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Praetorium Honoris

Sunday, January 6, 2019

Lord Knows, I Tried

(Source)
Growing up, I loved football. Loved playing it, loved watching it.

Now?

The increase in the number of commercials and the growing ineptitude of the announcers make it almost painful to watch. It's been a few years, maybe five, since I bothered to watch any of the regular season games. On Thanksgiving I'll watch them because the family does. It's fun to sit with family, or friends, and watch the games on Thanksgiving. Maybe it's the tradition. But even that has become less than enjoyable. I'll watch the Lions and the Cowboys as they have always played on Thanksgiving.

But now there's a third game, typically that one gets switched off early and we all go to bed, satiated by that time with food and drink. The other two games are mostly background noise, something there while the meal is being prepped, folks are talking, and then sitting down to eat. In my Mom's house, when we sit down to eat, the TV is off. No exceptions. At my place or my brother's the TV is in another room so it's out of the way, it stays on but no one is watching. Again, it's background noise. Someone might check the score now and then but we only really pay attention when we're done eating.

Even then we tend to chat in front of the TV rather than actually watching it.

As to the announcers, some are okay, most are, in my opinion, incompetent. They talk too much, say obvious things (as in telling us what we just saw), and too many of them aren't all that bright. I swear if one more guy tells me how good someone is "in space" there had better be a spaceship and someone in a spacesuit. Damn it, what happened to calling it "in the open field"? Most of what they say is meaningless jargon.

Space. Yup, between most announcers' ears.

Most of the commercials go beyond suck. Every now and then there's a good one, an entertaining one, but they play it to death. Over and over and over. Drives me effing nuts it does. Most folks ignore that shite anyway.

So Saturday night I decided to sit down and watch football. I lasted maybe a half hour. Once the Colts had jumped out to a 14 - 0 lead and the idiot color commentator had used the phrase"in space" maybe three times in the same sentence, I had had enough. Decided to go blog instead.

Lucky you.

I might attempt Cowboys - Seahawks later, but only if there's nothing good on Netflix, Amazon Prime, or YouTube.

Hell, watching monkeys fling dung at each other is more entertaining than the NFL these days.

Yup, I tried, Lord knows I tried. But I just couldn't stomach it.



Postscript: The second game wasn't bad. Watched a lot of it. I like defense.




78 comments:

  1. Hah! First. Now to go back and read the post.

    Thanks for the post.
    Paul L. Quandt

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hhmm, need a ruling on this one sports fans. Does a first comment count if one hasn't read the post yet?

      ;)

      Delete
    2. What's the deal with claiming first post? Que? ...........:)

      Delete
    3. Not really a "comment" if it doesn't relate to the posting. IMHO. However, since he does live on the west coast and therefore, his posting time is actual time for him at 0401 rather than 0601 for me or 0701 for you or, heck, 1301 for our friends in Great Britain, I think we should give him credit for the effort (or a prescription for some sleeping medicine).

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    4. Ah..... then "thumbs up" for Paul aaand a scrip for sleep....(heh.. heh).

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    5. Flag on the play. Excessive Celebration! The penalty is 15 minutes and loss of First Comment Status.

      Not really... :)

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    6. The Mrs. PLQ must be out of town again, which would be why he is missing her...so he can't sleep. Simple. No drugs needed.

      And, yes, it is cheating not to read the post first before commenting.

      Yes, the cat did wake me up at his usual early time (5:45AM), but it is my birthday, I am not working today, so I curled up on the couch, had kitty quality time, and then fell back asleep til Hubbie got up at 8:30ish and I had to get to work doing stuff around the house.

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    7. Hoppy Barfday, Suz!!! Yay!!!

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    8. Actually, I was up because " Mrs. PLQ " was leaving to board an early morning flight out of PDX, which is an hour's drive from where we live. As to the cheating thing, should I not get points for being honest about posting a comment before reading the post? And, my second comment, after I had read the post by OldAFSarge was still earlier than the next commenter's. So any which way you judge the issue, I was first. I will plead guilty to being rather infantile about the whole first commenter thing.

