The Capital Times, February 7, 2005
Steve Mayer spouts off
By Steven Mayer
Staff Reporter
slm379@psu.edu
"And unlike most of the others
in the press box, we didn't give a
hoot in hell what was happening
on the track. We had come
there to watch the real beasts
perform," wrote great American
legend Hunter S. Thompson in
1970, accurately describing the
depravity and degeneracy that
surrounds the Kentucky Derby,
the Super Bowl of the "Sport of
Kings."
In many ways, this is my view of
contemporary sports in America.
My interest peaks, the innate,
primitive bloodlust takes over,
and I become enthralled when I
witness neckless professional
baseball players hopped-up on
horse steroids attempt to deny
investigative inquiries on nation
al television, or when 7-foot
mutants choke drunks at court
side. The only time when sports
are really of any amusement is
when human failure and barbar
ianism are on display for the
world to see.
However, in recent years,
entertainers performing at sport
ing events have become just as
important as the athletes on the
playing field.
Perhaps this is why I look for
ward to the all-star lineup of
mediocrity that will be perform
ing at the biggest single-day
sporting event the Super
Bowl.
Patriots can put dynastic touch on franchise
Patriots have a winning
formula and expected to
keep on winning after
Superbowl.
By BARRY WILNER
AP Football Writer
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. Copyright
2005 The Associated Press. All
rights reserved. This material
may not be published, broad
cast, rewritten or redistributed. -
New England Patriots vs.
Philadelphia Eagles in Super
Bowl 2005. And 2006. And 2007.
Don't laugh. Both franchises
are built to last, as much as any
team can last in the topsy-turvy
NFL of the salary-cap, free
agency era.
Whether the Eagles win their
first NFL championship since
1960 on Sunday, or the Patriots
become the second team to win
three Super Bowls in four years,
both will be favorites to win con
ference titles next season. There
is nothing fluky about either fran
chise.
"We try to use the same formu
la we use in business," Patriots
owner Robert Kraft said. "And
the primary thing is to get good
people. And when you get good
people who have a long-term
commitment and share your
vision on how you want to do
things, then good things can
happen."
Such as dominating the NFL in
a period when parity is rampant
and 8-8 teams make the play
offs. Not only has Kraft hired the
right people - coach Bill
Belichick, vice president of play
er personnel Scott Pioli - but
Belichick and Pioli have brought
in players who perfectly fit in
Foxboro.
That's hardly luck. Sure, they
Unfortunately, the upcoming
Super Bowl on February 6 will be
a kindler, gentler sporting event,
differing greatly from last year's
national crisis in which the gen
eral public was held captive and
forced to witness the horrors of
the female body and improper
use of the American flag.
This year's theme is "Building
Bridges," according to the organ
izers of the event.
The collective dumbness will
begin at the NFL Tailgate Party,
which will feature American Idol
winner Kelly Clarkson, the per
sonification of everything inher
ently flawed in democracy.
Also performing is country
"star" Gretchen Wilson, who will
combine forces and talent with
the Charlie Daniels Band, which
will probably result in a white
trash hybrid run amok that has
an affinity for the lost
Confederate cause and rampant
jingoism. You should not be sur
prised, --this is America-- David
Duke once had some clout in the
backwaters of Louisiana.
The night's main event, though,
will be the Ameriquest Mortgage
Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime
Show, because whenever I think
David Bowie would be a welcome addition to Steve Mayor's
dream Super Bowl XXXIX Halftime Show.
found Tom Brady in the sixth
round of the 2000 draft, but they
also held onto Brady by keeping
four quarterbacks that season,
the only team to do so, Pioli said.
And when Drew Bledsoe got hurt
in the second game of 2001, in
stepped Brady, who has yet to
lose a playoff game.
New England drafts well, par
ticularly after the first round.
Under the current regime, the
Pats have also gotten receiver
David Givens, center Dan
Koppen, cornerback Asante
Samuel and defensive lineman
Jarvis Green in the fourth round
or lower. In the second round
have come starters Matt Light,
Deion Branch and Eugene
Wilson.
The Patriots search for a spe
cific kind of player in the draft
and, especially, in free agency.
They always seem to find them:
versatile, unselfish and eager to
prove themselves.
"The system is a system that a
player has to be selfless, have to
be extremely competitive
because of the very competitive
environment, and it takes a lot of
discipline:" Pioli said. "When you
talk about discipline, it's not
about how long their hair is, or
how much jewelry they wear. We
have certain expectations of
guys being in the right place at
the right time and doing their job
a certain way."
That's also where the versatility
comes into play. So star receiver
Troy Brown can become a nickel
back. Linebackers Willie
McGinest, Tedy Bruschi and
Mike Vrabel can pop up any
where on the field. Five
receivers fit into the passing
game, and Brady seems com
fortable throwing to any of them.
When Belichick sought a run
of good, sincere rock music, I
think of mortgage rates and the
banking industry.
This tepid extravaganza stars
thee Sir Paul McCartney. The
only way this show could be
interesting is if Sir Paul were to
drop acid and scream, "I am the
Walrus" continually until David
Bowie, appearing as Ziggy
Stardust, drags him off the field,
bludgeons him, and returns to
perform his album Diamond
Dogs in its entirety. "This ain't
Rock 'n' Roll this is
Genocide," has always been one
of my favorite Bowie lyrics, and it
also complements the times
quite nicely.
If nothing else, this would at
least be memorable and proba
bly warrant taping a copy for
future generations.
Since this article will appear
after the big night, we will just
have to wait and see if my
dreams and wishes came true.
Maybe I will find a happy medi
um. Some other famous limeys
once sang, "You can't always get
what you want, but if you try
sometimes you just might find,
you get what you need."
I can only hope.
Photo courtesy of Google Images
ning back to balance the
offense, the Patriots traded for
Corey Dillon, who was labeled a
malcontent in Cincinnati. It
turned out Dillon's problem was
dealing with all the losing the
Bengals do. As a Patriot, he set
a team rushing record and could
be a key against the Eagles.
New England is facing the pos
sibility of losing clutch kicker
Adam Vinatieri, receiver David
Patten and starting guard Joe
Andruzzi as free agents. And
star cornerback Ty Law, whose
2005 salary cap hit is a prohibi
tive $12.5 million.
More likely, as Brady noted,
those teammates will stay.
"Anyone who plays on the Pats
understands that our goal is a
team goal," he said. "You make
sacrifices to fit into a general
structure of what the team is try
ing to accomplish."
What the Patriots are trying to
accomplish is to equal the
Cowboys' three titles in four sea
sons (1992, '93 and '95) under
far more difficult circumstances.
Just ask Jimmy Johnson, who
coached the first two of those
championship teams in Dallas.
"Yeah, I think they are a
dynasty since the salary cap
era," Johnson said. "I think the
job Bill Belichick and that organ
ization and his coaches have
done might be the best coaching
job ever in the history of the
NFL. Because when you get free
agency and player movement
and you've got to get them ready
to play not only every year but
every week, a different group,
you've got to be a pretty good
football coach."
and Jon Ritchie - only losing
Trotter would be particularly
damaging.
Opinion