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Re: 2008 NFL season
That's why when I see a bandwagon fan (you can normally tell them because they only know one play one the team and obsess about them) I either kick them in the nuts or kick them down a flight of stairs. Then toss them a cowboys jersey to wash up. Really, "your" team should be the one in your hometown or where you lived at one point. Motherfuckers in Jersey rooting for the 49ers are just fucking retards. I know it sucks if you're near a team that does horrible every year, but it is only a game afterall. So my suggestion to all of you who know bandwagon douches, just push em in front of a bus.
Normally, i'd agree with you.
Problem is, when I first started watching baseball (age 2), there were no local baseball teams. Hell, there was barely a regional team - the Atlanta Braves. I happened to just catch on with the Chicago Cubs due to cable coverage, became hardcore, and stuck with 'em all these years.
But concerning the NFL, yes, i'm a Miami Dolphins fan. When they got eliminated, I went for the Cards.
Really, "your" team should be the one in your hometown or where you lived at one point.
Seriously, what if you're in near a town that has a professional sports team? How do you determine which team is your home team?
I've been a diehard Cub fan all my life, and suddenly after 2003, there was this explosion in "so-called" Cub fans, who jumped on board and loved the Cubbies, simply because they got within 5 outs of the WS in the 2003 NLCS.
I'll raise you one better: I've been rooting for the Pirates since 1990. They haven't had a winning record since 1992. GNR was still doing the Illusion tour. So, if by some miracle chance of god they actually reach a World Series, and you see all these "fans" pop up; you just know those people are bandwagoners. Oh yeah, the last time the Pirates were in the NLCS they were 2 strikes away and lost on a play at the plate when the slowest guy in baseball (Sid Bream) scored the winning run.
I'm not a bandwagoner just because I root for the Cardinals to beat the Steelers. The circumstances dictate I have to pick one team or not watch the game at all. In truth, I'm an equal opportunity hater rooting against 31 teams except my favorite team.
Lmao, my condolences. If it's any consolation, if I had to chose a PA team to root for, it'd be the Pirates over the Phillies for me.
The other day ironically, the new MLB network ran 'All Time Games', which is a series that shows full-unedited old games. They just happened to have Cubs vs. Pirates - April '91 on. Great game, Pirates won 13-12 in 11 in. Andre Dawson hit two grand slams - and the Cubs still lost. 
Ah, the good 'ole days.
It was more of a memorial for a once dominating Pirates team consisting of cats like Bobby Bonilla, a young Barry Bonds, Andy Van Slyke, Jeff King, among others led by Jim Leyland. It was just such a shock to the system. It was a time when the Pirates were good every year, and yet now it's the polar opposite. At least with the Cubs, you're used to it. Up 'til the Dusty Baker-era, the Cubs hadn't had two consecutive winning seasons in 30+ years.
Re: 2008 NFL season
Vandals burn 'Go Cards' into McNabb’s lawn
Eagles QB laughs off earlier stunts until men damage grass
The Associated Press
updated 8:38 p.m. ET, Tues., Jan. 20, 2009
CHANDLER, Ariz. - Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb recently had to play defense at his offseason home in Chandler.
Two Arizona Cardinals fans hung their team’s flag in a tree and burned “Go Cards,” “Go Kurt,” and “I heart AZ” in McNabb’s yard with diesel fuel, Chandler police Sgt. Joe Favazzo said Tuesday.
Favazzo said the fans hung the flag Thursday, and McNabb laughed it off and even left it hanging.
Then the fans returned Saturday and left a cardboard box in the driveway with “Go Cards” written on one side and “Beat Philly” on the other. McNabb laughed that off, too, when he discovered it at about midnight, Favazzo said.
But McNabb stopped laughing when he went outside Saturday morning, smelled diesel fuel and realized someone had burned Cardinals cheers into his lawn, causing about $2,000 in damage.
Favazzo said officers found an address label on the box that had been left, and it led to Chandler resident Rex Perkins, 37, who later admitted to the pranks.
His co-worker, Ryan Hanlon, 28, also admitted to the pranks.
