I Am SOOOOO Proud To Be a Fan of the New England Patriots

[Patriot_in_NY]

You evidently don't understand the business structure of MLB.

Your point makes sense if you're discussing the NFL.

........... and that is precisely is my point.

The lunatics are running the asylum in baseball, which is why it is losing it's market share. That's no more apparent then what's happening with the Sox right now. Thats not the way it should be though, and not the way it used to be.

 

[shmessy]

........... and that is precisely is my point.

The lunatics are running the asylum in baseball, which is why it is losing it's market share. That's no more apparent then what's happening with the Sox right now. Thats not the way it should be though, and not the way it used to be.

Amen.

Why anyone would want to financially reward that is beyond me.

The Sox are now having a harder time selling out Fenway and their ratings are down.

Capitalism works.

Fans who truly care about their team do NOT continue to financially support the Victor Kiams and the Dan Snyders by handing over their hard earned money to those miscreants. They PROTEST, they call talk radio, they boycott products endorsed by the offending athletes or owned by the offending owners. They affect CHANGE because they care.

It doesn't mean a fan doesn't care - - in fact, fans who really care simply don't enable. Kiam HAD to sell out because the New England fans refused to enable him. Snyder is making money off of a far less critical, pink hat market. In NY, Philly or Boston Snyder would have been run out of town 5-6 years ago.

People don't have to be sheep. Although, evidently, some want to be.

 

[sdaniels7114]

Comparing baseball team management to Football team management is like comparing how the Marines manage battles to how Stephen Spielberg manages the making of movies. You can't learn anything by putting them next to each other they're too different.

That being said Bobby V needed to wait a bit before attacking Youk. He screwed up, not in speaking but in speaking too soon. 10 games is nothing in Baseball.

 

[Joker]

Uh...please, I'm not starting anything remotely akin to an an argument Shmessy...BUT...uh...Beckett was in the running for the Cy Young (yes,one of the top three candidates, look it up if you don't believe me) going into September. He hurt himself falling awkwardly off the mound in Toronto on September 5th, and went on to beat Tampa Bay and lose twice to Baltimore...the fact is his ERA was 2.50 after the TB game and it rose to 2.80 the final two games, but to say he's a dog faker and the twin brother of that crudbag waste of DNA, John Wackey, is a bit over the top....and if anyone here knows over the top it's Joe "I Despise Wrecks Cryan" Kerr.

I get it...you hate Beckett...and that's fine....myself, I think he's still a good veteran pitcher with above average stuff. The fact that he's a public azzole now and then really fits in with the rest of these prima donnas....and yes, I mean Ortiz, Youkilis,Bucholz, Pedey and the rest of the chicken eating crew who mouth off about "that's how we do things here" and cash hundred thousand dollar checks every freakin' week.

 

[Wolfpack]

All I know is that, speaking only for myself, I sure am proud to say I've been a lifelong Patriots fan. I was a fan of their's when they were an extremely poorly run organization and I had to sit on freezing cold aluminum benches. I didn't become a fan at 10:30 in the evening of February 3, 2002.

I guess some people think it's silly to give money to an organization that is so poorly run like the Pats were for so long, but that's why I have 4 seats in a row in the teens on the 40 yard line for a football dynasty, while others have to go to StubHub and eBay.

 

[Patriot_in_NY]

I guess some people think it's silly to give money to an organization that is so poorly run like the Pats were for so long, but that's why I have 4 seats in a row in the teens on the 40 yard line for a football dynasty, while others have to go to StubHub and eBay.

Do you need any more friends

Actually, I'm a lifelong Pats fan. I too remember the Hugh Millan days. I still love the Sox too, I'm just disappointed with where they are at right now. That doesn't mean I'll love them any less. It's just frustrating to watch.

 

[shmessy]

Uh...please, I'm not starting anything remotely akin to an an argument Shmessy...BUT...uh...Beckett was in the running for the Cy Young (yes,one of the top three candidates, look it up if you don't believe me) going into September. He hurt himself falling awkwardly off the mound in Toronto on September 5th, and went on to beat Tampa Bay and lose twice to Baltimore...the fact is his ERA was 2.50 after the TB game and it rose to 2.80 the final two games, but to say he's a dog faker and the twin brother of that crudbag waste of DNA, John Wackey, is a bit over the top....and if anyone here knows over the top it's Joe "I Despise Wrecks Cryan" Kerr.

I get it...you hate Beckett...and that's fine....myself, I think he's still a good veteran pitcher with above average stuff. The fact that he's a public azzole now and then really fits in with the rest of these prima donnas....and yes, I mean Ortiz, Youkilis,Bucholz, Pedey and the rest of the chicken eating crew who mouth off about "that's how we do things here" and cash hundred thousand dollar checks every freakin' week.

