Patriots

[LobstaMan]

How did you pull this off. I waited online all day, and when I finally got in, all that was left was standing room and obstructed view.

I got on line right @ 10am and opened up a bunch of windows at once. It's like waiting in 4 or 5 'lines' at once instead of just one. It worked. In a little over an hour I had my tix. When were you planning on going? We'll be down there from Thurs 3/06 to Sun 3/09. Staying right in Ft. Myers. Can't wait. However, I had no luck w/ regular season games.

LobstaMan

 

[augk]

:42:Well kids it has been decided by the NFL that Sat nights Patriots vs Giants game will be an historical sports event and shall be broadcast on all of the big three networks ABC CBS and NBC as reported on this evnings news.
Pats' Historic Game Available Nationwide - Sports News Story - WCVB Boston

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

Marino is a sore subject for Pats fans with any memory. The Pats chose Tony Eason over Marino in the draft, and then watched Marino kick their asses over and over. Aside from that one time the Pats beat the Dolfins in the playoffs (squish the fish) I don't remember them ever beating Marino.

No question Marino would be one of the most dominant QBs in todays game, and quite possibly put up better numbers than he did when he played, but not with the offensive line the dolphins have this year.

The Steelers passed on Marino, too. Probably good for Marino, since he would have likely sat on the bench in Pittsburgh and, when he did play, would have handed the ball off 2/3 of the time. Thus, my point about individual records in team sports: they often do not reflect only the talent of the person, but rather, the circumstances in which that player was thrust at the time (plus talent, of course).

Assume that the Patriots go 19-0 and lay claim, arguably, to being the best team in the history of pro football. Is it an accident or coincidence that we are living in a time teeming with "the greatest" ever? Specifically, Tiger Woods is laying claim to the greatest golfer ever, Roger Federer to the greatest tennis player ever... and now the Pats? Can we really be witness to the "greatest ever" performances in three major sports simulataneously?

I am not being sarcastic...we may indeed be seeing the greatest ever in these sports. But at the same time? Is there something about this era, or is it just the natural progression of excellence, or what?

 

[dbg40]

I am not being sarcastic...we may indeed be seeing the greatest ever in these sports. But at the same time? Is there something about this era, or is it just the natural progression of excellence, or what?

I'm votin natural progression. Science is meeting man now like never before. (No,, not steroids!) The study of motion and reaction through computers, better care and nutrition, individual coaching, ect. all go into the makeup of a better athlete.

 

[El Orans]

:42:Well kids it has been decided by the NFL that Sat nights Patriots vs Giants game will be an historical sports event and shall be broadcast on all of the big three networks ABC CBS and NBC as reported on this evnings news.
Pats' Historic Game Available Nationwide - Sports News Story - WCVB Boston

Doesn't matter, it's going to be boring!

Bring on the Wild Card Weekend!

 

[tedtim]

Is it an accident or coincidence that we are living in a time teeming with "the greatest" ever? Specifically, Tiger Woods is laying claim to the greatest golfer ever, Roger Federer to the greatest tennis player ever... and now the Pats? Can we really be witness to the "greatest ever" performances in three major sports simulataneously?

I guess that it depends on how you define "three major sports." I do not classify tennis as a major sport.

In every generation there seems to be a greatest ever. How about when Nickalaus was piling up major championships and Ali was the "greatest ever." There are many contrbuting factors to what we can call great performances: equipment, coaching, technology.

Equipment - carbon shafts = more power = either more distance or more speed.

Coaching - lots of use of video as compared to twenty or thirty years ago. This certainly makes it easier to diagnose small problems.

Technology - Again equipment oriented, but also the use of computer technology to analyze performance statistically, to improve things like playing surfaces, to improve the implements of the game (balls, players equipment).

I have no doubt that there will be athletes who surpass the current crop of "greatest." Regardless, the feat of going undefeated throughout the regular season is a rarity, and going undefeated to win the superbowl would be something not often repeated.

