Comments on: We’ve All Been Cheated

By: Nice n' Stinky

Nice n' Stinky — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 14:31:26 +0000

I remember discussing the Yankees’ purchase of multiple World Series in the late 90’s with one of my few Yankee fan friends (this is a topic we agree to rarely broach). He clung to the defense that the games are played on the field, and regardless of how a team was assembled that is where those championships were won. In truth, it was obvious that the Yankees were simply outspending the field to purchase a competitive advantage that other teams were unable to overcome. Any reasonable and intelligent Yankee fan knew this, but to accept the obvious truth would taint the enjoyment of cheering for their team. With no leg to stand on, any Yankees fan with a modicum of shame had to stick their head in the sand and ignore the truth of the matter.

How is this relevant? I have the same feeling today that intelligent Yankees fans must have feltback then, having to choose between defending the indefensible or ignoring what appear to be some unseemly facts. And it doesn’t feel very good.

By: buttercup

buttercup — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 10:52:23 +0000

I hope the league makes him change his name. For some reason “Belichick” still makes me stop and say, “Is that the right spelling?” It would be nice if the upshot of all this was the league made him go by “Bill Bell”…that would seem fair

By: T.J. Donegan

T.J. Donegan — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 05:47:30 +0000

The thing that gets me about this whole situation is that the Pats didn’t break any rule that states you can’t try to steal signs. That has nothing to do with what happened, everyone does that. You think the Bears didn’t have recordings of Rivers’ snap counts and were learning his cadences before the game? They were jumping his counts the entire game. Every team bends this rule as much as it can. The rulebreaking here is hardly the kind of thing that should call for firings, suspensions, or forfeiture of games. It’s the same thing everyone else does but to a degree, through the use of technology, that the league has deemed illegal. The public lynching that’s been going on you’d think they killed puppies to win the game.

By: jamesgarnerisgod

jamesgarnerisgod — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 04:18:35 +0000

Lost in this discussion is how the Pats cheated by having the referee invoke the Tuck Rule on the road to SB XXXVI, and how the Pats cheated by hitting the Colts receivers too hard on New England’s way to SB XXXVIII. And I’m sure they cheated somehow in SB XXXIX, but I just can’t remember it. Probably something to do with muddy field conditions on the pre-Stadium Turf Razor. (BTW, what are the chances that, oops, Gillettee won’t be able to get the makeshift pitch from the Brazil-Mexico match up on time? I sure hope LT wouldn’t be slowed down on such a surface.)

And it’s not like having a tractor come out onto the field, divert from the yard line, and plow snow at the spot of the kick right before a field goal attempt. (The classics never go out of style.)

The Patriots will ALWAYS find the way to win b/c ever other team in the NFL is made up of weak-minded crybabies. If that constitutes cheating, so be it.

By: thejetsblog.com » Links: CameraGate Rolls On

thejetsblog.com » Links: CameraGate Rolls On — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 03:17:21 +0000

[...] PatriotsDaily — “We never thought we’d ever be saying this about Belichick, but how stupid can he get? The same assistant videographer got nabbed in Green Bay, they’ve been warned by the league about the practice, and oh yeah, his old assistant coach – a guy who knows how the operation runs – is on the other sideline. Ya think they might be looking for it?”Our Reaction: This is why we like this site so much, clear thinking (since we aren’t very good at it). [...]

By: Scott

Scott — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 01:25:24 +0000

Meanwhile, the Globe has weighed in with its first ‘tsk, tsk’ editorial, which contains no mention of the fact that the league has made no statement as to the Patriots guilt, or the penalty that may be due them.

But you just know they did it, don’t you Globe?

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 23:19:18 +0000

Good point, Major, I really hadn’t thought of that. I guess I’d hope that being right, whatever that turns out to be, is going to be more important to him than the public’s impression. I guess we’ll see about that.

By: Major

Major — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 22:42:05 +0000

Of course, if there are ‘interested parties’ actively promulgating the ‘Patriots will be severely penalized’ theory of things to come, you have to hand it to them.

If strong actions are taken, they get their way.

But if the NFL announces anything under the ‘multiple draft picks lost and a fine’ or the more ridiculous ’suspensions/forfeiture/playoff ban’ scenarios that are now making the rounds, it could give the public impression the League is going easy on its top franchise.

It’s practically a no-win situation for New England.

By: Scott

Scott — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:44:23 +0000

Oswlek, I heard that. Nah, people aren’t getting carried away at all here, are they?

Beaker, whatever happens, they will have been closer to losing to the Chargers than they were to cheating the Jets.

By: Oswlek

Oswlek — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 21:36:59 +0000

So, Terrell Davis wants NE excluded from the playoffs? Then he *must* be petitioning to get Denver’s 1998 SB removed from the record books, right? They were proven to have cheated the cap, which seems to be a MUCH greater offense.