It's football time again...
 

Ah yes...time for another year of sitting around on Sundays, drinking, watching football, losing my mind, and getting another free meal out of Hubris. :)

How wonderful...the Rams are the first game on today on FOX here in Philadelphia. God's Team took a beating last year, but it looks like the Rams of old might be back in the house. And they're playing the Giants, so a Rams win only helps the Eagles.

Oooh...and the Ravens are the first game on CBS. I don't think it's gonna be a good year for them, but one can hope...it's not like that Super Bowl team of 3 years ago was that good either. Rams are better though, so Rho will be delegated to the bedroom TV. :D (Griff, they're playing the Steelers, so you might be interested in that game, if you can get it.)

Eagles are on Monday Night Football. The defense is dropping like flies...too many injuries. I see a good season ahead...I dunno if they'll go 12-4 again, but one can dream.

I haven't followed pre-season much this year, so I don't know much about the predictions. I know the Rams were picked to win the NFC West, as their only real challenge is San Francisco.

Here's what Michael Wilbon of the Washington Post picks:

And now, the fearless picks. In the NFC, the Rams, Packers, Bucs and Giants will win their divisions. The Eagles and Saints will earn the wild-card spots. Favre will be the MVP. In the AFC, the Raiders, Steelers, Colts and Dolphins will win their divisions. The Chiefs and Ravens will earn wild cards. Portis and Williams will rush for 2,000 yards and Williams will be the MVP.

Tampa Bay will repeat by beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl.

Hmmm...he wasn't very good at predicting when I watched him on TV in Washington, so we'll see.

Well Kurt Warner looked like the Warner of last year, not the Warner of the Bowl year. 3 lost fumbles, 1 INT, looked just terrible most of the time.

They just announced he might have had a concussion after the first fumble. That doesn't explain why he looked so terrible up to that point.

The concussion was confirmed...and that was 6 total fumbles.

His numbers, all in all, don't look that bad: 34 for 54, 342 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT. And he was holding up pretty well, given that he took a pounding. But those fumbles...and Faulk was completely ineffective today. And why oh why are we only running with 3 WR's? Defense was decent, offensive line is concerning...this was not a problem until last year.

Maddox was 21-of-29 for 260 yards 3 touchdowns no interceptions. Art Modell's team cannot lose enough games. Now if the Steelers could just stay out of nightclub shootings through January...

Giants over Steelers in the Super Bowl - there's my call.

Four turnovers forced against the Rams for 13 points total, Warner sacked six times, Barber - 146 yards rushing, Toomer averaged 49 yards/reception, Shockey 12 yards/reception, Collins went 14/26 for 202 yards and no INTs...this is it. This is the year. Steelers even look like they could make it to the finish too.

Man...a smack-around of the Steelers in the Super Bowl...that would just be a dream come true.

Priest Holmes will win the rushing title, no doubt about it. He's fast, smart, he jukes like Marcus Allen, he's got an overwhelmingly superior offensive line in front of him and he's got Tony Richardson lead blocking much of the time...and Tony is one of the best blocking backs I've ever seen.

Chiefs win the AFC West, though. A much improved defense and a high-octane offense make a combination that Oakland can't beat this year.

Then the Chiefs lose in the first round of the playoffs, and Dick Vermiel retires for real this time.

Rams go 8-8, and people in St. Louis (and Sycamore) start wondering how they fell so far so fast. :D

Couldn't have said it better myself. ;)

You work for the Tribune-Review, don't you Griff?

The Eagles game made me want to hurl. I don't think I have much else to say.

First games are sometimes not representative of the whole season...

I am begging the people who kidapped Donavan McNabb free him! Free McNabb!

Hmmm...it seems that my Chiefs are going to be playing the likely favorite of many Cellar denizens, the Steelers this Sunday.

Any friendly wagers? Hmmm...? The current line is KC by 3.5 over Pittsburgh. I'll take KC and give 3 points for a twenty spot, payable via PayPal...