      Suz: Many happy returns of the day; may this anniversary of your birth see the beginning of the best year yet of your life. I am sorry to have behaved less than gentlemanly before you. You have inspired me to attempt to live up to the level which you have written that you perceived me.

      Paul

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    9. Well, I was right, it was because the Mrs. was (heading) out of town...just a WAG on my part.

      Thanks, Paul. It's not a big, major BD, but dear son and DIL called and chatted for a while, and I heard from some close friends.

      So far as being a gentleman, as long as you scrape the mud off your boots, take your hat off in the house, and say Please and Thank you, I'm good. And if you got up with your wife that early, that says quite a bit about if you're a gentleman or not. My vote is you are.

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    10. After further review, Paul still gets "first comment" credit. But for his second comment, not the actual first. But the first comment does get props for generating some good comments.

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    11. And yes...

      HAPPY BIRTHDAY SUZ!!!

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    12. Ooooh. OldAFSarge had to go to the Tapes to make the call!!!

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    13. Thank you Sarge and Beans.

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    14. Suz:

      Again, a minor distinction, "And if you got up with your wife that early...", actually it was more staying up as she had left an hour or so before the new post came up. No big deal, but it was my wife who had to get up after too few hours of sleep, arrive at the airport about two hours before the flight and then fly for around five hours to arrive at Hartsfield airport, get into town ( which is over-run with people who are attending some sports event ), get her hotel room, unpack, and then be able to go to bed to ( one hopes ) get enough sleep to work effectively tomorrow. She is the hero, the one who allows me to lounge about in the lap of luxury for ( so far as I can see ) very little return, while she journeys far and wide to keep a roof overhead and food to be eaten. If I got up with her to wish her good bye and safe trip; I then went back to bed to sleep until I woke up. Never let it be said that I wouldn't do the least that I could do.

      Paul

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    15. Let's hear it for Paul's wife. Sounds like a keeper Paul.

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    16. Oh, I have many reasons to keep her; I just don't understand why she keeps me.

      Paul

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    17. Don't question it, I am constantly amazed that The Missus Herself keeps me around.

      Delete
  2. Sorry, I haven't watched American football in so long that I can't remember the last game I watched. But then, I'm so down on watching sports on tv, that I rarely even watch tennis any more. I just follow scores on line.

    Paul

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    Replies
    1. Scores on line - my primary way of following sports. Takes a lot less time, they have game highlights as well.

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    2. As long as you don't follow lines of score...

      And stay on the scored lines...

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    3. Lol. Really need a spew alert symbol.

      And yes, I liked to watch tennis, but I just don't watch much TV of any sort any more.

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  3. The older I get the less I care for professional sports, all four of them even though I was big fan of all of them. Was on the web last night when I noticed that a player in the Dallas-Seattle game suffered a horrible break, shades of Joe Theismann. It hurt to see that. Best I can do nowadays is watch maybe a quarter of college football. Rather be outside especially when it's 47 degrees as it was on Friday, new record here.

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    Replies
    1. I saw that injury. That had to have hurt.

      (I remember the Theismann injury as well.)

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  4. I quit watch pro football back when Michael Vick ran in a touchdown and gave Atlanta fans the finger. His actions were ignored by the team management and owners. There is too much wrong with the sport.

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    Replies
    1. Yup. He should have been banned permanently for that.

      Pour encourager les autres!

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    2. Yeah, that among other things. Am I mistaken, or did he do time in prison? For dog fighting, say 21 months. So...a Felon. Yeah, someone I would look up to.

      NOT!

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    3. Yup, he's a felon. The incident cited occurred before he did time. Anyone who mistreats a dog is lower than whale shite.

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  5. "Ralph, he just has to go to the sticks for that pass!" "True Dan, but you think maybe the guy on defense knows that too?" Uggggg!