I hear ya, Joe. It's just that Beckett has come into camp for several years clearly flabby - -that being said he is an incredibly talented pitcher. I'm just not a fan of his work ethic and the whole chicken/beer thing - - his only concern in the aftermath was not remorse to the fans but who the snitch was.

Say what you will about Youkilis and Pedroia - - they both will run through a concrete wall. Which is why Bobby Microphone is out of his league for singling Youkilis out for his effort instead of the unrepentant suds and wings corner.

 

[ProudestRyno]

But Francona is not there anymore.

The decision to blame it on Francona was an unmitigated disaster. The minute he was out the door, that franchise lost all credibility. Hiring Bobby Microphone shows they are the New York Jets now. While my son still has the Red Sox Fever (he's young and innocent enough to just "root for the laundry") he is also beginning to take more of an interest in the Washington Nationals, and I'm happy for that.

They should have shipped off the walking cancers of Beckett and Lackey and built a statue to Francona. A franchise is judged on the people who make it up.

What they did was akin to coddling Terry Glenn while firing Bill Belichick. Yet it is Belichick who is denigrated by the baseball loving Shaughnessy's, Cafardos and Massarottis.

Why anyone would want to waste their time eating what the Boston Globe serves (marketing the Sox and deriding the Pats) is beyond belief.

In other words, you and and your family are bandwagon/frontrunner fans. I bet you were a big Sox fan back in 2008 after they won the WS in 04 and 07.

Are you going to ditch the Pats too once Brady is gone?

Who do you suggest they replace Josh Beckett with? You seem like a foolish baseball "fan"

 

[shmessy]

In other words, you and and your family are bandwagon/frontrunner fans. I bet you were a big Sox fan back in 2008 after they won the WS in 04 and 07.

Are you going to ditch the Pats too once Brady is gone?

Ironically, you couldn't be more wrong if you tried!

Actually quite the opposite is what occurred. Winning it all in 2004 actually got me OFF my Red Sox fandom. The quest for the unreachable prize was what made the Sox so different for me at the time - - anyone who went through the 60's, 70's and 80's knows what I mean. Once they banished all the demons, they just became another MLB team. And the MLB is a very broken model league. Players run things - - there is no REAL salary cap and they have guaranteed contracts. In the NFL, Green Bay can compete money-wise on a long-term basis on an even playing field with New York.

All I want for my team is 100% focus, dedication and respect for the sport and the fans.

Beckett is enormously talented, no doubt. He, however, does share some Lackey traits.

I always have been a Pats fan since Hannah and Sam Bam got here in the 1973 draft (didn't know then who Darryl Stingley was). As I've written before, my fandom was cemented early in the 1974 season when Bob Windsor ended his career by tearing up his knee scoring the winning TD against the, then, unbeatable Vikings IN MINNESOTA.

I've been with the Pats through thick and thin. I even had a few shares of the worthless "stock" Billy Sullivan sold (and yanked back a few years later) to the fans.

There is a difference between a) supporting a team and b) FINANCIALLY supporting a team. I did not buy a ticket or merchandise for the Patriots during the Kiam period (at the time, I was saddened by the Sullivans losing the team and saw Kiam for what he was). I wanted the BUSINESS end of the franchise to sell to an owner who had the New England FANS priorities as the owner's priorities.

That actually turned out well (not because of me, but so many others did the same). Were it not for fans boycotting Kiam, Bob Kraft might still be owning tennis teams.

NY, Philly and Boston would never allow a Dan Snyder to last 14 years and make money. Redskins fans are lemmings. I can't see why a fan in San Francisco could "root for the laundry" and cheer Barry Bonds and buy his merchandise.

Your question about being a fan of the Pats once Brady is gone is way too shallow. I will always be FINANCIALLY SUPPORTIVE fan of the Patriots as long as Bob Kraft owns the team. I will always be a fan of the Patriots. Plenty of fans don't buy the tickets or merchandise - - they can still be part of unauthorized fan clubs, websites, etc. The next owner will have to earn my MONEY (and that includes Jonathan who I'm not so sure is like his old man).

