Good Sunday. The Arizona Cardinals and the Pittsburgh Steelers are in the Super Bowl, and while I could detail the awesome and super-cool storylines contributing to the drama of the Big Game, I don't think I will. Instead, I will talk about the games.
First, the wonderful, terrible, gut-wrenching NFC Championship Game, featuring the perennially underachieving Cards and the recently big-game-choking Iggles. Good game, especially that Philly comeback, followed by that 'Zona comeback. Whoo!
And then the (I guess) cool AFC Championship Game, featuring two teams that hate each other, namely the Baltimore Ravens and the Pittsburgh Steelers. I guess it was a good game...I didn't watch it, but...yeah.
This is not a sports blog! But I seem to have been sports blogging here; that's not a good thing. Well, I guess it's not a bad thing, but this blog is called Ian The Pontificator's Uninformed Opinion, not Ian The Sports Geek's Uninformed Sports Blog. If I'm going to command respect or anything similar, I'm going to need to pull out the big guns: Philosophy.
And yet, I'm not exactly in a philosophical mood. Griffin knows I should be, 'cause I just watched what may be absolutely the most philosophical movie ever: The Matrix. Okay, nonexistent philosophy nerds who're reading this, shut up. I know you all have your own particular favorite real philosophy movie, but bah! Shut up and listen.
Actually, don't listen, because I don't do this Talking When Others Are Paying Attention bit very well. See, I think the whole "Neo as Jesus" thing is overrated. Sure, sure, it's pretty awesome how there's all that blatant stuff with The One and resurrection and flying--wait, Jesus couldnt...well, it's all very obvio. And I wonder if perhaps the learned Wachowski siblings are trying to make us concentrate on something small to obscure the huge things. For instance, most of my Christian friends focus on the Cool Symbolism and don't think about the philosophical ramifications of the lines being delivered. Here's the question: is The Matrix trilogy, usw, propounding trustworthy or untrustworthy stuff?
I mean, seriously. Look at it sometime. And forget the symbolism for a minute, and just watch it. Pay attention, and try to think about it.
Long live far-ranging topics!
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Legitimacy
Here's a question: as I sit here watching these historically chokey and cursed Cardinals (how's about that for some alliteration?) try to make their first Super Bowl Ever (the ever should be capitalized; just roll with it), I wonder what will happen if they lose. Of course, those weird Iggles fans who are everywhere ("the greater good," anyone?) will be as close to joyful as they ever are, but what happens to the image of the Cards? If they lose, and since they're still ahead one can't write them off, they will have choked away a 24-6 halftime lead.
So: if the Cards lose, will they still be chokers/cursed? I can see both sides of the issue. Some would say, "Jinglepuffs, people, the Cardinals won two straight playoff games as underdogs. How can they still have the label of 'choker/cursed'?" Others, however, will say the opposite. Their spin will make just as much sense: "They were up by 18 points with the Super Bowl on the line! And they lose! Is that not the definition of choking?"
Now all this may be, and hopefully will be, moot, because I fervently hope the underdog (?) Cardinals pull this one out. But there's a whole quarter of football yet to play. Go Cards!
Oh, and long live Controversy! (Pronounced conTROVersy, not CONtroversy. I like the British pronunciation better.)
So yeah:
Long live Controversy!
So: if the Cards lose, will they still be chokers/cursed? I can see both sides of the issue. Some would say, "Jinglepuffs, people, the Cardinals won two straight playoff games as underdogs. How can they still have the label of 'choker/cursed'?" Others, however, will say the opposite. Their spin will make just as much sense: "They were up by 18 points with the Super Bowl on the line! And they lose! Is that not the definition of choking?"
Now all this may be, and hopefully will be, moot, because I fervently hope the underdog (?) Cardinals pull this one out. But there's a whole quarter of football yet to play. Go Cards!
Oh, and long live Controversy! (Pronounced conTROVersy, not CONtroversy. I like the British pronunciation better.)
So yeah:
Long live Controversy!
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
What an Amazing Happenstance!
Sit up and take notice, all you nonexistent readers!
A student at Florida State University did something praiseworthy. Take a picture, please, and make today a national holiday. This has never happened before in the history of the universe, and most likely will never happen again.