Yeah, I know it's just one game... but they looked useless. Even if you stipulate that the Bucs got 2 touchdowns off of highly unlikely circus catches that were otherwise well-defended, the Eagles offense did nothing. If they basically lloked good & were just not finishing off drives to score, I'd be a little more optimistic.

Eagles-Bucs: Poor offense. Donovan almost made Kurt look great. Make no mistake, the Bucs are fierce. Their defense has been tough for a while now, but Monday night...damn.

I don't think the Eagles will do as well as last year. They didn't do much during the off-season. And the defense is not as strong as it was last year. But yeah, it's still only one game: I'll give the Eagles a wild card at 10-6, behind the Giants in the East.

Mike needs to pull his head out of his ass though if he thinks the Giants are that good.

Ep Ep Ep...those Chiefs. Perennial disappointments. Remember Christian Okoye? Yeah...you MIGHT get a wild card.

Dick Vermeil is the anti-christ. I hate him.

Rams...*shrugs*...10-6, they'll play the Eagles or Packers in the wild card.

No, no...Al Davis is the Antichrist. Dick Vermiel's final designation in the book of Revelations is as yet undetermined. Chiefs go all the way, he's Jesus. Chiefs bomb in the first round of the playoffs, he's Satan himself.

Should I pass this message along to ESPN?

If the Giants win the Super Bowl, you get a real Philadelphia cheesesteak on me.

Counter proposal. No points. Loser has to start a thread by writing a sincere sounding Ode to the winners ball club. :)

I accept your proposal, Griff! Start writing! :cool:

The Steelers didn't get beaten as badly as the score of 41 to 20 might indicate. But they did get beaten.

Eh, I don't think it counts now...you didn't initially accept.

That was a hell of a game, from what I watched. They ran that scoreboard up real nice in the first half.

And let the QB controversy start again in St. Louis--Bulger had a solid game, picking up from last year. I'll have to read the Post-Dispatch and listen to St. Louis radio tomorrow.

Yeah, darn it...I forget to look in on this thread last night. It would have been fun to have a nice little written tribute from Griff to my boys in red.

It wouldn't have been real hard for me to do the same for the Steelers...they're my third favorite team, actually, behind the Chiefs and Green Bay.

Thanks fer the lawyerin' T$. I'll give Patrick another shot at it in the AFC championship game. That was a pretty exciting game but my guys really stank it up in the turnover dept. What I like about the new offense is that they can comeback on anybody, what I don't like (so far) is their inability to run the ball but its a new line so we'll see what happens.

Holmes really can kick butt, can't he? For a while there it looked like the Steelers were trying to tire him out by making him run for long yardages. :) They'll stuff him next time.

Truluck got a big write up in my alumni newspaper a while back as the first guy in forever to go from Cortland to the NFL. Pretty cool going from Chugger Davis Field to the Show.

Eagles: it appears that McNabb has suddenly lost his ability to be a quarterback at all. It's like he's been replaced with an evil anti-McNabb. Suddenly he can't complete simple 10-yard passes to his open TE. Obvious blitzes confuse him. He overlooks open receivers and relies on his "out" option too often. He finished off his day by throwing the most obvious pick he's ever thrown, something he never ever does.

Nobody's figured him out so far. He's got great moves, and he is really, really quick out of the hole. I keep scratching my head over how anyone let this gem get away in the first place. Chiefs just rewrote his contract to reflect his stature and performance in our backfield. I think it safe to say that Priest Holmes is living comfortably when he's not making d-backs look like they're standing still.

Just felt the need to point out that my Chiefs, after a tough defensive battle with a very scrappy Baltimore Ravens team, are now 4-0.

That was luck...the Ravens fucked themselves, particularly with that interception by McCleon.

Bulger had a good game today, Rams win...of course, they were playing Arizona. Good for morale though, given how hated the Cardinals have been since Bidwell took them to the desert 15 years ago.

