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Yes, I did.
Did I enjoy it?
No, not really. For one reason you might suspect, but for other reasons you might not.
Too much scoring. I like defense, I like hard fought games with both sides probing, jockeying for advantage, a battle for field position if you will. These high scoring affairs with both teams charging up and down the field?
Nope, don't like 'em. Apparently I am somewhat alone on that count.
Americans seem to like high scoring affairs, lots of "action." That's why soccer (football in the rest of the world) isn't that popular in the U.S., well, not the traditional low scoring affairs which most soccer fans enjoy.
Sunday wasn't like that.
Furthermore...
The announcers on all the networks are starting to sound the same. Moronic, repetitive, they often don't know when to shut up. Most of them have a passing acquaintance with the rules but have no idea how fast things move down on the field. The officials are only human, they make mistakes.
But a rule is a rule. If you throw a flag for something in the regular season, throw the damn thing in the playoffs as well. I abhor the "just let them play" nonsense which seems to prevail in the playoffs. If you want to "just let them play," leave the officials off the field.
Yeah, I know. Unrealistic.
Not abiding by the rules is why I don't watch baseball anymore. The strike zone is clearly defined in the rule book, yet every umpire has a different strike zone.
Bah, humbug. (Maybe it's the sergeant in me which cries out for order and discipline, oh wait, it's the NFL, never mind.)
I've only missed two Super Bowls in 52. Next year might make 53.
Halftime show? Not my cup of tea. Shorten the damned thing. We hates it we does.
Also, way too many commercials. Always. Best one, in my humble opinion?
Tide.
Enough said on that, oh wait, one last thing...
Did the best team win?
Absolutely.
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Well, except for the pain of refilling the damn prescription.
Apparently either my pharmacy's computer or my doctor's office has trouble with simple math. I get a bottle of 90 pills. I take one a day, I have a system to ensure that, a process really. Same time, every damn day. Without fail.
Anyhoo, when the bottle is empty, I assume 90 days has passed. So Sunday night, after the "big game" I call the pharmacy's 24 hour line to refill my prescription. The last pill having been consumed an hour previously.
"We're sorry, we can't refill that prescription because it's not due yet."
"Fill the prescription HAL..."
No dice, can't do that Sarge, etc., etc....
So I called and talked to a human, the next day, eventually. Explained the situation, got it filled, of course not when I wanted it, but when they could "get to it."
At least the humans do as asked.
Though if the pharmacy's computer system ever becomes sentient...
It'll probably vote Democrat.
Ran into that same problem with a couple of meds for the parents, pain in the arse. Did watch the last three quarters of the Superbowl but skipped the halftime show. Like the Rocket Mortgage ad though,"living large= living with his momma, "likes long walks= doesn't have a car","entrepreneur= unemployed". Always got a chuckle out of those Key & Peele skits.
ReplyDeleteLove Key and Peele, really funny guys.
DeleteHaven't watched a regular season Pro Football game since 1990. Super Bowl strike has now run since 2003. Grossly overpaid thugs IMHO. They don't respect the things I hold dear, they get nothing in support from me.
ReplyDeleteAs for the commercials...YouTube has them for viewing.
Win/Win.
I'm gradually moving your way regarding professional sports. Don't think I'll ever actually refrain from viewing occasionally, but so much has happened to ruin the sport for me.
DeleteNot sure which comes first, power or money, but both corrupt. See NFL, see NBA, see MLB. (See DC too.)
juvat - you are not a stereotypical Texan. I thought football was in the genes there.
DeleteSarge - I had another post this morning that went to the bit bucket - don't know what is going on.
But - as what I said this morning this Super Bowl was the only NFL game I watched all year - It was a good game. But my feeling towards pro teams and owners - Meh. No loyalty whatsoever to the cities that support them. Al Davis used our town just to get more concessions from Los Angeles. And of course he dumped Oakland, and it looks like the Raiders will do it again.
Comments vanishing into the ether happens from time to time. You didn't go into the spam filter, I checked. Could be a Blogger glitch, could be an OS glitch, even a browser thing.
DeleteBlood pressure meds. Yep, as long as I take the daily pill I don't have high blood pressure. Unless I watch or read the news.
ReplyDeleteThe mail order folks usually get the renewal out before I run out. The next change in prescription plans will be in a few months when my wife retires and we switch into Tricare For Life.
We watched the last few minutes of game on Sunday. That brings my lifetime total of football watching to far less than an hour. My attitude has been, "I don't care," for a very long time, and the antics of the players and owners this year have moved me from apathy to a viewpoint much closer to what juvat said.
Aaron Clarey who blogs at Captain Capitalism made some good points in this post.
http://captaincapitalism.blogspot.com/2018/02/why-are-sports-fans-such-idiots.html
Another thought provoking post and the same for the comments.
Ooh, a new blog to read!
