wants nfl parity (this year notwithstanding, lol...) but damn.

how do fans of minnesota or kansas city continue to support their teams knowing that

a) They have no real shot at the title and

b) Your best player will eventually play for the yankees or red sox.

People can talk about college football all they want, but there's nothing about baseball that's fair. nothing.

Gangsta D:

I don't think anyone in Kansas City does support the Royals:)

It's amazing how Boston has turned into New York. They used to be the ultimate underdogs. The lovable losers. Now people hop on the bandwagon and conversely hate them just like the Yankees. They no longer have the moral high ground to call New York the Evil Empire:)

Da Realist:

I'm not hating but I do find it interesting how baseball operates. Each team can negotiate their own television deals and keep the money. So big market teams like the Yankees, Red Sox, Dodgers or Cubs can generate many times the revenue that the royals or padres can. Many many times. There is no revenue sharing so the rich get richer.

Small market teams rely on their farm system. Players gradually matriculate under their system until they are ready for the big-time. once some of these players become stars, these same clubs can't afford to keep them. Then the Yankees (or red sox) come in. So in effect, the Yankees treat the whole league as a farm system!

Lost in all of this are the owners. Most of them care little about actually winning. The culture in MLB is different than in the nba. Most NBA owners want to win...and besides, it's more profitable for them to win. This isn't the case in mlb. It's actually more profitable to stay average or lose than it is to win. The only way it is more profitable to win is if you are the yankees or the Braves, you have your own cable channel, you can afford to overpay for the top stars and still stay in the black.

The Chicago Cubs have been raking in money for years off losing teams. The reasons? sell outs, WGN and greedy owners that don't care about winning as much as they care about turning a profit.

1) So you have a league that doesn't reward competitive balance.

2) The owners notice this and concern themselves with the money by keeping teams average long enough to give fans hope (and rake in more money from paraphanelia, game tickets and concessions).

3) Players notice THIS and play for the money. That's why once-in-a-lifetime players like ARod, Greg Maddux and Pedro martinez have all played for multiple teams.

And yet people want to talk about the BCS every year

Gangsta D:

The BCS is flawed, but it is better than the previous system. But it IS flawed. Some years, there will be no-doubt-about it matchups. Some years, there will be what we have this year. No one can tell me that tOSU and LSU are head and shoulders above UGA, 'SC, VT, and OU. You just can't tell me that is the case. But there really is no use in begging for a playoff. It will never happen unless schools threaten to secede from the NCAA and start another "league," if you will. That ain't EVER gonna happen. So we'll just have to live with it, and gripe when necessary. Death, taxes, and the BCS.

Waldini:

According to the guy sitting next to me (an Buckeye alum), if it wasn't for the preseason ranking, that OSU's QB and RB would have been considered in the Heisman race. I literally choked on my M&M peanut when he said that.