Wow! What a stinker by the Steelers today, almost enough to make me join the sports slangcott but I can't.... not with the evil twins of warchavia coming into NY.

I see the kidnappers returned McNabb today.

Return schmeturn. The majority of their yards and all of their TDs were rushing. McNabb's still tied up in the broom closet, Reid just gave the stand-in new marching orders.

Still. Washington, Philadelphia, and Dallas all won today. I hate this week already, and it's barely Monday.

Luck, schmuck. We won the game on yet another runback for a TD by the hottest kick-returner in the NFL today, and maybe ever, Dante Hall.

Okay, there was some luck involved. It was bad luck on the part of the Ravens. They've got a badass football team, and with another year under their belts together with their rookie QB, they're gonna be awesome. But this year, we won.

So, how about that Rush Limbaugh? I knew his mouth was big, but I didn't think it was big enough to get his foot into it all the way up to his hip!

Whoopsy! I love it when Rush says stupid shit!

I like it when egomaniacs step in it. I didn't hear the comments that got him busted, would they have brought down a Democrat?

Race is the political silver bullet, Griff. One round kills anyone.

Correction...race is a silver bullet that only works on non-minority werewolves. Any minority is allowed to be as racist as they wish, and it is written off as justifiable.

Racism is a one-way street.

Eh...are you being facetious there, Ep?

I'll buy that. "The (pick any minority) are running down the neighborhood", is racist, politically incorrect and not allowed. But "Whitey is holding me back" is perfectly ok.

Only slightly...I could be persuaded to change my point of view if someone could show me a few examples of successfully made cases of reverse discrimination.

My standard example of my perception of the current state of affairs goes something like this:

What would happen if someone decided to start a White Heritage Week? We would honor George Washington and Thomas Edison and other pioneers of the Caucasian race. We'd have a big square dance, and serve a lot of foods like grilled cheese sandwiches and potato chips. The schools would spend a week featuring special classroom units on famous White people and their contributions to bettering the White race...and so on and so on.

Can you honestly tell me that such a thing would not be immediately labelled as racist and an affront to ethnic groups everywhere?

Yet various ethnic groups have *exactly* this sort of thing going on all the time, and it is thought to be a great thing. Why the distinction, then, when they are essentially the same event with only the recognized group being changed?

I want you all to understand that I am *not* a racist. It is really hard to be a Pagan racist for one thing. However, I get tired of shying away from inequities in our societal structure simply because it is politically incorrect to even mention them. Anyone who thinks that Blacks cannot be prejudiced against Whites, or Hispanics against Jews, or whatever pairing you wish to name, is being hopelessly naieve. Yet such prejudices generally go unacknowledged unless they are being perpetrated by the perceived "group in power" against the perceived "oppressed minority."

So, in that sense, yeah, Syc, I was serious.

For starters, Ep, I think "reverse discrimination" is a nonsense construct. There's just "discrimination," period.

I don't disagree with you in that there are instances of the current minorities discriminating against whites. However, I would argue that there are far fewer incidents of this, simply b/c minorities already know what it's like to face racial discrimination by whites. This is probably why you don't hear of many situations involving discrimination against whites, if any. Though I do have one example for you: The black guy that went on a shooting rampage in Pittsburgh 3 years ago.

But if anything, I think you will find more examples of a) discrimination within one's own race and b) Discrimination between the various minorities (e.g. Koreans vs. blacks in LA in the '90s) than against whites.

Now hold up, Ep. "Ethnic" and "racial" are two different constructs. Please clarify this for me, and I'll respond further.

I can't dispute that ethnicity and race are separate constructs, and I cannot think of another strictly racially-based series of hypothetical events comparable to that to which I allude.

