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At the Intersection of Sports and Culture

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The “It’s Good to be the King” Week 14 Power Poll

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About a half hour before kickoff last night, VMS contributor and lifelong Jets fan Dave asked if we could record and later post our in game commentary. In the spirit of our friendship, and for the sake of time, I have decided not to share the details of our conversation.  Needless to say, Dave went to sleep a very, very disappointed young man. It’s true pal, the final score was really 45-3.

1. New England Patriots (10-2): Pats are now undefeated, 1-0, when honoring Tedy Bruschi at halftime. Please keep this in mind Mr. Kraft.

2. Atlanta Falcons (10-2): Am I alone in thinking that Chris Berman sounds soooooo 2008 when he refers to Matt Ryan as “Matty Ice”?

3. Pittsburgh Steelers (9-3): I wonder if Al Michaels has accepted the news that Ben Roethlisberger’s nose was in fact severely disfigured.

4. New Orleans Saints (9-3): When do the Saints and Falcons play each other again?

5. Chicago Bears (9-3): Is there a better home field advantage come mid/late December than Soldier Field when the Bears are winning?

6. Green Bay Packers (8-4): Anyone giving away tickets to Pack @ Gillette Stadium on 12/19?

7. Baltimore Ravens (8-4): Joe Flacco may in fact be their weak link.

8. Philadelphia Eagles (8-4): Michael Vick, most dangerous QB in the 2010 playoffs?

9. New York Jets (9-3): I’m brimming with anticipation for Mike Francesa’s excoriation of Rex Ryan for his decision to challenge the spot on a 4th and 1 on the 45 yard line in the first quarter when he would eventually decide to go for it anyway.  Please don’t let me down Mike!

10. Kansas City Chiefs (8-4): May as well be the Giants or Jaguars.

As always, please feel free to share your views.

Your “Real Men Wear Hair Extensions” Monday Night Football Preview

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Before getting to the main course, a few quick words regarding the Sunday Night football appetizer between the Ravens and Steelers. That was an incredibly entertaining football game.  Definitely worth staying up for. Ben Roethlisberger’s nose has never looked better.

Speaking of the playoffs, tonight’s Patriots/Jets game in Foxboro has some serious postseason implications. I would put my readiness level for this game somewhere between DEFCON 4 and 5.  I haven’t been this excited for a regular season game since Jimmy Chitwood’s return from self imposed exile.  My wife and I are expecting our first child next month and I can tell you that this would be a bad evening to go into early labor. I have been waiting for this game to start since the moment I woke up this morning. It’s a good thing I’m not under some sort of performance review because I was really bad at my job today.

Furthermore, I have no idea what I’m going to do with myself until kickoff at 8:30.  I’m all caught up at work so no need to stay in the office. Went to the gym this morning so don’t need to exercise. Christmas tree is up so scratch that off the list.  We don’t have a dog so there is nothing at home that I can take for a long walk. I guess the house could use a little cleaning but that can always wait until the weekend. So really, I have nothing to keep me occupied except my own thoughts and that is always dangerous.  A caller on the WFAN just named Mark Sanchez this generations Joe Namath.  Ughhhhhh. Never easy being a Pats fan in the Tri-State Area. Radio silence begins now. New England 27-14. GO PATS!!!!! Share your views.

NFL Football: On the 11th Day of Waiting

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When Jon (finally) allowed me to begin contributing, he emailed me an initial password with which to log in.  That night was Wednesday and the password was “BradSmith”.

Smith, dubbed by the New York Jets coaching staff “Mr. Everything”, responded in kind to the lofty responsibility of having a password named after him.  First, he took an early 2nd Half end-around and scooted, untouched, 53 yards into the end zone to give Gang Green a lead they would not give back.  It’s worth noting that he was, in fact, wearing two cleats for the entirety of the scoring play.  The same can not be said when B-16 took a short Cincy kickoff 89 yards to the funhouse.  About 50 yards from the end zone, Smith lost a shoe.  Seriously, he finished the return after kicking his cleat off and outrunning the last line of Bengal defenders in an athletic sock.

After finishing off the feckless Bengals 26-10, for the first time in my life, the Jets are 9-2, and will remain so for the next 11 days while the entire Northeast waits with held breath for next Monday night’s “Game Of The Year ” against the 9-2 Patriots, who devoured a feisty Lions squad 45-24.

Over the course of the coming week, next Monday’s game is going to receive its fair share of dissection. A lot will be said about the two quarterbacks. Mark Sanchez has been elusive, creative, and brilliant at times during his sophomore season. Tom Brady has a triple-figure passer rating and hair straight out of a Nickelback video. The Patriots offense is decidedly short on weapons, and it seems that’s the way they like it, having jettisoned one of the best deep-threat wide receivers in the history of the sport. Their register of non-household names just seems to keep rolling, racking up points like the scoreboard operator is the enemy.

See you next Monday night, football fans! Share your views.

NFL Roundup: The Lights Went Out in New Jersey

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…and the same could be said for the NY Giants who were completely trounced by the lowly 1-7 Dallas Cowboys by a final score of 33-20.  Everyone was surprised by the outcome of yesterday’s game including the operators of the New Meadowlands Stadium, who, for their part, did all they could to ensure that the national TV audience would be unable to witness what was transpiring on the field.

Do not be alarmed, this is an actual image taken from yesterday’s Giants/Cowboys game at the New Meadowlands Stadium.  The blackout lasted for a mere 30 seconds or so before power was gradually restored throughout the stadium.  The game itself was delayed by a total of 12 minutes, which, was not nearly as long as the Giants would have liked considering the final score.

In other NFL news, the Mark Sanchez led Jets won their second overtime game in a row, defeating the Cleveland Browns by a score of 26-20.  The Patriots were able to stay atop the AFC East alongside the Jets with their 39-26 dismantling of the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday night.

What impressed you the most about Week 10 in the NFL?  Share your views!

NFL Week 3 Power Poll: The Jets Might Be Good After All

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I know I’m a week late with this picture, but, in my defense, if you had these seats you  would want to show them off too.  My tickets came compliments of a friend who works in the stadium operations department at the New Meadowlands (no possible way I could have paid for them myself).  With the prices they are charging, I have a feeling that there are going to be a lot of empty seats come November and December.  If you are planning a trip to the New Meadowlands any time soon, I suggest you look up the bus schedule out of the NYC Port Authority. The train out of Penn Station was a nightmare.