Superbowl Comment

by Dave on Feb 4, 2008 11:23 AM PST in News

Today I saw an article on the best Superbowl commercials here. The rundown of the commercials themselves didn't strike me as much as a comment from an apparent Patriots fan:

Hello, my name is JoAnne and I live in Chicago, IL. I just would like to say that the New England Patriots were cheated throughout the entire game by the referees. There were numerous penalties that were not called on the New York Giants and it was very clear to see on the replays. I have never seen a game where there were no penalties called when they were made. I really think that the New England Patriots should have had a better chance or FAIR chance at winning tonight's game. But that's okay, they had a perfect record all season and they will be back next season with avenges. Even though they may have lost the Superbowl game, they still went out of the season on top!!!

I can't even begin to tell you how sick of this I am. Nobody ever loses anymore! You either win or you got screwed by the refs/your league administrator/Jessica Simpson/Jesus/the hot dog condiment guy or some combination thereof. It's like we won't watch or enjoy unless things are 100% guaranteed to go our way. Are we all two years old? Didn't we learn anything by playing or watching all of those elementary, middle, and high school games? If that stuff is supposed to teach us character apparently it's doing a really crappy job.

Enough. The Giants won. The Patriots lost. They LOOOOOST. Lost. Lost. Lost.

The Blazers are also going to LOSE at some point as they come up against a better team, or at least one that's more on their game on a given night. IT HAPPENS. That's why you play, watch, and pay for sports.

Can we PLEASE stop blaming everything under the sun for something that's a necessary part of the game and the experience? Can we stop being bitter, whiny, pre-pre-school age children who beat their fists in the ground and find someone to throw a tantrum at when things don't go their way? I am as upset as anybody after an important loss for my team but THAT'S OK. I'm supposed to be upset and feel bad! Just buck up, take the pain, and come back next season! That's why God put it there.

--Dave (blazersub@yahoo.com)

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YES

Yes, and yes. I could not agree more wholeheartedly.

by BlazersOrBust on Feb 4, 2008 11:36 AM PST reply actions

Well said

although I'm still holding you accountable for that loss to the L@kers in game 7... you quit your predictions, what were you thinking?!?

At the end of the day, a tough loss is just another loss. I'm just glad we're competitive (though I would've freaked had we lost to the Knicks). And though sometimes I feel gyped by the refs or wonder about our lineup in crunch time or feel discouraged by our shot selection, man, we have a lot to be excited about.

The Portland Trailblazers... where dynastic happens.

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Feb 4, 2008 11:51 AM PST reply actions

I think it is connected

to the trend of individuals not taking responsibility for their own actions. Blame has to be assigned - a kid gets poor grades "because the teacher doesn't like her" (it can't be because the kid doesn't do her homework.) Someone is late to an appointment "because the traffic was horrible" (rather than I didn't leave early enough). Yes, I assaulted that person, but the devil made me do it.

Excuses, always excuses.

"jksnake99's advice : NEVER give up on a Brandon Roy led team." -- posted at halftime...

by jorga on Feb 4, 2008 11:52 AM PST reply actions

BINGO! (nm)

by douglast on Feb 4, 2008 12:55 PM PST up reply actions

refs

thought they did a bang-up job. mike carey was great in his first super bowl (first super bowl ever reffed by an African-American, to add even more pressure to a thankless job).

always a good sign: i hardly even noticed they were there. the one really big call (holding in the end zone) went the pats' way and led to a touchdown.

some people process losing differently than others, i guess...

by DraftKevinDurant on Feb 4, 2008 11:54 AM PST reply actions

Mike Carey's

one of my favorite refs.......

I'm not a fan of either team, but I gotta say, this was one of my favorite super bowls, all time. My house was going nuts when Plexiglass put the shake on and caught that fade route.

Woo woo!!!!!!

by iDea on Feb 4, 2008 12:10 PM PST up reply actions

I watch football almost every weekend,

and it seems its always Mr. Mike Carey reffing. Did he do the Pats Giants game the last week of the season?