DeleteMr. Clarey is, well, um, he calls himself an "a$$hole accountant" so you know it's not going to be very politically correct or leftish.
DeleteHe's blunt. Real blunt. But the truth hurts, and so does he.
Yeah, I spent some time over there. Rough but honest. He's been added to the blogroll.
DeleteI think the best team lost, because the Eagles took several risks and converted, plus their QB and the rest of the team played the game of his lives. Scoring a TD instead of taking the field goal as all the "experts" were ready to crucify them for if they missed was key and later they went for fourth and one, down by one with 5 minutes left. Punt the experts said plenty of time, go for it said the Eagles, give up the ball and they would not get it back with any time left as they had not stopped Brady all game. The Eagles coach took the risks that the experts cried about and they would have lost if they played it close to the vest. I agree with you on close defensive games, but this one took on a different kind of chess match and the Eagles coach made all the right moves to beat a slightly better team.
ReplyDeleteNot sure I agree that the Patriots were the better team. I remember watching Foles play before, he's better than some starters (Denver, are you paying attention) and the Patriots defense has been suspect (to me anyway) all year.
DeletePerhaps "big picture" wise the Pats are better, but not last Sunday.
Nice analysis Joe, perhaps we can get rid of Collinsworth and have you take the job?
I know, I know, you're retired and no doubt Mrs. Cranky would want to be able to "correct" you during the game.
But it's a thought...
Remember the old saying "on any Sunday". Even though it'll never happen I think the Superbowl ought to be the best 3 out of 5 games!!
DeleteNah, I'm a fan of "one and done," color me old-fashioned.
Delete"better than every single QB the Browns have had in the last 20 years"
DeleteFTFY
Can't argue with that.
DeleteI remember when the Browns were an awesome team, back in the '80s right?
They at least made it to the playoffs, yeah.
DeleteI moved to Browns country in the late 1990s, so all I've known is the nu-Browns and their continual woes.
I remember when the Ravens were the Browns. When Modell moved the team from Cleveland to Baltimore, the city sued to keep the name and the history. They should have sued to keep the players and coaches as well!
DeleteI mean, I grew up and still am a Steelers fan, so watching the Browns misery amuses me. Or did, for a while. Now it kind of feels like kicking a forlorn puppy.
DeleteYeah, I get that. Forlorn puppy describes it very well.
DeleteI have missed three Superbowls in my life. 1971 when I was in Vietnam, 1972 when I was in Thailand and this year because I boycotted the season. And you're right, get rid of the overpaid talking heads, cut the commercials by at least half and halftime shouldn't be any longer than during the regular season!!
ReplyDeleteI am also on the blood pressure meds but since I get them through the VA, they are mailed to me like clockwork. I like it that way!!
I P & M about the pharmacy, but my BP meds are free. Yup, zero dollars.
DeleteYep, same here, the kind of price I like zero dollars!
DeleteZero is good when it comes to cost.
DeleteMaybe I could be a Sargeant too...YEAH! Rules is Rules, darn it!
ReplyDeleteAnd Halftime shows? I'm with you, Sarge...I hates that too.
Hahaha!
DeleteI saw more of the game than the rest of the year combined... because someone turned on the TV in the room where I was reading.
ReplyDeleteI still don’t believe football is as important as it thinks it is.
I lost interest when I realized it is no longer a game and far too many folks take it ...at all levels ...way too seriously.
BP meds are more important than football and I am tired of pharmacies and healthcare providers holding them hostage.
That’s pure and simple drug abuse.
And I can't/won't disagree with any of that.
DeleteYer a smart feller Skip.
Better refereeing, less special teams, and bring back marching bands for the half-time show (really, the people in the stands need to pee.)
ReplyDeleteI want my football in open air stadiums, where if it's raining, it is a wet, muddy war. If it is hot, then the play is centered around switching out team members before they drop like flies. If it is snowing, well, suck it up, buttercup.
As to the atrocious performance as human beings of most of the players and Roger Goodall, if Congress can get involved in College Football and help force a different playoff system, why can't they get off their ass and say, "No more public money for you if you don't clean up your act?"
Then there's the Linebacker just killed by an illegal alien. How many nice women have died (Katey Stengle et al) at the hands of illegal aliens but nothing is really said. One pro-ball player gets whacked, and suddenly I am hearing lefties actually talk about the actions of illegal aliens. WTF? GAAAAHHHHH! (Head Explodes!!!!!)
Oh, well, enough rants. Meds is meds. Hates taking them, hates the larger out of pocket expense at beginning of year. But what are you going to do? Oh, yeah, die. Don't want that.
I am a big believer in playing football OUTSIDE! It's where it's supposed to be.
DeleteAlso there should be a real neutral location for the game, pick a college stadium, most of those are yuge, right?
The NFL has enough money to buy politicians, so they do.