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  6. I stopped watching the NFL when the oppressed millionaires decided to exercise their First Amendment rights by disrespecting the national anthem and the NFL who is strict on touchdown celebrations & clothing didn't care.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I though about watching again, that pretty much drove me off.

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    2. My reason for not watching football anymore at all. Period. Done.
      It's good they have opinions, but ya don't get to express them at "work" if your job title involves the word "professional" which assumes (yeah, I know) that you are aware you are entertainers, there to put on a show. Unless your job title involves being a "commentator" on some media outlet. Otherwise do your exercising of your First Amendment rights on your own time...not mine.

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    3. I didn't like the kneeling, but the 1st Amendment is the 1st Amendment, period, full stop. But the league should have acted sooner, they did not, shame on them. They did not, as is their right. Exercising of one's 1st Amendment right has NO restrictions. Doesn't mean there won't be consequences. (If you say "But the Supreme Court..." - I'll just say "Dred Scott, those folks wearing robes aren't perfect, not even close. End rant.)

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    4. The 1A only applies to the Gubment stopping your speech. Which it has violated, unfortunately, by passing "Hate Crime" legislation and "Inciting Words" legislation.

      The league, as a private corporation, can act any darned way it wants.

      Big difference between your Employer and your Government.

      Funny, 1A rights only seem to pertain to one side of the political spectrum...

      On the other hand, PLQ got first commenter award and it's Suz' birthday, so...

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    5. Incorrect. But your employer retains the right to fire you. A right is a right, period.

      Delete
  7. My interest in football (soccer) dwindled in inverse proportion to the increase in the salaries paid to the players.

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    Replies
    1. Bingo! HD has bingo!

      When the players think they're bigger than the game, it's time to find something else to do.

      Delete
  8. I stopped when Tom Landry was replaced. He was a classy guy, and his team seemed to be respectable. I watched Larry Bird in college and a bit in the pros. He was talented. But now, basketball is football without pads. No elegance anymore. (Except Manou Ginobli and his passing) The Texas Ranger's couldn't buy a .500 season in the 70's, so I quit them as well.

    I read some great books, got a college degree, a ham radio license, and am a fair to midling mechanic since I had that spare time. Football hasn't helped me, in my "space" do anything productive. A bad day in the shop beats a good football game by miles.... And no bitter aftertaste.

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  9. Said it before, I'll say it again. "Grossly overpaid thugs." Now with the audacity to believe they can lecture us on societal issues. Hell, they can't even spell societal, much less provide a theoretical solution. Haven't watched them since 1990, and there's very little they can do to win me back.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not all of them, the thugs are a minority. A lot of the players do charity work and are active in their communities. I stopped watching regularly due to the commercials, the crappy announcers, and crappy officiating.

      Just my opinion but there it is.

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    2. I'm sure that's so. Like most things in life, the jerks get all the the press. Which encourages other jerks. I refuse to subsidize jerkish thuggery. As a wise man often says "YMMV".

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    3. My AZ peeps absolutely LOVE Larry Fitzgerald, for his underwriting of community activities (targeting kids, mostly), his always-classy behavior, and his all-round genuine good nature. He is a super role model for kids in sports.
      Like this: http://www.larryfitzgerald.com/helpingpeople/firstdownfund/

      I'm from the football era of the Broncos' Craig Morton, Randy Gradishar, Keith Bishop, Rick Upchurch, Steve Watson, the Orange Crush, and from the first days of John Elway.... Watching the Broncos on Sunday afternoon TV was practically a mandatory activity in our family. No more.... And not for a long time.

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    4. Larry Fitzgerald is a good man. I remember those days and those Bronco players. Going to college in Ft. Collins it seemed that I should root for the Broncos, later when Colorado gave us military folks in-state tuition rates, it seemed only fair to root for the Orange and Blue. I still have a soft spot for the Broncos.

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  10. Today I only watch the highlights on YouTube.