The Rose Garden is our House.

by JTDuck22 on Feb 4, 2008 12:21 PM PST up reply actions

The psychology of the sports fan is interesting

Sports fans--hardcore ones, especially--invest so much of their egos into the teams they follow that frequently, they are unable to deal with their failure--even though, as you point out, each game must end with one winner and one loser (excluding the occasional tie, of course).

It's like the old joke: "We were ahead until the last minute, until they threw an interception and lost the game". It's "we" when we win, "they" when they lose.

While poor sportsmanship (including whining about referees) is often distasteful--it's going to occur as long as fans seek to bask in the reflected glory of sports teams that win, but find it difficult to "bask" in the reflected shame when the same teams lose.

by EngineerScotty on Feb 4, 2008 11:54 AM PST reply actions

I remember

when a ref called two technicals on Clyde as he ran down the court to put him out at the start of a game. I remember a pass interference call in a superbowl game that was nowhere near where the pass was thrown. In the first case the ref never refed again. In the second the rules were changed to make sure that could not happen again. Those changes were not made because one fan complained perhaps, but because lots of fans could see what was happening. If you are a fan you should aid your team however you see fit. You certainly have the right to complain...perhaps the duty.

"I was in the neighborhood, feeling a little daffy, so I thought I would stop in for an aperitif."

by Kampeska on Feb 4, 2008 12:00 PM PST reply actions

There was little evidence of that, though

in the Super Bowl.

At least not that I saw--the Patriots were not beaten because of lousy officiating.

They were beaten because they couldn't tackle guys whos jerseys were in their grasp. They were beaten because the Pats dropped a few easy catches and the Giants made a few miraculous ones.

And they were beaten 'cause the entire O-line looked like they had gone out on a bender the night before.

But the refs? They had little to do with it.

by EngineerScotty on Feb 4, 2008 12:30 PM PST up reply actions

The only call I can recall they got wrong

was when they ruled incomplete a pass that a Giant receiver caught then fumbled. He clearly had control and then lost it beofre his kness touched. It seemed pretty obvious watching as it occured and slow motion replay confirmed.

If I recall correctly, the Pats stopped the Giants and forced them to punt, so it is questionable whether or not that missed call had any impact on the game. The interference call in the end zone looked like a borderline call. It appeared to be interference as it happened, but on replay, the contact was much less obvious. Being borderline, it's hard to fault the call, which went in NE's favor.

If Patriot fans are complaining about the rf's, they are whiney. It was a good game, pretty evenly played, that came down to one play where two players both made fantastic efforts.

by timg56 on Feb 4, 2008 1:36 PM PST up reply actions

I thought the refs made the right call there

And I was rooting for the Patriots.

by robrun2 on Feb 4, 2008 4:59 PM PST up reply actions

couldn't have said it any better

M. E.

by midget on Feb 4, 2008 12:04 PM PST reply actions

I thought they did very well.

Now if we were talking about the seahawks, that is a completely different story. That was by far one of the worst officiated NFL games I have ever seen.

Back on topic, I don't think there is any harm in commenting that referees had some impact on the game, but to place the entire Loss in the hands of a third party is a little ridiculous. If you want to check out some crazy fans, take a look at Utah's Real GM message board and find our last game against them. A couple people seriously sound like they just got out of a mental institution.

by ppilot on Feb 4, 2008 12:04 PM PST reply actions

A RANT!!!

Dave Deckard just did a rant! He really did!

Mr. Analytical, Mr. Nice Guy, Mr. Cool Head just ranted! I didn't think I'd see it, but I did!

If there is a topic that deserved a rant, this is it. Good stuff.

by jscot on Feb 4, 2008 12:09 PM PST reply actions

And once again...

Dave's rants draw raves.

by ken @ Blazer's Edge on Feb 4, 2008 4:48 PM PST up reply actions

Another one

We also need to own up to losing due to deficits of talent and experience. Some fans (including my mom!) seem to believe we should go 82-0 and if we don't, it's due to "character issues", such as not practicing hard enough, not listening to the coach, not taking the game seriously enough, etc. Sometimes the other team is just better than you.