Most top-tier college stadiums seat many more than the 'pro' stadium bubbles.
DeleteAnd no sound system music. Maybe an organ player for baseball, or a marching band per team. That I would support much more than some rapper or titty show.
Colleges have enough money to buy politicians, but it still didn't protect them from idiots bugging their congresscritters about the college playoff system.
Probably because there wasn't really a system, just sportswriters voting for who was best based on some totally subjective crap.
DeletePerhaps college fans are smarter than NFL fans?
So many of the rules *isn't* rules though, more like guidelines with baked-in subjectivity. Like how there's technicaly holding on every play that they don't bother to call, and how the Foles TD catch was actually an illegal formation - but it was OK and not flagged because "on the line of scrimmage" is actually a judgment call.
ReplyDeleteHead.
DeleteExploding.
Yeah, if it's subjective, it ain't a rule. Hard and fast and clear, or take it out of the rule book. Officials don't follow the rule book, get them out of the sport, out I say. You get two mistakes, then you're gone. Can't handle it? Don't officiate.
You mean like how one team always is offsides but never called on it?
DeleteYeah, subjective. Hate subjective. Especially in this day and age of lasers and digital stuff, most of this should not be subjective at all.
It is possible to completely computerize the officiating, in real time. Cameras and the like, Hell, mount Go Pros on everyone's helmet, on the sidelines, the end zones, etc.
DeleteBut as many of the current officials are lawyers, might be tough to do.
And yes, there IS holding on every play. Reason? They want the offenses to score, a lot. Defenses are starting to look like the Washington Generals against the Globetrotters. And yeah, that's intentional.
In the far way-back times, I was told a story about the Raiders vs. Broncos rivalry. The game was in Denver, and there was a flag thrown on a touchdown play (don't recall which team). The officials huddled on the side lines, then one of them trotted off the field for a few minutes. Story is that he made a quick phone call to the PD to ask how many offices they could muster to the stadium. Based on whatever the answer was, when he came back on the field, the touchdown was allowed.
ReplyDeleteI've never been that much of a 'sports fan' to begin with, but my youngest son turned the game on and I watched the last three quarters with him. We abandoned ship during the half time show. I enjoyed watching a plucky underdog win. Beyond that, considering the whole 'take a knee' mess, the NFL can go pound sand.
The Raiders and the Broncos hated each other so bad back in the day, that when Lyle Alzado was traded to the Raiders he was booed when he returned to Mile High, he was much loved as a Bronco. Not so much as a Raider.
DeleteHa! We went out for dinner and a movie and got back home in time, sort of, to watch the last 10 minutes of the game. As Monty Python would say, that's planning!
ReplyDeleteHad a hell of a time with one medication decades ago when I tried to get a second month early and was told no. It proved impossible to explain that I was leaving the country and needed to take some with me for another month or so. I didn't find success but I did win.I think it's impossible to get gout from a Korean diet or their excellent beers so I never had a probelm after all. I never cared about games after I joined the Navy.
Dinner and a movie sounds good. Kinda wish I had.
DeleteBack in the day there were few fat Koreans, now that they're adopting more Western foods, you see more fatties. Still not as many as here.
Good to know you like Korean food!
As I haven't watched football in years, I don't have anything to contribute to this discussion. It was a highly entertaining read, however.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post.
Paul L. Quandt
Maybe it's like smoking, it's an addiction and it's hard to kick. (In my defense, I used to actually play the game. There are days I miss it. My knees don't.)
DeleteWorse part of the game for me was pencil neck geek Chris Collingsblather droning on about whether a touchdown, where the receiver had control of the ball two strides before the end zone, extended the ball and "broke the plane", was even a "catch".
ReplyDeleteIf the rules have become so convoluted they make no sense, I'm glad I boycotted the season.
I'm with you on shortchanged prescriptions. I used to count the pills from this one pharmacy as soon as I got them home. And then, it's just your word against theirs that they miscounted, not you.
Collingsblather, I like it.
DeleteAnd yes, the rules have become "that convoluted," at least in Collingsblather's eyes.
Sarge, look into Express Scripts. It automatically sends me refills when I get in the window. As for your missed games- you think you might make it 3 next year?
ReplyDeleteGotta second this, Tuna. Between SWMBO and myself we get most of our meds (6 or 7, lost count) with no co-pay and handle everything on-line. Prescription expired, they contact the doc for renewal. Easy peasy.
DeleteAs far as NFL games, I lost interest when Jerry Jones bought the Cowboys and treated Tom Landry badly. Haven't watched a whole game in some time. Barely watch even college games anymore as the players are getting to be as bad as the pros.
I might have a look at that Tuna. Thanks.
DeleteI'm with you Flugelman on the abominable way Jones treated Tom Landry. Rather un-American it was, signifies everything that is wrong with the corporate culture.
Delete