So, we'll leave it at the most obvious comparison...if it is okay to have Black History Week, and to celebrate all things African-American, why would the inverse be racism? As you say, "reverse discrimination" is a misnomer, because discrimination (and, by association, prejudice) is bad, no matter who is fostering it, no matter what the rationale might be, and no matter how narrow or widely tossed around it is.

The only reason all of this is on my mind at all is that the bullshit from last school year with my youngest kid is starting again, and it would seem to be racially based (he was accused by a group of black kids of using a racial slur - further investigation on the part of the principal and others revealed that this was not in fact true, BTW - and that seems to me to be a racist thing for those kids to have done).

When we went to the school Thursday morning to discuss the situation with the principal, I related to her that it was apparent to me that a certain segment of her student body was participating in a culture of intimidation, and that there was a certain 'gangster attitude' being projected by this segment. She became highly offended and flatly told me that "This does not happen in this school."

Apparently, the woman doesn't spend much time looking at her students, hearing and seeing them interact with each other, because most of these kids positively *ooze* badass attitude, and it is even worse outside of school. My kid is having to bear the brunt of it, and I can't for the life of me see how that he would be targeted except for the fact that he is part of a racial minority in his school.

Comments? Because it is entirely possible that I'm not seeing things clearly since I have a kid who is constantly getting pushed, kicked, threatened and otherwise jacked with.

It's actually Black History Month--February.

Whites "celebrate" their heritage every day--it's all around us. Blacks and other minorities were beat down for hundreds of years in these parts...and still are to some degree. Until recently, the accomplishments of many minorities in our history were either ignored or not given their proper props. Maybe one day we'll reach the point where blacks won't feel the desire or need for a black history month, Asians won't feel the desire or need for an Asian-Pacific heritage month, and so on. But for now, I think they're helpful, and necessary to a degree.

Rho says that a black history month (or any other month that celebrates minorities) is necessary to counteract white history, which has not always painted a pretty picture of non-whites...particularly in the way that some things are romanticized, like Manifest Destiny or Columbus's voyage to the new world.

I'm sorry to hear about your kid, Ep. That really sucks. But let's break it down a bit here:

--Is your kid the only white kid targeted at the school? Are these guys targeting white kids? Or are these thugs picking on anyone that appears "weak"?

--Have you taken your concerns to the school board or the local media?

--Do you think your perceptions might be colored because this involves your child, and you would probably do anything to protect them from harm?

I don't think you're a racist, Ep. And I don't expect you or anyone to necessarily agree with what I'm saying. I'm just trying to figure out where you're coming from, and hopefully you'll understand where I'm coming from.

***My mistake...I should have known that.

***And so do I...but I do feel compelled to point out the automatic negative position that "being on the other side" entails. If, as we agreed previously, that racism is racism, and discrimination is discrimination, then shouldn't it follow that if a thing is valid for one group, isn't it equally valid for another? What we have in this country is a defacto state of social combat, instead of a merging of thoughts and efforts. *Both* sides in this issue suffer from the "us against them" mentality, but it seems to only be possible for *one* side to ever be guilty of any such transgression. How, logically, can that even be possible, given that such a state of mutual distrust and dislike exists?

***And there you have it in a nutshell. Wouldn't it be less combative to say "necessary to promote black history" than to say "necessary to counteract white history?" The entire concept is combative from the get go, but only if white people were to promulgate a similar event would it ever be considered to be combative...or racist. And please understand, I have all the respect in the world for Rho...she was smart enough to latch onto you, wasn't she? But even an educated and articulate person such as herself is subject to the inherent undercurrent of "us versus them", or so it would appear if that was, indeed, her statement.

The whole problem with history is that it is always written from a biased point of view. But is replacing one historical bias with another a reasonable solution?

***I'm sorry that I can't answer that question. The principal said yesterday that the only thing in common with the problems that we've been having was our son, despite the fact that, in the last two cases, anyway, he was absolved of fault.

***I have to live in this community, so going to the media would be like painting a swastika on my door. The pentagram was provocative enough... :-) As for going to the school board, I will certainly be contacting them if the trend continues.