The opening line in Scott Peck's "The Road Less Travelled":

"Life is supposed to be difficult"

by Engineering Problem on Feb 4, 2008 12:14 PM PST reply actions

I agree....

with your P.O.V. on this, I really do. However, I'm a little forgiving in relationship to a Patriots fan, the day after The Superbowl.

For Patriot fans it's got to be tough.

I still think The Blazers were REALLY the better team in 2000. I still think the league wanted to promote the then emerging Shaq and Kobe duo over the aging Pippen, Sabonis and Rasheed crew. We didn't get a call in the 4th quarter of that game.

Does that make me like the Patriots fan? Because I think I'm always going to think that The Blazers really at that point in time were the better team.

So anyway, I agree, sometimes you just have to face the truth that you lost. But as a fan, I know what it is like to lose a big, big game that you really think you deserved or should of won.

"Mother Nature started this fight, I think it's about time we ended it!"

by Krang on Feb 4, 2008 12:14 PM PST reply actions

Oh yeah

1978, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1999, 2000...I know what it's like to feel that huge loss. But "we were never given a fair chance" is a little too much to swallow. Especially in a game that came down to a number of hair-raising plays.

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 4, 2008 12:26 PM PST up reply actions

In Krang's defense

Among the memories of that 2000 game 7 loss to the Lakers, one is of Sabonis getting mugged whenever he was in the paint and getting whistled anytime he breathed on Shaq.

Still, missing jumper after jumper is what I remember most. While the ref's may have contributed to the Lakers being able to get back in the game, Portland still should have won it. They lost the game, not the ref's.

by timg56 on Feb 4, 2008 1:41 PM PST up reply actions

No, no, no...

Dave lost the game.

Sorry, Dave. It's a big burden to carry, but it's something you'll just have to live with.

The Portland Trailblazers... where dynastic happens.

by you'vegottomakeyourfreethrows on Feb 4, 2008 2:55 PM PST up reply actions

Nothing much else to say

I agree. Sometimes you just lose. Your guys didn't have their best games, the other team was better, they got lucky, you got unlucky, whatever-- while there are always bad calls ultimately the players control the game.

Maybe it's because of how easy it is for fans to express themselves anonymously online, but this kind of whining really seems uniform across all sports and teams... and it really, really annoys me. I feel like Roy doesn't get as many calls as he should, but that isn't why we lost to Cleveland. We lost because we LOST!

I agree with Scotty about people wrapping up their egos into their favorite team, and they take their team's loss as if it was a failure on their own part for liking the wrong team. That's just not how it's supposed to work.

Root for your team, hope they win, enjoy the victories, be upset at the losses, but the post game whining can be the most pathetic thing about sports there is. I know we do it too, and I tend to skip those diaries. I also know that it will never stop, but I agree all the same.

SOMEONE HAS TO LOSE and we don't follow a sport that allows for 82 and 0 (or 19 and 0). People have such a tough time accepting that...

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Feb 4, 2008 12:38 PM PST reply actions

Scotty & Morty hit bullseye !

Most of these comments come from fans
who have never played competitive sports. They
are so wrapped up in being a homer that all
common sense and logic go out the window. They
have to be ignored just like the Little League
parent that dosen't have a clue about the GAME
itself, but thinks their kid is being held back
by the coach, umpires and teammates. All in
all, they are incapable of accepting reality.
In the case of football, let's keep that
kind of talk out of BE, as Basketball is a
much better sport. NO heavy drinking and tailgating, BETTING or Pools, and no insane
antics (Dancing after making a tackle, sharpies,
etc.). It's horrible. It should be combined
with NECKCAR, since both sets of fans are there
to get drunk and hope for the big hit/crash.

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Feb 4, 2008 12:50 PM PST reply actions

Careful with that axe, Eugene...