Perkins and Hanlon were fingerprinted, photographed and cited for misdemeanor criminal damage.
“When they decided to get diesel fuel out and start damaging the yard, they crossed the line,” Favazzo said.
The Cardinals beat the Eagles on Sunday in the NFC championship game to advance to the Feb. 1 Super Bowl in Tampa, Fla.
© 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
URL: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/28760854/
What a bunch of dumbasses.
Re: 2008 NFL season
axlin08: i think the point is that you stick with the same team. if your state didn't have a team and you picked the cubs to root for, that's ok. you don't need to switch back to avoid being called a fairweather fan or bandwagon fan.
the cardinals were 100 to 1 odds to win the super bowl at the beginning of the season. my friend put 100 dollars on them when he was in vegas and now 1 game stands between him and 10,000 dollars.
Re: 2008 NFL season
axlin08: i think the point is that you stick with the same team. if your state didn't have a team and you picked the cubs to root for, that's ok. you don't need to switch back to avoid being called a fairweather fan or bandwagon fan.
the cardinals were 100 to 1 odds to win the super bowl at the beginning of the season. my friend put 100 dollars on them when he was in vegas and now 1 game stands between him and 10,000 dollars.
Wow, what would make him put $100 down, is he a fan? I bet he'll be watching the game with much interest. I just got back from Vegas and they had the odds for next years Super Bowl. The Steelers and Patriots were the favorties at 6-1, and the Detroit Lions were last at 150-1. Doesn't that seem way too high for them? I mean they went 0-16, shouldn't they be like 1,000-1? I realize the Dolphins had a big bounceback year from 1-15 to 11-5, but this is the Lions we're talking about.
Re: 2008 NFL season
The Miami Dolphins coming off 1-15, is still a better chance for a Super Bowl victory the next season than the Detroit Lions.
There are some 'close' & very risky bets (Rays in WS - 2008), but there are others that are just flat out dumb. Putting money down on the Lions is like putting money on the fucking Clippers to win the NBA Finals or the Cubs to win the WS.
You're just throwing it out the window.
Re: 2008 NFL season
TORONTO (AP)—New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said in an interview Wednesday that his rehabilitation from season-ending knee surgery was “going really well,” but he did not offer any timetable for a return to the football field.
In some of his first public comments since being injured in the first quarter of the regular season opener in September, Brady also told Toronto sports radio station The Fan 590 that he did not think the Patriots would be hurt badly by the defections of key personnel such as offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Scott Pioli, the team’s former vice president of player personnel.
Brady was not asked during the interview if he expected to be ready for training camp or the start of the 2009 regular season. Nor was he asked about ongoing speculation that his recovery from surgery has been slowed by a post-operative infection in his left knee.
“It’s going really well,” said Brady of his rehab. “Anyone who’s come back from injuries that require surgery knows it’s just a process and there are some good days, some bad days and you just have to keep plugging through them.”
Brady was operated on Oct. 6 in Los Angeles and confirmed on his Web site a couple of weeks later that he had a second procedure after developing an infection.
In the interview, in which Brady promoted a sports cream, the 2007 NFL MVP described himself as the Patriots “biggest cheerleader” after the injury. He said he watched every game and shared the team’s disappointment in missing the playoffs with an 11-5 record.
He also noted that the Patriots defeated the NFC’s representative in the Super Bowl, the Arizona Cardinals, by 40 points (47-7 on Dec. 21).
Brady said he was confident the team would make improvements in the offseason to try to get back to the playoffs, and he downplayed the departures of Pioli and McDaniels.
McDaniels was hired as coach of the Denver Broncos and Pioli general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs.
“There’s change every year and you have to get used to it,” he said, adding that the team’s ownership and head coach remain intact.
“As long as we have Robert and Jonathan Kraft and as long as we have coach (Bill) Belichick we’ll be just fine,” he said.
Matt Cassel, Brady’s backup for the previous three seasons, played well after taking over as starter and reports have indicated that the Patriots are considering placing the franchise tag on Cassel as insurance should Brady not be ready for next season.
