Dec 8, 2020
Russell Westbrook — Oklahoma City Thunder
seen from Russia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from China
seen from Malaysia
seen from United States
seen from United States
seen from Tunisia
seen from United Kingdom
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from United States
seen from Malaysia
seen from Malaysia
seen from Türkiye
seen from Canada
seen from China
seen from Singapore
Russell Westbrook — Oklahoma City Thunder
Avery Bradley — Boston Celtics
Kobe Bryant — Los Angeles Lakers
This is a great fan tribute video
2012 playoff run. How sweet it is!
The Great Fallacy of Football
Can we stop already with this idea that being the wily, playbook-smart veteran is a sevenfold advantage over talent? Listen, there's an awful lot to learn about a sport, and there's an awful lot technique involved. Having said that, there really can't be much more than say, a plumber needs to know to do his job well. This whole idea that guys like Peyton Manning or Bret Favre have this immense intellectual advantage in football over a guy like Colin Kaepernick or RGIII is just a bunch of old people trying their hardest to convince themselves that they should still be taking snaps.
I doubt Peyton disagrees with me, too. Dude was cold as fuck out there, and it showed. Hands buried in his fanny pack, rigidly shuffling down the field after a successful throw, he was ready for a cup of cocoa and a recliner. Colin Kaepernick doesn't come from a "football family". There's no Grandpa Archie on the sidelines advising him on play calls. In case you haven't caught on, I'm saying this "football mastermind" philosophy is negligible to raw athleticism. I'm saying a name like "Manning" just gets you a full ride to Tennessee, and more chances to win than being an adopted 3-sport star in Wisconsin where Nevada is the only school to offer you a scholarship in football. In this day and age, where athletes begin playing football before they're enrolled in primary school, there isn't much else to learn by the time you get to the pros. Run a 4.4 40, and throw an accurate ball. That probably makes up 90% of what makes a good QB. The rest will probably come to you in a season or so, if you choose to let it.
Blane Gabbert reportedly had a photographic memory, and could remember entire playbooks in a single practice (given no reports that Cam Newton could do the same, the superman pun is intended). He'll probably never take an NFL snap again. Alex Smith was the #1 pick, from an undefeated Utah team. He had a 3.75 GPA and had his bachelors in Economics in 2 years. He would have been a great portfolio analyst for a big financial firm. But even with 6 seasons in the NFL, a wobbly long ball, a slow 40, and a tendency to throw interceptions, he's benched. So hey, let's abandon this ideology that guys like Peyton are crafting up X's and O's in their sleep that guys like RGIII aren't capable of understanding after a few reps, nor how this matters in the grand scheme of things.
The 49ers won not because CK was the smartest guy on the field. I'm certainly not calling him dumb, but I'm saying the deviation between the playbook-smartest and the playbook-dumbest QBs in the NFL is now so small, there's really no reason to value it over raw ability. CK was simply the fastest, most agile, talented player on the field, and he ran the plays coach called. He wasn't crafting up complex audibles, interpreting coverages on the fly, and recognizing blitzes, he was running really fast, and throwing really accurately.
I, for one say out with the old. Let them draw up plays and draft athletes who listen but run fast. I'm tired of the heartwarming story that the smartest, not the strongest guy was the hero. It's just a way to make us believe it could've been us out there throwing picks and looking cold too.
Thas just how I feel
Welp, time for the end of the year Tigers rant.
What a fucking season, guys.
Honestly, before the season started, I liked our chances. Before we signed Prince, before V-Mart got injured, I liked our chances. Then, of course, V-Mart got injured and all I could think about was how screwed we were. All I could think about was how our lineup would work, who would replace him, what would happen this year? A week later, I was shocked when we signed Prince. I didn't see that coming, and I think that goes for all of us. Suddenly, our season had turned around and it hadn't even started yet. Suddenly, we went from "we're screwed" to "we're going to the World Series!" in the matter of a week. I was more excited for the 2012 season than I was for any other season! We started spring training, and we were dominant. I thought for sure that was how our team would be all year. We started off the year, and the moment for me that was kind of like the turning point was the 4 game series in Boston. We lost the first 3 games in the series, and from that moment on I started losing hope in the team. I mean, we had our good moments, but most of the season was disappointing. We were supposed to be this overpowering team, and we were supposed to dominate everyone, but we weren't. We didn't meet anybody's expectations (except for the making it to the World Series part haha), and it was disappointing and frustrating as hell. But there were some good moments this year.
Max Scherzer. The man had a great year, and I gained so much respect for him this year. Not only did I gain respect for him because of the great season he had, but because of what he had to deal with. By now, all of you have heard about his brother committing suicide. Max went out there the rest of the season, dedicating the season to his brother, and dominated. Who would have thought he would have kept up with JV, and occasionally did better than him. The man is honestly one of my heroes now, and I'm glad he's on our team. And I knew he had the capability to pitch like he did this year, and I guess he just needed an extra push to be more consistent. Thank you for the great season, Max. We love you!