***Absolutely this is possible...see my closing statements in the previous post. However, my observations about the attitudes and behavior are not skewed by my son's problems. I see what I see, and what I see cannot be adequately explained by cultural differences, unless the other culture accepts that intimidation, aggressive attitude and group prevarication are valid and desireable societal characteristics.

***I welcome and was hoping for commentary, and specifically from you, Syc. You, of all of us, can see both sides of the fence, and I can use a friend and some clear thinking right now.

The biggest problem this all presents for me is quite simple. If I even broach the possibility that my son is being targeted for harassment because of his race, *I* am going to be perceived as a racist. Yet, how can it not be possible that such a situation exists, given that we know there is, in fact, a cultural war going on in our country?

Els, is this the same perp and posse as last year?

I don't see things like Black History and the NAACP as racist or discriminatory. (The Nation of Islam though...that's another story.) Anyone can join the NAACP. And the purpose behind Black History Month (as I understand it) is to not only celebrate that particular culture, but to educate everyone about black history. Now, whether people want to be educated is up to them...hell, even some black folks could give two shits about Black History Month.

Well, like I said before, I think the vast majority of racism occurs against blacks by whites. Racism against whites is a rather new phenomenon in my opinion. Oh sure, it has probably gone on for a long time, but as far as becoming a real issue, that seems to be just beginning--sorta like how sexual harrassment is becoming a very serious issue. Though I do have another example of black on white racism:

A few years ago, we had a couple incidents at a high school in the far Northeast section of Philadelphia. The school is in a predominantly white area, and I would guesstimate that the school is at least 1/4 black, maybe more. (From what I understand, you can choose where to send your child for high school in the city. And given the state of some of the schools in this city, I wouldn't blame any black family for wanting to send their kid to Washington High.)

In any case, some white kid going through a "German appreciation" phase reportedly called this black kid a "nigger". Black kid didn't appreciate this, called the white kid a derogatory name and showed his lack of appreciation with a fist to the white kid's head. Prosecutors were considering a hate crime charge against the black kid, last I heard. Black community shits a brick. Why would the black kid be charged with a hate crime but not the white kid? Because he used race when punching the white kid out. (I'm not sure of what was exactly said, but I believe it was "white motherfucker.")

I don't know what happened with this case. But if the black kid was/is charged with a hate crime, I would be/am for that. It wasn't cool for the white kid to call the black kid "nigger", but the black kid should have kept his head and not punched the guy out. Or at the very least, he should have just called the guy "stupid motherfucker."

Nah, I just said that shit to rile you up some more. ;)

Seriously, it's all in how it's perceived. To her, it's still a battlefield out there. And that's coming from an educated, articulate black person that grew up in white suburbia with quasi-conservative parents. She thinks of counteracting white history as a good thing.

And maybe it could have been phrased more positively. But here's the problem: There has been a backlash by some who don't want to see history corrected--Cairo's remarks about an issue like that in Texas with Latinos come to mind. And I imagine the Unsolved History episodes (a Discovery Channel series) about Custer's Last Stand and the Battle of the Alamo have really pissed off some white folk. But who has written most of our history?

I think Bruce's quote in another thread sorta ties into this: "People that are living comfortably aren't going out of their way to seek bad news that rocks the very foundation of everything they know and believe."

So, until things are truly rectified, minorities are still in battle mode. The Affirmative Action case this year was just another battle in the war. It's not 1964, but it's still a war zone.

The real question that needs to be answered is this: "What constitutes things being 'okay' or 'rectified'?" Some will say that things are fine now, but I don't think the question can really be answered.

I appreciate that, Ep.

The truth is...I felt the very same way on these types of issues as a teenager growing up in St. Louis. But as I learned more about racism and other cultures, got more life experience and saw occurrences through my own eyes, it just changed me. To add to that, I learned more about my Native American heritage. And I see how it is still disrespected openly in some cases (e.g. the Washington Redskins or the tomahawk chop in Atlanta), and it just saddens me. Of course, some would say that I'm being overly sensitive about it...they're entitled to their opinion.

