View My Seats

At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

Photo Credit for Header: Alex Foucre-Stimes

How the Tuck Rule Game Changed My Life Forever (or at least the last decade)

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My good buddy Lucas reminded me that yesterday was the 10 year anniversary of the “Tuck Rule Game” otherwise known as “the day when I officially became a New England Patriots fan”. You see, I was an NFL orphan, having been abandoned by Dan Marino and the Miami Dolphins at the end of the 1999 season. A decade ago, as an impressionable college senior in the middle of nowhere Maine, I was surrounded by a bunch of Patriot lifers who graciously accepted my into their then modest fraternity as one of their own.

Now just to be clear, I am willing to compromise my already tenuous hold on the Patriot Way by telling you that if it weren’t for the 3 Super Bowls and Tom Brady I probably would have already moved on to another team like, gulp, maybe even the Baltimore Ravens. But on this, the 3,651 day since Charles Woodson DID NOT cause a Tom Brady fumble, I’m proud to say that I continue to support Pat the Patriot. That is until the Miami Dolphins trade up to draft RGIII and I bound up the attic staircase to dust off the old teal and white #13 jersey.

NEW ENGLAND (-6) over Baltimore – As a Pats fan, this is going to sound crazy but I kinda hope Joe Flacco plays well on Sunday, even if it means the game is going to be much closer than it would have been otherwise. I just can’t stand to hear anymore criticism, either from the media or his teammates, especially when he has led his team to the playoffs each of his first 4 years in the league. The Baltimore media is so Ravens crazy right now that they have started to pursue a story regarding Flacco skateboarding in his driveway over the bye week like it was some sort of egregious breach of contract. The Sun and WBAL should be directing more of their venom towards the Orioles and the problems they’re having bringing star players back for the team’s FanFest this weekend. Oh that’s right, I forgot the Birds are all but dead to the Charm City this, or any, time of the year anyway. Sigh

San Francisco (-2.5) over NY GIANTS –  As Mike Francesa says, it’s been “monsooning” all week long in the Bay Area. Which team benefits from the sloppy conditions, depends on who you ask. I say it’s a complete wash and this game goes down to the final possession. The reason I’m picking the Niners is because otherwise I’ll have “Occupy Tyree” and prevent the former Giants WR from giving any interviews over the two weeks leading up to the Super Bowl in Indianapolis. Some pain is just impossible to overcome.

view from The Razor courtesy of @MikeReiss 

Trinity Men’s Squash Loss is Hartford Connecticut’s Gain

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I never understood how Hartford, Connecticut came to be the hotbed for collegiate squash. It always seemed like such a strange set of navigational circumstances, like Christopher Columbus setting sail for the West Indies and landing in the Bahamas. But now that the racquet sport tyrants of Trinity College have lost their first match since 1997-98, ending a string of 252 victories, the capital of the Nutmeg State can finally go back to being simply the former insurance capital of the world. Incidentally, did you know that Hartford is generally considered as having one of the most beautiful skylines in the United States? If that doesn’t bring the Whalers back I don’t know what will.

view from the Aussie Open courtesy of @lektor74

 

SOPA Makes Things Dark Including Sports Blogs

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If you don’t yet totally understand why today websites like Google, Reddit, Wikipedia, etc, have gone dark, join the club. If you’d like to develop of firmer understanding of the proposed SOPA (Stop Online Piracy Act) legislation read this. My senses are that any bill which potentially limits an individual or websites ability to use or link to content must go through some serious revisions before becoming law.

If the Justice Dept is really given greater juridiction online, websites will be forced to allocate a much more significant portion of their resources to ensuring that they are not linking to foreign websites whose primary purpose is to sell stolen or counterfeit goods. (Have at it MPAA!!!) Now, at this point, all this means very little to us here at viewmyseats. Apparently you need to have more than 10 uniques a day for the ghost of J. Edgar Hoover to give two shits.