Miguel Cabrera. Miguel MV-fucking-P Cabrera. The Triple Crown winner, who carried this team all the way to the World Series. Words cannot explain how much I love this man! What he has done for this team, on and off the field, is outstanding. You never see this man without a smile on his face (other than the days he's DHing (: ) and he always seems like he's having fun. And the fact that he took Avisail under his wing is just fantastic! I think the fact that Miguel changed positions this year for the benefit of the team was amazing. Where would we be if he didn't want to move to third? We wouldn't have been in the World Series, I could tell you that much. Prince would be in another uniform, half way across the country. I don't care how bad his defense was, I'm glad he moved to 3rd base. And winning the Triple Crown. Ah, oh my god. If he doesn't win MVP this season, I say we riot.
Quintin Berry. I remember hearing his name throughout Spring Training, thinking "who is this guy? I might like him to be on our team some day." Well, us designating Collin Balester for assignment was one of the best decisions our team made, because it brought us QB. For the length of time Dirks was out, having QB in the lineup every day was HUGE. Yes, his playing time was shortened when Dirks came back, but his energy and speed was huge for us. And his story made me love him even more! The fact that he was about to quit baseball, but we signed him and now he just played in the World Series is amazing. I'm so happy for him and his family!
Anibal Sanchez. He was included in my favorite moment I saw live this year. At the last game I went to at Comerica, Sanchez pitched a strong 8 innings. The crowd saw his pitch count was getting up there, and Valverde warming up in the bullpen, so we all gave him a standing ovation when he walked off the field, assuming he would come out of the game. Right before the 9th, I heard the crowd start cheering, and was confused as to why the fans were giving Valverde such a warm reception. All of a sudden, I see Sanchez walking out to the mound for the 9th, as the entire stadium gets on their feet and gives the man a standing ovation. I honestly had chills at that moment, and that was the moment I kind of accepted Sanchez into the Tigers family. He's a great pitcher, and I hope to see him with an Old English D on his cap next year. Thank you for a great end to the season, Sanchez!
We made it to the World fucking Series. I know I doubted this team, but I'm so glad we made it. This team is the world to me, and I'm just disappointed we didn't win it all.
Thank you to all the people who helped us get this far. Thank you Leyland, and Dombrowski, and everybody.
The last two months of the season were emotional. September, we clinched our division after a lengthy battle with the White Sox. It made it interesting, and I wish them luck next season. When we clinched and I found out we were playing the A's, I thought we were screwed. I saw what they did against the Rangers, and their fans, I thought they had the edge over us. But, surprisingly to me, we pulled it out. I also congratulate them on one helluva year. I don't think anyone expected them to do so well. Then we played the Yankees, and I knew that would be a breeze. Can you say sweep? Then we got to the World Series. World Fucking Series. If you were to tell me at the All-Star Break that we would be in the WS, I honest to god wouldn't believe you. We had a difficult season, regardless of the expectations. I knew the World Series wasn't going to be a cake-walk, and it obviously wasn't.
All season, other than JV and Scherzer, and Sanchez towards the end, our pitching wasn't too hot. I congratulate Smyly on a great rookie year, Fister pitched well, and god bless Darin Downs for what he did! And Phil Coke in the playoffs was fantastic! But, really, our bullpen stank, and overall our pitching staff isn't that great. Our offense, other than Prince and Miggy (and Jackson when he's healthy) was horrendous. They had their moments, whether it be Delmon in the postseason or the slugfest we had on Easter. But this team needs to work out some kinks.
Now, I know Delmon probably won't be back next season, so I'll take this time to thank him for what he's done for us. I know ya'll complain about him a lot, but he really has done a lot for us. When he first signed with us, he was brilliant, and, other than his defense or shitty plate discipline, he actually helped us a lot. So, thank you Delmon, and good luck on the rest of your career.
I know this season was disappointing, but it was also entertaining. Thank you Tigers for a great year. I know I complained about this team a lot (and I got a lot of hate for complaining about them) but I truly enjoyed watching this team this year. Baseball is a getaway for me. Baseball helps me forget about everyday life, and all the shit that happens. This year, the Tigers, whether disappointing or exciting, helped me deal with a bunch of shit, and I thank god for that. And I thank god for all of you that I got to share this season with. I seriously want to meet you all, because all of you are such great people! We really did have one helluva year, making it to the World Series, and although we got swept, I'm glad we made it this far. Hopefully we can win it all next season! And hopefully I'll get to liveblog next season with all of you.
Bless you Boys!
The sight of Buster running into Sergio's arms makes me want to cry.