Monday, October 29, 2007

That's It: Peter King Should Stop Writing About Football

It's about time we've come to this. I don't care if he stays up until 4 a.m. all jittery from 800 espressos pounding out this nonsense just so's the lay folk can have their Monday morning football summary- this quality of writing and lack of editing/fact checking is absolutely abysmal. Edit this shit, SI. God.

We'll start with some minor objections:

6. Green Bay (5-1). Not to rub it in, but the Giants' Derrick Ward was inactive Sunday -- and still leads the entire Green Bay team in rushing, 448 yards to 394.

Yes, also Green Bay hasn't played yet this week. Still maybe a kind of crazy stat, but weakened by this fact. So just leave it out. Edit it out. Somebody, please.

Another:
Want to see a brilliant series against the Colts? Get a tape of Vinny Testaverde's game-opening, 18-play, 80-yard, 11-minute touchdown drive Sunday. It included a six-yard Vinny sneak, terrific play-clock bleeding, and 12 rushes for 37 yards.

What exactly is it about 3.1 yards/rush that is so brilliant, Peter? Tell me, you asshole, and it better not have anything to do with taking lots of time. I mean, I guess it's good to take time away from Peyton...and I guess anytime you see a 78-year old run for 6 yards, it's pretty cool...but it's also good to be able to move the ball quickly in large chunks. Do you really think Vinny didn't want to just throw an 80-yard bomb and be done with it?

But here's the real kicker, re: the Patriot's schedule:

...the other game that has a chance to be competitive -- notice I didn't say "the game they have a chance to lose?'' -- is the Monday-nighter on Dec. 3 at Baltimore. No team gets up for a prime time, national TV game like the Ravens.

Baltimore Ravens, since 2003, on Mondays, Thursdays, and in the playoffs (and they haven't played any NBC Sunday nights):

1 -7, including this season's opening loss to awful awful Bengals.

Honestly, Peter, where the fuck are you getting this? I'm no journalist, but I would think a telltale sign of a shitty journalist is someone who writes dumb shit based on gut feelings instead of proven facts.

~FLASH SIDEWAYS~
We are in an alternate universe in which Peter King has decided to become a doctor.

Nurse: Doctor King, the patient's leg is hemorrhaging from a 5 cm deep cut to his thigh- shall I prepare the wound to be stitched up?

Dr. Jerk: Legs don't bleed. I have never seen a bleeding leg. I guess except that one time that I cut my leg. But in general, legs never bleed. Mark my words.

Nurse: Um, but Doctor- look...I mean, you can see the blood exiting the wound...the wound on his LEG.

Dr. Jerk: I'm going to call Dr. James Andrews on my cellular phone- did you know I have a cellular phone, nurse? AND I have THE Dr. James Andrews on speed dial!!! Pretty cool, huh?- and ask his opinion about bleeding legs that don't exist. You can carve that in stone.

Nurse: What? Doctor, this is a bleeding leg, not an obscure elbow injury. You should be qualified to do this yourself.

Dr. Jerk: You can take it to the bank.

Nurse: Take what to the bank? You didn't even say anything...doctor, the patient is losing blood rapidly...

Dr. Jerk: Indictment. Scintilla. This patient is unacceptable and should know to show WAY more respect to his doctor if you ask me about it. I have four words for him: not in MY lifetime.

Nurse: [stabs self w/ used syringe]

Patient: [pries open wound to increase blood loss]


Okay, so Peter, let's make sure we have this straight- you're no longer allowed to write about baseball, politics, or football. As far as I know, you haven't said anything inaccurate about foamy lattes, though. But I'm sure that only b/c I'm not paying attention.


Tuesday, October 2, 2007

Debunking an Inane Football Journalist

[title courtesy of the headline makers at SI.com]

I'm going for the throat. I'm gonna take down PK- and on his own, non-fantasy football turf.

From Monday Morning Quarterback, Tuesday Edition (re: Games Played on Sunday, Except for that One on Monday. Tomorrow is Wednesday) by Peter King:


I want to begin my Tuesday morning by thanking Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt for debunking the biggest myth in all of football: that you can't replace your starting quarterback for three or four series during a game because you'll ruin his psyche.

Okay, now re-read it and make sure you understand the BIGGEST MYTH he is all sweaty and salty about debunking: that you MUSN'T temporarily replace your starting QB in the middle of a football game, OR ELSE, BECAUSE IF YOU DO...he will be upset. His confidence will be shaken. He'll go nutty.

To argue his point, PK boldly presents this rock-hard and conclusive peice of evidence: a quote from Matt Leinart after being replaced temporarily by Kurt Warner in the last two Cardinal games, both wins:

"If I'm the franchise quarterback, play me and let me stumble, because I'll
fight through it, and that will help me and our team in the long run. I know
coaches want to win now, and they have their reasons. But I don't understand,
and this switching back and forth is almost worse than getting benched.''\


Bullseye!

Bingo!

Jenga!

The Title of That Stupid Movie With Robin Williams Where that Fucked Up Board Game Came to Life and Tried to Kill You that was Weirdly Marketed to Children and Can You Believe They're Making a Sequel of Some Sort What the Fuck!*

You've done it, Peter!

You've proven beyond reasonable doubt that YOU CAN'T replace your starting QB in the middle of the game BECAUSE IT WILL MESS WITH HIS PSYCHE with this telling quote from a bothered, tortured, pained, confidence-beaten, priority-fucked, psyche-shat Matt Leinart, a starting QB who was replaced in the middle of a game.

I mean, I'm no professional sports journalist, but "I don't understand and this...is almost worst than getting benched," sounds pretty psyche-damagy to me.

Okay, look. I know I'm being overly literal. Read the whole article, and it's clear that PK is ACTUALLY arguing against a "myth" that sounds more like:

Under no circumstances should you ever temporarily replace your starting QB or you will lose.

...which the Cardinals have apparently disproven by winning the past two games by doing just that. Okay, that's completely fair. But...but he doesn't say that. Mr. Monday Morning says this [paraphrasing]:


Temporarily replacing your starting QB midway through a game will smush your QB's confidence.

There's a big fat logical disconnect here. He cites as the "myth" not the myth itself but the reason that the myth exists. Peter use brainy. (p.s. pickiness makes me feel better about myself.)


And I still have to berate P. Jerk for his unnecessary and large-cock claim that this is the "biggest myth in all of football." Ergo:


Bigger Football Myths Than the QB Thing:

Eli and Peyton are blood-relatives
Devin Hester can be stopped
LT was born on the planet Earth
Gnomes hold the ball in place at kickoff
The lady in the Chunky Soup commercials is, in fact, Donovan McNabb's mom
Terry Bradshaw is socially graceful human being
Punting is a good idea
Touchdown celebrations kill pupkits, the genetic combination of puppy and kitten
Pac-Man Jones didn't do it
Fuck! My guy was right there and I pressed B! That shoulda been a pick! Fuck Madden.


In conclusion: Peter needs to pay attention to what he writes.



*It was Jumanji. That's what I was thinking of. Stupid fucking movie.