I still hope that they do not cover the spread.

 

[augk]

I also agree with natural progression, kids at least those who receive the benefits of modern medical attention and proper nutrition and diet do seem larger and healthier. I do believe healthier life styles do lead to healthier people which is reflected in your offspring. As an example my kids wear clothing that is two sizes larger than their age, assuming that the size index on clothing hasn't changed they are to big for clothes that are supposed to be for their age.
Then throw in the over commercialisation of all sport's and the financial motivation for up and coming athlete's becomes a large factor to perform at a higher level. Let's face it name the athlete's that you see pushing all the crap in the commercials during the events you watch on TV and see in other forms of media. And there you have it they are your champions and star performers in their respective sport.
And of course a lot of the recent record breaking performance's have come under the scrutiny of performance enhancing drugs which has been traced down to the high school level.
So do today's sports records hold the same value as those in the past?
I'm not so sure.

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

I guess that it depends on how you define "three major sports." I do not classify tennis as a major sport.

In every generation there seems to be a greatest ever. How about when Nickalaus was piling up major championships and Ali was the "greatest ever." There are many contrbuting factors to what we can call great performances: equipment, coaching, technology.

Equipment - carbon shafts = more power = either more distance or more speed.

Coaching - lots of use of video as compared to twenty or thirty years ago. This certainly makes it easier to diagnose small problems.

Technology - Again equipment oriented, but also the use of computer technology to analyze performance statistically, to improve things like playing surfaces, to improve the implements of the game (balls, players equipment).

I have no doubt that there will be athletes who surpass the current crop of "greatest." Regardless, the feat of going undefeated throughout the regular season is a rarity, and going undefeated to win the superbowl would be something not often repeated.

I still hope that they do not cover the spread.

Tennis not a major sport? Are you joking??? Remember that what we call football is played only in the US and Canada, while tennis is a truly global sport. Look at the top 100 players in tennis and you will see players from several dozen countries, meaning that that many countries have enough participation and interest to put players into the global elite. China, Japan, Europe (particularly Eastern Europe), Latin America, Africa, even the Middle East are all well-represented in the game's upper echelon. Not even golf is so widely played, and, in golf, the top players are mostly from the US, Europe and (particularly for women) Korea and Japan.

From an American perspective, tennis is minor. From a global perspective, however, the NFL is a footnote at best, like bobsledding only more violent and occasionally less interesting. I love football, but it is a parochial taste, not an international one (NFL Europe strike a bell?) Everyone on the planet knows the likes of Pete Sampras, John McEnroe and Roger Federer. I guarantee that names like Moss or Brady wouldn't be recognized in 3/4 of the world.

By the way, the US Tennis Open in NY is arguably THE most attended single annual sporting event in the world (although, to be fair, it lasts two weeks and involves several venues). And spectators aren't there for the halftime show or justtuning in for the the commercials.

 

[shakeybrainsurgeon]

As for the argument that equipment, training, etc are responsible: that would be true if we were talking about quantitative records, like longest drives, lowest scoring averages, fastest serves, etc. Advances in equipment, training and technology do NOT explain why ONE team or ONE player in a given era is capable of dominating a sport. The Pats aren't using a ball that is different than any other team uses. The players that Federer annihilates have the same nutrition and training and equipment Roger has. All golfers have the same clubs, balls, courses, teachers that Tiger has access to...

In fact, the lucrative nature of sports recently has made it HARDER, not EASIER to dominate a sport today relative to, say, forty years ago. Nicklaus played against a weaker field than Woods I'm sure. How many Japanese or other Asian pros were competitive in the 1960s? Now, the whole world can play. With tens of millions of dollars in purses, not a few grand, at stake, the fields in tennis and golf have gotten deeper. Likewise, the talent pool in the NFL has grown deeper and more distributed. What the Pats have done in this era, not just this year but over the last five, is amazing.

 

[dbg40]

I think the Super Bowl, is the most watched sporting event on the planet.