On the off chance that your post isn't entirely tongue-in-cheek...there are many stereotypes of basketball players and fans that are just as offensive as the "redneck-baiting" you just posted. :)

I won't bother to repeat them, as we all know what they are.

At any rate, I'd also point out that wagering on the NCAA hoops tourney is, how shall we say it, a popular pasttime...

by EngineerScotty on Feb 4, 2008 4:43 PM PST up reply actions

what game was she watching?

I really didn't see any obviously bad calls (either called or omitted) the entire game I watched.

Now, if she was talking about the Seattle-Pittsburgh game 2 years ago, then she's got a beef.

That said, I couldn't agree more Dave. There are a very (very!!!!) few cases where at the end of the game you could say "We got screwed by the refs", and you actually have even the smallest amount of credibilty. Even then, there is usually a ton of things you did wrong or the other team did right that was of MUCH more impact to the final outcome. Take 2000 game 7 4th quarter as a case in point. Sure, we didn't get a few calls down the stretch (Shaq's intentional foul on a Steve Smith layup comes to mind), but did that decide the game? No way in hell. We were already behind by that point, we were completely rattled, LA had ALL the momentum, and we were done. That call (or 1 or 2 others) didn't cost us the game. Our inability to make shots the first 8 minutes of the quarter did.

by douglast on Feb 4, 2008 1:04 PM PST reply actions

I blame

global warming on the
hot dog condiment guy.

as well as traffic on I5....

the hot dog condiment guy again.

Joe's poor foul shooting last year.

hot dog condiment guy.

by mschofer on Feb 4, 2008 1:08 PM PST reply actions

I've always felt that ranting about officiating...

...betrayed a certain amount of naivete about the game. It's just too easy to blame the ref when a call goes against you.

A bad call is usually just that: A bad call.

Kind of like a bad shot. Some guys are more prone to them than others, but it's still just a bad shot - rather than a deliberate attempt to miss (unless you're Ricky Davis).

Complaining about bad calls is like complaining about the weather. It may make you feel good, but if you step back and look at it, it's completely ridiculous.

by webted on Feb 4, 2008 1:47 PM PST reply actions

JoAnne and everyone else

has no right to complain compared to Kings fans during game 6 of their 2002 WC final against the Lakers. The play that epitomized the way the refs were calling that game was poor Scot Pollard standing motionless, arms straight over his head, while Shaq banged repeatedly into him until the refs finally called a foul... on Pollard. You know the officiating was bad when even Ralph Nader was calling for an investigation.

by MiledAnimal on Feb 4, 2008 1:50 PM PST reply actions

Hi JoAnne

My name is Corvid and I live in Portland. I'd like to let you in on my little secret about being a fan: whining about the officials won't take the bitter taste out of your mouth.

One good thing about the lows -- they make the highs so much higher. If the Blazers hadn't missed the playoffs for several years in a row (due to bad officiating, fer sure) I don't think I would be so passionate about the team's current success. For me, being a fan is not about a Perfect Season. What gives me the fanchills is watching an imperfect team grow from facing adversity. Bad calls, long road trips, scheduling snafus, injuries and inexperience are all a part of the journey. I made a conscious decision to not whine about that stuff, and my "no excuses" policy has helped me deal with disappointing losses.

P.S. I'm sorry your team lost (not really) but officiating wasn't a problem this year. You need to find a Seahawks fan to give you a little perspective.

by Corvid on Feb 4, 2008 1:56 PM PST reply actions

Does this mean to not be skeptical?

I posted a bad diary quesitoning whether NBA games were rigged. It was a very bad choice of wording, and the responses helped me refine my skepticism to the language "some type of possibly willfull ignorance/nefarious influence in isolated cases that is probably not a coordinated league strategy." I took a beating in that diary from people accusing me of being a paranoid nutcase. The officiating in the game I referenced was bad, most people agreed. But what scared me most was that the majority of fans were absolutely unwilling to consider the possibility. Given what's happened in pro sports lately, why can't we seriously approach the topic? How can this still be a settled matter?