What, it's that obvious that I hate FSU? Hmmmm. Well, at least I'm not deceiving you all. I hate FSU, but Myron Rolle, the Rhodes Award-winning safety, is forgoing the NFL, where he'd no doubt have a good career and make serious money, for the musty confines of Oxford. Dang it! Here I was hoping he'd give up on a promising career in medicine and become a typical punky mediocre NFL safety.
You know what, to heck with my UF loyalties. More power to you, Myron!
Long live right priorities!
A student at Florida State University did something praiseworthy. Take a picture, please, and make today a national holiday. This has never happened before in the history of the universe, and most likely will never happen again.
What, it's that obvious that I hate FSU? Hmmmm. Well, at least I'm not deceiving you all. I hate FSU, but Myron Rolle, the Rhodes Award-winning safety, is forgoing the NFL, where he'd no doubt have a good career and make serious money, for the musty confines of Oxford. Dang it! Here I was hoping he'd give up on a promising career in medicine and become a typical punky mediocre NFL safety.
You know what, to heck with my UF loyalties. More power to you, Myron!
Long live right priorities!
Monday, January 12, 2009
The Infestation
There are three teams with the nickname "Birds" in the NFL playoffs. Believe it! The Iggles are sometimes called the Birds, the Cardinals are sometimes called the Birds, and the Steelers...ha ha. No. The Ravens are sometimes called the Birds. Now if only Atlanta had been seeded differently, we'd have an all-Bird Conference Championship Sunday. Oh well. We're not in an ornithopter, so I guess we can't expect the most crazy and awesome stuff.
Long live crazy statisticians like Ian the Pontificator!
Long live crazy statisticians like Ian the Pontificator!
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Breaking the Curse, and Other Uninformed Opinions
So, perhaps...perhaps...the Arizona Cardinals have broken the curse which has bound them for, well, forever. At least it seems like forever. Put it this way: my esteemed father was not born the last time the Cards won a playoff game. So yeah, it's been a long time, and it's hard not to share in the joy that die-hard Cards fans, if such even exist, must now be feeling. They've waited long enough, and now they can enjoy it.
It seems, as well, that the San Diego Chargers have defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in overtime to win that game. I must say that I'm surprised; even though the Colts have had difficulty, even counterintuitive difficulty with the Chargers, I still expected and hoped that Tony Dungy and the oft-injured Colts would ride their hot streak into the title game, at least.
But on the whole, it was a good night for football. Even though I'm still not sure San Diego belonged in the playoffs, they played a good game tonight, and nothing says "legitimacy" like winning in overtime. Well...perhaps there a few things which say "legitimacy" better, like a big bronze placard which says "Legitimacy" on it, but figuratively...you know what, to heck with it.
Closing thoughts, then, are in order, and they are as follows:
First, the Terminator franchise takes itself way, way too seriously, and yet I don't hate the series. Usually, if a movie or series of movies takes itself too seriously, I dislike it, instinctively. Terminator is too much fun to be worth anything as a serious critique of an increasingly automated society, or as a philosophical exploration of time travel, either.
Secondly, I'm not sure if I admire or despise Sylvester Stallone as an actor.
Third, my window is making funny noises.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, right there.
Long live self-awareness!
It seems, as well, that the San Diego Chargers have defeated the Indianapolis Colts 23-17 in overtime to win that game. I must say that I'm surprised; even though the Colts have had difficulty, even counterintuitive difficulty with the Chargers, I still expected and hoped that Tony Dungy and the oft-injured Colts would ride their hot streak into the title game, at least.
But on the whole, it was a good night for football. Even though I'm still not sure San Diego belonged in the playoffs, they played a good game tonight, and nothing says "legitimacy" like winning in overtime. Well...perhaps there a few things which say "legitimacy" better, like a big bronze placard which says "Legitimacy" on it, but figuratively...you know what, to heck with it.
Closing thoughts, then, are in order, and they are as follows:
First, the Terminator franchise takes itself way, way too seriously, and yet I don't hate the series. Usually, if a movie or series of movies takes itself too seriously, I dislike it, instinctively. Terminator is too much fun to be worth anything as a serious critique of an increasingly automated society, or as a philosophical exploration of time travel, either.
Secondly, I'm not sure if I admire or despise Sylvester Stallone as an actor.
Third, my window is making funny noises.
From the sublime to the ridiculous, right there.
Long live self-awareness!