I'll have a party the day the Redskins have to change their name. They've already lost copyright protection on it, so that's a start.

I would recommend talking with the parents of other white students, to see if they are having problems similar to yours. And if you see a pattern, then take it to the principal, then the school board.

Are you going to be branded as a racist? Sure...by some, maybe even by many. Fuck that...I'm assuming in this situation (demographics-wise), you are the minority. Just don't pull a Rush--"reverse discrimination" is a big no-no.

It's all in the presentation, really...

Quote Syc
Well, like I said before, I think the vast majority of racism occurs against blacks by whites. Racism against whites is a rather new phenomenon in my opinion. Oh sure, it has probably gone on for a long time, but as far as becoming a real issue, that seems to be just beginning--sorta like how sexual harrassment is becoming a very serious issue. Snip Quote

My dorm in Boston was adjacent to the Mission Hill area (slum) and contact with the residents was unavoidable. About 1/3 of the guys in the dorm were attacked physically, and many more verbally by black teenagers or men in their 20's. The unifying theme was all the victims were addressed as "whitey" or "white boy". It wasn't poverty because none of the victims were robbed.

All that was in the early 60's but the weekend after Labor Day a guy at work was killed in Wildwood for walking through the "wrong" neighborhood". Again not robbed just killed.

I don't approve but I understand how frustration builds up until you want to explode and lashing out at anyone you feel represents your unseen oppressor becomes a, maybe the, viable option.
But regardless of the reasons I'd call it racism pure and simple. It really pisses me off when they tell me that white on black is racism but black on white is backlash. Racism is racism and absolutely wrong from anyone, against anyone, for any reason.
Of course then you have to define what is and is not racism which opens a huge debate with everyone trying to gain an advantage and cover their own ass. People being people.

Now that Black people are the majority in Philly maybe things will change.

Two things set me off. One is when some black or hispanic guy says I don't like them because they're black or hispanic. No, I don't like you because you're an asshole. Race doesn't enter into it.
The other is blaming me for slavery. I had as much to do with slavery as I did with hurricane Isabel. Even if my ancestors *had* owned slaves,which they didn't, what the hell has that to do with me?

Now you know I'm a wiseguy and I take shots at everybody. But if I offend you it's me being an asshole not a racist. I do think rap sucks though.

Not the same perp, but some of the same posse.

Ok so they can't say it's just a continuence of a personal feud. Do you know what happened the that creep? I wonder if he's in the background? I also wonder how many other kids are dealing with similar shit? Can your kid fill in that info?

And now, back to Sports...
 

Before I start gloating, I think we'll avoid touching on the fact that my home football team is also one of those considered to be politically incorrect in the naming department (although their name derives from former Kansas City Mayor H. Roe Bartle, who was affectionately called "Chief" because he was the founder of the Tribe of Mic-O-Say, a sort of honor society amongst our local Boy Scouts...an honor society which uses Native American traditions in their practices). We do the tomahawk chop here, and have a lot of Native American motifs (hell, our stadium is named "Arrowhead", for crying out loud), possibly to our dishonor.

However, that doesn't change the fact that we are 5-0 after today's squeaker defeat of the Denver Donkeys, again thanks to a circus performance runback of a punt by Dante Hall...the incredible, NFL record-setting, peforming a feat never before performed by an NFL player, Dante Hall.

Our offense sputtered a bit once again, but our D stood tall when it counted. The Donkeys had a lot of luck, recovering a lot of fumbles that could easily have been lost, and Jake the Snake had a good game, as did Shannon Sharpe, but in the end, KC wins the battle of the AFC West undefeateds, and stands alone atop our division!

Woo Hoo?! Can I get a Woo Hoo!???