It's one thing to be annoyed with someone like me, but it's another to dismiss us completely as nutcases. This lady's taking it much further than I ever would, but it's worrisome to see a rant in reaction. She may be crazy, but I do recall a few instances of bad calls (the facemask and offensive pass interference by NY). The scariest part was that even during the slomo replays the announcers didn't mention it. It FEELS like a conspiracy. A little sympathy would probably dissolve the entire problem.

New England was definitely good enough to win that game. The refs did not appear to have any agenda. When the game was on the line, they couldn't quite do what it took. Still, the lady has a point of view. She saw something there. Maybe we should take her seriously. She might learn something like I did once people responded with reasons I was stupid instead of just saying it. But, with this sort of reply, she's only going to feel alienated and angry.

You may be annoyed, so may a lot of others, but you missed a chance to compel this lady with your logic.

Blessed are the flexible, for they never get bent out of shape.

by hobobob on Feb 4, 2008 2:04 PM PST reply actions

She'll never read it

or maybe I would have. This was from a completely unrelated national site. And from an article which was about commercials, not the game, which added some spicy sauce to the indignation stew.

Sorry about the paranoid nutcases who called you a paranoid nutcase. I am all about the occasional NBA conspiracy theory. I am weird that way. But I don't like them timed right after big losses where we messed up as much as anything.

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 4, 2008 4:46 PM PST up reply actions

You want a real debate going on?

I disagree with your last sentence. Tee hee.

by EnglandDan on Feb 4, 2008 2:06 PM PST reply actions

Well actually

I do too. It's obvious to me that God made next season in every sport to give us more and better opportunities to extol the obvious virtues of the Blazers. But I thought listing the secondary (perhaps tertiary) reason would be more in line with the topic of the post.

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 4, 2008 4:48 PM PST up reply actions

Not my objection.

But people forget about the oppressed minority group of which I am a member. By the way, I'm not really objecting, I'm having fun.

by EnglandDan on Feb 4, 2008 5:06 PM PST up reply actions

I know

I was turning your objection on its ear and having more fun back at you.

--Dave

by Dave on Feb 4, 2008 5:47 PM PST up reply actions

Do you mention the Blazers...

in sermons?

by EngineerScotty on Feb 4, 2008 5:38 PM PST up reply actions

Hilarious

All of the commenters here who are saying, "Yes, I agree that you shouldn't blame the refs for a loss - except in that Seahawks-Steelers Super Bowl a few years back."

I'm guessing that a lot of the people saying that are Seahawks fans. And - if that's the case - then you apparently only agree with Dave's point if it doesn't apply to a team you care about.

Umm, I live in Portland. I listened to the mass outbreak of whining after that Super Bowl. I saw that game. And guess what? The refs did not cost the Seahawks the game. If you want to point a finger of blame, you might start with coach Holmgren's rather curious decision to not give the league MVP that year - Shawn Alexander - more carries. I recall he was gaining about 6,7 yards each time he touched the ball but was largely absent from the game plan.

Bottom line: Seahawks lost that game, just like the Pats lost yesterday.

by knickfan on Feb 4, 2008 2:48 PM PST reply actions

Hoh Brah

I'm da kine Seahawks fan and I don't blame the officials and it was a horribly officiated game. How was Hasselbeck's crappy tackle an illegal block and how was Jerramy Stevens' catch, then turn to run, then fumble an incomplete pass? There were a lot of other crappy calls. All my cousins are Steelers fans and they thought the game had horrible officiating. I do not think it was a conspiracy, just crappy officiating.

I normally think crappy or questionable calls even out at the end of the game. Not counting Shaq in his prime, but all other times, I think they equal out.