Speaking of giving a shit, I for one loved how much Denard Robinson and other Meechigan people cared about last night’s Wolverines victory over instate rival, and little brother, Michigan State. If you’ve ever played or coach against a 1-3-1 zone you understand that it requires some serious game planning, offensive precision, and adjustment. In other words, ask Shooter.

British Airways Fake Out Spells Doom For New York Knicks

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I break out in a cold sweat every time I hear this story out of the UK about a British Airways flight travelling from Miami to London that mistakenly alerted passengers that the plane was about to crash. Can you even imagine? Not what you want to hear when travelling at 35,000 feet. Granted it was all just a massive fake out but even still, does make you wonder how things like this happen.

My biggest question: what button was the pilot really trying to press when he “accidentally” pushed the one for “we may shortly need to make an emergency landing on water”. What other recordings do pilots have at their disposal? How about “please clear the aisles as my copilot is about to make creepy small talk with a flight attendent before occupying the lavatory” or “look no hands”.

Speaking of planes that may or may not need to make an emergency landing over the Atlantic, what’s going on with the New York Knicks? They are riding a 3 game losing streak all the way to a sub .500 record that, depending on which crazed fan you ask, may or may not spell the merciful end for Mike D’Antoni and his glorious mustache. The team defense has improved but where is all the offense? If it’s not Carmelo hoisting up an egomaniacal number of fade away j’s then it’s the “neophyte” Iman Shumpert taking control of an inexperienced backcourt. Things promise to get better when veteran PG Baron Davis and his lower back return to action in the next few weeks. Until then, Amar’e Stoudemire needs to use those rickety knees of his to take the ball strong to the basket and help keep this Knicks offense above water.

view from MSG on MLK Day courtesy of @jlaox11

Punching Tickets to Championship Weekend

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Layering was the key to surviving sub zero temps Saturday night in the Razor. That and a few well placed hand warmers did more than the trick as we braved the upper deck maelstrom to watch the Patriots advance past Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos on their way to the AFC Championship next Sunday.

Highlights of our excursion to Foxboro included: parking at a Papa Gino’s, frozen Magic Hat Howl, and running into Massachusetts Senator Scott Brown. Which reminds me, when a politician goes in for the hand shake and you’re already holding two beers it’s best to counter with a polite elbow.

Saturday

49ers 36 Saints 32 – Not gonna lie, missed this one completely. Well that’s not entirely true as I did manage to catch a few fleeting glimpses while I walked past various makeshift Direct TV setups en route to my designated tailgate in the Enterprise rent-a-car overflow parking lot. By the way, it’s a little known fact that the quality of a football tailgate is inversely proportional to the location/business where it is being held. A Chubby Chet’s Tire Warehouse is sure to bring about the finest fish chowder in all of New England while officially sanctioned affairs at Patriot’s Place will leave you sitting in a snow bank by halftime.

Patriots 45 Broncos 10 – And it wasn’t even really that close. The only time I found myself holding my breath in nervous anticipation was when waiting in line for a good solid 15 minutes before using the bathroom. If things went on any longer I was going to have to call an audible and scurry off to “tebow” in one of the poorly lit corners of Gillette Stadium.

Sunday

Ravens 20 Texans 13 – Baltimore had several chances to put this one away early but credit the Houston defense for keeping it close until the bitter end. Also the Ravens crowd continues to impress as one of the most influential “12th men” in the game. Now if only Baltimore would show up for the Orioles.

Giants 37 Packers 20 – More than anything, I’m just sorry we won’t be able to see any more of those State Farm Insurance “Discount Double Take” commercials. They’ve been a staple in our lives for the past 4 months and I for one don’t know if I’m ready to live without them. On a lighter note, Giants/49ers in the NFC Championship Game brings back such fond memories of 1990 when I convinced my parents to let me stay up just long enough to listen to Whitney Houston lip syncing the National Anthem.