Woo Who.:p

Cowboys Eagles
 

Dave,

I'm new. I'm local. I'm a Cowboys fan. Look out this Sunday. Will it be Donovan we saw in the last 6 Cowboys games that squishes us under his boot heel, or the floundering mess he's been so far this year? Will Dandy Andy blow the game plan and try to throw on D. Woodson and Roy Williams all day, or will he remeber the running portion of his offense. Take the Eagles and the Under....I don't think Quincy can look that good for 4 games in a row.

Good luck...I'll be at the game here in december when Dallas comes a callin.

Ljim
:confused:

Quincy Carter is overrated because he's a black quarterback and the media wants him to do well.

QUNICY
 

He's Black????!!!!


:eek:

Will the madness never end?!!

How can a black guy be named Quincy? It defies logic. I thought he just had a good tan being down in Tx.

Chiefs are starting to scare even me...
 

I won't talk about how disgusted I am that I did not see the game today due to a previous commitment.

I will, however, mention two things...first, Dante Hall was within about two inches of yet another runback for a touchdown, thwarted only by the Packers' punter. Second...WHAT A COMEBACK!

This team has got some serious cojones, eh?

Re: QUNICY
 

Well, there's musical genius Quincy Jones...he's like 70-something now.

quincy jones
 

HE'S BLACK TOO!!!!!???????

( i can go on like this forever....can we just let it drop?)

Gah! PBurg is going to figure out a new way to lose every week.

I'm slipping...I failed to point out that the Chiefs are now 7-0...

Aaaaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!! Off week, they only have to beat the Rams. Theres a break.

The Steelers will be beaten like the stupid bitches they are. Sorry Griff. :)

Now, let's compare the Rams and Chiefs:

St. Louis
--nice, non-offensive name
--4-2...practically first place since Seattle really doesn't count
--number 2 offense
--number 8 defense
--Sycamore is from there...enough said.

Kansas City
--name could be considered offensive by some
--7-0, but perennial chokers
--number 11 offense
--6th worst defense
--Elspode...good guy, but not as cool as Sycamore

But the Chiefs have 3 more tough games this year, while the Rams have only 2.

Oh, and Dick Vermeil is a bastard.

The end.

But the "Bastard" is Reeeeaaalllly goooood!!!!!:D

Once again, we have a "Cardiac Kids" team, squeaking out one victory after another. They have yet to truly dominate a game. Fortunately, domination isn't a statistic that counts in the W/L column.

We have the Vikes and the Donkeys both in the last four weeks of the season. That'll be make or break, I think. The team attitude is excellent here in KC, though. One thing Vermiel brings is a real sense of *feeling*, a family sort of thing. A guy like Dante Hall, who really couldn't be faulted if he strutted a little and acted like hot shit, behaves like he's playing for his grandpa, and is as humble and well-behaved as you'd like your daughter's boyfriend to be. The rest of the Chiefs are much the same way. It is a very refreshing change after the criminal element we had here in the waning years of Martyball.

These guys might be the real thing, but they are going to have to step it up a notch.

And yeah, Syc, you probably are cooler than me. Hell, most people are cooler than me. I'm relatively unhip by modern standards. On the other hand, my team is 7-0... :p

Let's look at the Chiefs over the past 15 years:

2002: 8-8-0
2001: 6-10-0
2000: 7-9-0
1999: 9-7-0
1998: 7-9-0
1997: 13-3-0 (lost divisional playoff)
1996: 9-7-0
1995: 13-3-0 (lost divisional playoff)
1994: 9-7-0 (lost wildcard)
1993: 11-5-0 (lost AFC Championship)
1992: 10-6-0 (lost wildcard)
1991: 10-6-0 (lost divisional playoff)
1990: 11-5-0 (lost wildcard)
1989: 8-7-1
1988: 4-11-1

Anything's possible this year, but KC has a history of playoff futility here.

Glad I could help you out with that. :)