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  11. Once upon a time, my Sunday’s were all about the game...after church, of course.
    Now, and for the last four years, I have found other things to do.
    I admit that I do check scores, if I happen to think about it, and I can’t totally ignore a game when my mother in law is watching in the other room and screaming at the tube.
    Don’t watch college games either.

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    Replies
    1. I have too much else to do to invest too much time in front of the TV, for any reason.

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  12. I've never been much of a Big Sports fan, although I will admit enjoying watching the Raiders back in the days of Daryle Lamonica, Fred Biletnikoff, Ben Davidson, et al. Today? Meh. It comes across as the circus part of "bread and circus's".
    Last time I checked the score, it was Lions 5, Christians O.

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    1. Interesting view, I don't blame sports for that, I blame unrestrained commercialism and a general degradation in morals. TV and film share most of the blame for that, not sports in general.

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  13. I agree with every comment. When our entertainers become known for more than just the entertainment they provide, i.e. their political views, somewhat forced on us due to their celebrity, it detracts heavily from their ability to entertain. Catch the damn ball and STFU. Act well and STFU. I don't want, nor care what you think, because that's not what I'm paying for. I admit ivI' slipped a little though and watched some of a few games this season after my nearly complete ban last year.

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    Replies
    1. Tuna, Never give up, never surrender...Until they get down on their knees to beg forgiveness. That's me being charitable.

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  14. I will start watching again when:

    The NFL enforces correctly their own rules.
    They allow Team Owners to hire and fire for whatever reason they want.
    Players lose arbitration.
    Players are significantly fined, benched and/or fired for committing crimes.
    Players are required to sign a morals clause.
    All stadiums must be open to the air. (You play in the heat, the cold, the rain, the snow, hurricane force winds-peh-run the ball more.)
    No more multichannel sound system that sounds like it's been lifted from the local hoopti-mobile.
    Prices get back down to where the Average Joe doesn't have to sell a kidney to take him and his kids to a game.
    Announcers have to be less annoying than Howard Cosell. Seriously, if you are more annoying than HC, yerout!
    Remove some of the stupid penalties, and enforce the serious ones.
    Clean up the officiating. (It's only gotten worse since officials have become tv stars (in small ways) themselves.
    Owners should, when faced with a team that sucks donkey-reproductive-organs in reality when they look good on paper, should be able to frag player contracts instead of firing the coach. Seriously, quit expecting the coach to be able to fix bad players that are making 10x the coach's salary.
    And quit the SJW crap. Until you clean your own house of bad actors, NFL, you have no leg to stand on. Wife beaters, murderers, drug dealers, drug users, thieves, felony assaults, the whole nine yards.
    Charm school - seriously - NFL players used to be sent to manners classes and held to rigid standards of behavior outside of play.
    Last but not least, not until the current NFL commish and most of the NFL admin is gone, replaced by people who still love the game.

    Best two out of three of the above? Might consider watching, again.

    Same goes for Baseball. Hey, MLB, quit dealing with Cuba and treating Cuban players as slaves.
    Same goes for Basketball. Hey NBA, clean up your player problem. Not everyone is a thug or playa.
    Hockey? They've actually cleaned up. They are gentlemen thugs on ice now.
    Golf? Yawn. Makes good movies...

    More shooting sports on TV.
    More equestrian on tv. Maybe even jousting, but bring back Cross Country...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oooo...jousting...that would be very cool to see on TV! And, Beans, you could do the color commentary on that to help educate the rest of us unwashed masses.

      Cross country and the Iditarod, which is just long cross country in the snow...with dogs! ;)

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    2. Or the snowmobile version. Really exciting to watch a snowmachine going 100mph catch on fire.

      I also like watching... yacht races. Because I understand most of the little technical things blowboat sailors do to get an extra 0.1 knot speed by adjusting this thing, that thing and the other thing.

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    3. And then there is bicycle racing, in which only the last 15 seconds of the race rises above the excitement of watching a just painted wall dry.