"I knew a guy who was dyslexic. He was also cross-eyed. So everything came out right." Tummler from Gummo (1997)

by tominhawaii on Feb 4, 2008 3:29 PM PST up reply actions

Well, actually

I'm not a Seahawks fan and I really didn't care that much who won. That year I just wanted to see a good ball game but the officiating was so egregious and such a big factor in deciding the game that I've only watched three or four games since. I went from life long NFL fan to disinterested in the NFL in those four hours. But that was an exceptionally bad example.

by jon @ Blazer's Edge on Feb 4, 2008 3:41 PM PST up reply actions

Exactly

I personally felt the Seahawks were the weaker team that year, but it was shocking to see how bad the officiating was. Huh? Couldn't the NFL do any better? For the biggest game of the year? Why bother watching?

by Corvid on Feb 4, 2008 3:59 PM PST up reply actions

Seahawks got screwed

no way anyone will ever convince me otherwise, that game was stolen, though I suspect it had a lot more to do with incompetence than any conspiracy on the part of the refs. I agree with Dave, last nights game was seemed well officiated, and most of the time I think people are wrong to bitch about the refs, but Superbowl XL was one notable exception... you can call me a homer if you want, maybe I am, but in my mind that was just egregious.

by CTBlazerfan on Feb 4, 2008 4:00 PM PST up reply actions

That game ruined an entire month for me

Everything was just gloom, and this was back when the Blazers really sucked so I had nothing to look forward to. I remember drinking a lot of Milwaukee's Best Ice that month.

by robrun2 on Feb 4, 2008 5:02 PM PST up reply actions

The Commercials SUCK !!!!!!!!!!!

The stupid hoopla over commercials is going up there with the insane Britney Spears coverage.

Yes the whining over the officiating gets downright comical.

by jayseyfield on Feb 4, 2008 3:02 PM PST reply actions

I'm sorry

Could you repeat that? It just sounded so good. Not all the whatever about refs, just that one part in the middle.

The part where you say "The Giants won. The Patriots lost. They LOOOOOST. Lost. Lost. Lost."

Oh yeah. That's the break right there. Just loop that and you're good.

by Jumbo on Feb 4, 2008 3:32 PM PST reply actions

Blazer's are doing a good job

of ignoring the officiating this year. This is something Nate should get more credit for. It's expected that because of their lack of experience, lack of market-size, lack of stars, lack of recent success and based on the unwritten "star system" that exists in the NBA that they'll get the short end of the stick. This has got to be frustrating for the players but they seem to shrug it off and I'm enjoying that.

I've watched the Blazers closely for the last 20+ years and this is the first Blazer team I can remember that doesn't whine at the officials. Let's hope the team will lead the fans to follow suit. It'll pay dividends long term.

by jon @ Blazer's Edge on Feb 4, 2008 3:53 PM PST reply actions

Blazers + losing...

I know what you're saying about people whining about when their team loses...

BUT...

Jose Calderon's foot was on the line. It was not a three. Blazers win on Roy's 3.

by Weebs on Feb 4, 2008 4:16 PM PST reply actions

I hope you're kiddding

because that example proves the point. Had the official made the correct call Roy probably wouldn't have taken a 3 in the first place but gone for a higher percentage 2 pt shot.

by jon @ Blazer's Edge on Feb 4, 2008 4:50 PM PST up reply actions

I dunno

I hate winning on little technicalities like someone's toe rubbing a line. Seriously. He hit a great shot that wasn't any easier because his toe was on the line...it's not like he was two feet inside it. If the ref had noticed it, I'm sure he would have called it. I just say oh well....

The good thing about Jack inbounding is that he's already standing out of bounds. - Fizbin

by jamon51 on Feb 4, 2008 6:47 PM PST up reply actions

I have never believed in witches.

Nor when I see them.

I like Brandon Roy, whatever planet he comes from. (Bill Walton?)

by amlmart1 on Feb 4, 2008 4:56 PM PST reply actions

What the....

A PATS fan is claiming that they were "cheated" the year they were caught cheating, and there are credible reports that they've been cheating for the past six years?

Man, Boston sports fans just have no shame.

by howlingfantods on Feb 4, 2008 7:29 PM PST reply actions