Re: 2008 NFL season
talk about a bad idea 
'Survivor: NFL?’ Reality TV offers spot on Cowboys
By JAIME ARON, AP Sports Writer
3 hours, 20 minutes agoDALLAS (AP)—The first time Michael Irvin watched “American Idol,” he loved the concept of giving undiscovered singers the chance to become stars. Now Irvin is doing the same for NFL wannabes.
The Hall of Fame receiver is launching a reality TV show in which 12 “football neophytes” will compete for an impressive grand prize: a spot on the Dallas Cowboys’ training camp roster.
“I don’t know if you can walk upon any group of guys that wouldn’t say they dreamed of playing in the NFL when they were playing in their front yard,” Irvin told The Associated Press on Thursday. “So we’re going to take a group of guys from their front yard, dwindle them to one and give that guy the opportunity of a lifetime.”
The Cowboys confirmed that one of their 80 roster spots will go to the show’s winner. The NFL did not immediately return a call.
The show, which doesn’t yet have a title, will air this spring on Spike. It is being produced by the same company that’s behind “The Biggest Loser” and many other reality TV hits.
Contestants are still being selected. They likely will need a football background—just not too much. They also must be the right age, size and condition to handle an NFL training camp. The Cowboys open camp in late July in San Antonio.
“We want someone who will have a real opportunity to make the team,” Irvin said. He also indicated the better the back story, the better an applicant’s chance of making the show.
“You could’ve played college ball and had to give up for some reason,” he said. “You know how many stories are out there of players who for some reason or another had to walk away from the game. … We want to find those guys.”
Irvin will be the host and he expects to have guest appearances from friends like Troy Aikman, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. Judges will include Jones and former players and coaches.
The show will pit six receivers and six defensive backs. As for how they will compete, all Irvin would say is, “Tune in and watch. It’ll be groundbreaking in so many ways.”
The winner’s biggest payoff will be the fulfillment of playing for the Cowboys. While the rookie minimum is about $300,000, that’s only if he makes the team. The salary in training camp is closer to $1,000 a week for an undrafted rookie.
Irvin said this is about far more than money. It’s the chance to catch passes from Tony Romo or to line up opposite Terrell Owens.
“What young man do you know that’s not going to read (about this show), then head straight to the gym and say, ‘I’m going to get ready,’?” Irvin said. “That’s how this will inspire people.”
Considering the Cowboys are coming off a disappointing season filled with all sorts of turmoil, adding a player more likely to be profiled in “People” than “Sports Illustrated” seems risky. It could be perceived as just another sideshow, like the cameras from HBO’s “Hard Knocks” that tracked the team in training camp last year.
Yet Irvin, who hosts a local radio show that spends a lot of time analyzing the Cowboys, dismissed that notion.
“I don’t see how you can make this a negative for the Dallas Cowboys,” he said. “We all talk of doing good things for the community, for people, giving people opportunities. Jerry has stepped up and said, ‘OK, let’s do it.”’
Re: 2008 NFL season
Pretty cool story:
http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news?slug=d … &type=lgns
Steelers’ McHugh catches break
By Dan Wetzel, Yahoo! Sports
14 hours, 4 minutes ago
Buzz up!328 votes Print
TAMPA, Fla. – Sean McHugh had just bought his family’s first house in suburban Detroit.
He’d just found out his wife, Ashlee, was pregnant with their second child, a daughter to go along with their then-18-month-son, Jack – though the excitement was tempered due to some early complications with the pregnancy.
McHugh, right, celebrates with Willie Parker.
(Gene J. Puskar/AP Photos)
The good news was McHugh had just survived final cut day with the Detroit Lions, meaning he was all but assured another year in professional football. He hoped to start at fullback and would play for the league minimum – about $520,000 for his experience level.
But just before the first practice in September, he was summoned to the office of team president Matt Millen. He knew the drill.
“When they come get you and Matt wants to talk to you, it’s never a good thing,” McHugh said. “You just have a sinking feeling. You walk through the locker room, up a flight of stairs and you just think, ‘What the heck is going on?’ ”
What was going on was that he got cut, fired, laid off by Detroit. The team had signed someone else and to make room, McHugh was out.