      Paul

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    4. Well, except for the crashes, and the fallings down, and the murderous looks given by everyone at the Americans and... There are many sports that are only fun in the last 15 minutes, or one segment of "Wide World of Sports."

      I remember when they used to have Air Races on tv. Gah, I'm... Ooooollllldddddddddd.

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  15. Am I the only tennis fan here? OldAFSarge started this post by writing that he had both played and watched ( American ) football. As I played club level tennis some years ago, I used to enjoy watching tennis on the telly. I still will watch Roger Federer, but he is one of a kind, a gentleman and a wizard with a tennis racket. I think that it is possible that some of the other top level players have taken to showing better manners on court and on camera because of Roger's example of behavior.

    Paul

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    1. We used to watch tennis back in the '80s but it got boring. It's a sport better in the playing than the watching, much like golf.

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    2. Every time I try to watch TV Tennis, I get turned off by people acting three-times as badly as John McEnroe. I used to watch in the old Bjorn Bjorg djays. And BJK before she became a nutter.

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  16. Replies
    1. Galen Hall. Gaaaaleeeennnnnn Haaaaaaaaallllllllllll… (read it in a spooooky voice...)

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  17. I can't stand football.

    Or basketball.

    Grossly overpaid, illiterate street thugs bashing each other's brains out. Little or no concept of "Sportsmanlike Behavior" or "Fair Play" in evidence, and way too politicized these days.

    No thanks.....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sportsmoneyball doth verily sucketh the fun out of the sport.

      I like playing backyard football. Or rugby. Organized sportsplay? Fugedaboutit.

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    2. Don't paint all of the players with the same brush. See one of my earlier comments.

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    3. Unfortunately, like a Baby Ruth bar, one bad player can ruin the whole pool. Or one bad sportsmouthidiot. (see my comment about Howard Cosell.)

      There are lots of really good players out there. Just... Stupidity, evilness, bad reffing, bad owners, bad fans, bad league officials all have turned me off. I'd much rather go watch a pickup game in the local park.

      Delete
  18. Another question, am I the only commenter here to go back to previous day's posts and comment on things other commenters write? If so, it, no doubt, shows just what a strange person I am. Obviously I have too much ( unsupervised ) free time on my hands.

    Paul

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    Replies
    1. Um, no, but it usually means I had way too much work and then charting to finish up so that by the time I got done it is after midnight, which is WAY after my bedtime, so I am looking at yesterday's post the next morning.

      Delete
    2. I try to keep on top of all of the comments, though I will miss one from time to time.

      Sometimes I don't respond to some comments as the readers adequately covered it.

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    3. I do it all the time. In fact I started here commenting on something about a year old before I realized most people didn't do that. Fun or explosive topics I follow for about a week.

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    4. And, yes, PLQ, you do have too much unsupervised time on your hands. Which makes your comments, and the times you comment, that much better. A quiet PLQ week is a boring PLQ week.

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  19. To move this to the profound level. One of the things that struck me fairly quickly when I started reading the blog of Lex was his weekends. He'd golf, fly, watch girls ride horses and I'd be amazed if he spent a minute of it watching TV unless it was the Army Navy game. I did some of the same things and never really cared to watch any sport on TV except soccer in Europe and Telemundo. I played sports growing up but only enjoyed playing one of them. The rest sucked. I'll admit there was something awesome watching the BTs play the machinist mates in tackle football on the pier in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia while loading and offloading HM14 and their RH-53s. The coolest thing I learned at Penn State from my fraternity brothers was to put the game on the telly and mute it while playing The Doors or any number of other albums as loud as we could. We didn't really care about the commentary and those guys were fanatics about football. Of course that's back when Pennsylvanian teams were crushing the rest of the field.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Time off from the daily grind is far too precious to waste planted in front of the TV. Took me a while to learn that, but learn it I did.

      Delete

Just be polite... that's all I ask. (For Buck)
Can't be nice, go somewhere else...

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