Just like that, Sean McHugh was deemed not good enough to play for the lowly Lions, who would go winless – the first 0-16 season in league history.
If you’re not good enough to play for the worst team ever, who exactly are you good enough to play for?
“What are we going to do?” he thought.
How about play in the Super Bowl?
Within days of Detroit cutting him, he unexpectedly signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Four months later he finds himself here preparing for a shot at an NFL championship against the Arizona Cardinals.
Cut by the worst team, McHugh may wind up part of the best.
“That’s the thing I’ll never understand,” he said. “They didn’t think I was good enough to be on the worst team in the history of the NFL, but the people here think I’m good enough to help the team out and play in the Super Bowl.
“I go from getting cut from the Detroit Lions and thinking life’s over and flash-forward and now you’re getting ready to play for a Super Bowl.”
There’s never been a story like McHugh’s in the NFL because there’s never been a team as bad as the Lions this season. This isn’t just worst to first, it’s worst-ever to first.
“You go from the lowest low to the highest high,” he smiled.
McHugh is a blue-collar guy from outside of Cleveland. He knows how fortunate he is to play a single down in the NFL, let alone parts of four seasons with his current salary. He’s hesitant to compare his situation to the estimated 2.6 million Americans who lost their jobs in 2008.
He wasn’t living check to check. He was pursuing a dream. He gets it.
Still, getting fired is getting fired. The fact he’s never had more than a one-year deal means he has more in common with the fan in the stands than many of his mega-millionaire teammates.
“It’s not like I have money set away so I can spend the rest of my life not working,” he said. “We’ve been smart and lived within our means and saved so we have a cushion. But it’s a very real possibility that that money is going to run out.
“So you think about [money]. You try not to obsess about it because that’s life. Everybody deals with that. You look in Detroit; lots of people are out of work going through the same problems.”
Getting fired hurt for more than economic reasons. Being a football player wasn’t just a job, it was an identity. This was humiliating, hurtful, confusing.
“One of the hardest things you have to deal with [is] failing and feeling that you’re not good enough,” he said. “It’s a whole series of emotions.
“I left all my stuff in my locker. I didn’t want any of that stuff any more. I got in the car and called my wife. She was as shocked as I was. I went home. I was mad and complained a little bit.”
McHugh contemplated his future. Was his career over at 26? Or could he catch on somewhere else? He had a bad ankle so the prospects weren’t good. Besides, was bouncing all over best for a young family? McHugh had long thought about becoming a high school coach; was this reality forcing a decision?
Ashlee, he said, helped him look at it in a positive way. They had college degrees. They were healthy (the pregnancy has progressed fine). Something would work out.
McHugh recalled the advice of former teammate Dan Campbell.
“For people who work hard, things always seem to work out,” McHugh was told.
That night the phone rang. It was McHugh’s agent.
“Hey, the Steelers want to bring you in and check you out,” the agent said.
Three days later he was signed for the season. He’s been mostly a reserve fullback, making the most of his chances, doing the dirty work of blocking. He’s marveled at the culture of success that the Steelers organization has established.
“There is an expectation when you become a Pittsburgh Steeler that you’re going to win,” he said. “And anything less than that is not acceptable. In Detroit it was like you were hoping to win.”
Only as the season played on, no matter how hard they hoped, Detroit didn’t win. Week after week as Pittsburgh experienced success, McHugh’s old team dealt with failure. He looked on with mixed emotions. He had friends on the team. He liked the coaches.
Then again, this was a franchise that dumped him. He experienced schadenfreude.
“Oh, yeah,” he smiled. “You’re sitting there in warm-ups and you look at the scoreboard and see Detroit’s losing. Part of me smiled. I wouldn’t personally want those guys to do [badly], but the organization [is different].
“It’s a little I told-you-so deal. It’s a little satisfaction.”
It’s a little bit of redemption, a little bit of success in the face of distress; a little bit about remembering that what appears to be the worst thing can turn out to be the best.
“A door closed,” McHugh said, “and a world opened.”