But to answer your question, some fans are suckers. I see them everyday down here in Redskin Land. They should take control of THEIR team. Boycott the games and don't buy the Little Cretin's merchandise. Force him to sell. That is what the true, hardcore Redskin fans are aiming for. Here are the fans who TRULY care about the Redskins: Fire Dan Snyder! | Sports | Washingtonian

 

[condon84]

Terry managed possibly the greatest Red Sox lineups since they won the WS in the early 1900s. His managerial style of "hey guys, you can do it, I believe in you" doesn't really speak highly of his quality as a manager. His "stay out of the players way" managing style suited our team which was and is still full of prima donnas. Bobby V may know more about baseball and the strategy of baseball, but his confrontational style is not going to fit well with these spoiled athletes.

 

[Ivan]

the entire Boston press STILL hasn't found the way out of Francona's colon...meanwhile, the Valentine led Sawx have taken 3 straight from the Rays, the team that was a mystery to the "Blessed Ter" for 9 years....Bobby V is ruffling feathers just like BB did...I think he's got more in common with Beli than Francoma could ever dream of...

Valentine is the polar opposite of Belichick, he's a self promoting loudmouth who knows far less than he pretends to. Regardless of how Youkolis is producing he always gives it all and questioning that is ridiculous, and his shot at him for "getting his OBP above his batting average" was something a 3rd grader would do. Francona was a class act who had worn out his ability to get the most out of the team and it was time for him to move on, but replacing him with a lout like Valentine was a really stupid move by the Red Sox. he will be gone by the end of the year and Luchino will look like a fool for bringing him in.

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

My over all take on the Sox at this point, as a 15 year season ticket holder, is that a lot of the backlash seems to come from the way the team has been marketed and (over) sold to the general populace. Buy a book, buy a brick, the dating show, the "Remy awards", pop a balloon, etc, etc, etc, etc...It NEVER stops. To me, I want it to be about baseball and the team.

I like baseball. However, I hate the average person I sit around at Fenway at this point. The people who are there to drink and don't know a darn thing about anyone besides "PAAAAPI" and come to sing sweet caroline even if they are losing 17-3. These are the people to whom Henry, Luchino, and Werner have sold the product. It has ruined it in a lot of aspects to me.

There were times before 2004 that I couldn't get someone to go to a game with me for one reason or another and would go alone and talk baseball with those around me. Now? Aside from pricing some of the regulars around me out of their seats, I am like a Jack in the Box, getting up every other inning while the drunk bro and his tipsy girlfriend in her pink Elsburry t-shirt trek to and from the concession stand.

On top of this the ownership has their hands in auto racing and European soccer, two things I couldn't care less about. However, from what I've heard/read, the ownership is taking a lot of heat from their soccer fanbase as well. At what point do they learn their lesson?

Apparently they haven't yet because they continue to throw former players, managers, coaches, and gm's under the bus as they leave here. They already tied their new GM's hands by overriding his choice for manager with their choice. The GM has then gone out of his way to defend his players against the manager...It is an unbelievable sight really.

I am not a big Bobby V fan...at all. I don't like how he makes it all about him, I don't like media appearances all over the place, I don't like talking about players in the media before talking to the player, etc. I was a huge supporter of Francona but you have to give Valentine a chance with a healthy roster. Give him Crawford, Elsbury, Bailey, (dare I say) Dice-K, and see what he can do. Perhaps see what could happen with Iglesias and Kalish up later in the year and see how this team performs under Valentine before making a judgment on his managerial abilities.

 

[Real World]

All I know is that, speaking only for myself, I sure am proud to say I've been a lifelong Patriots fan. I was a fan of their's when they were an extremely poorly run organization and I had to sit on freezing cold aluminum benches. I didn't become a fan at 10:30 in the evening of February 3, 2002.

I guess some people think it's silly to give money to an organization that is so poorly run like the Pats were for so long, but that's why I have 4 seats in a row in the teens on the 40 yard line for a football dynasty, while others have to go to StubHub and eBay.

Fellow diehard here. I remember driving to Suffolk Downs, or random bars trying to find a feed to the game. Virtually every home game was blacked out back then. So it was Dale Arnold on the AM dial, or hop in the car and try to find a broadcast somewhere.

I will say this about the Sox of today, and our support of other teams in the past. The issue people have with the Sox, and it may even be emblimatic of todays baseball player as well, is that they come across as being all about profit. Tickets to Fenway are outrageously expensive, and they've become a sort of pink hat catoring, suck every dime out of you franchise. Then you add in the whiny players on their team, and you can see where fans would be upset. I'm not a Sox though, so keep that in mind.

Do you need any more friends

Actually, I'm a lifelong Pats fan. I too remember the Hugh Millan days. I still love the Sox too, I'm just disappointed with where they are at right now. That doesn't mean I'll love them any less. It's just frustrating to watch.

Worse was the Marc Wilson era. Do you remember arguably the worst QB I've ever seen, Jeff Carslon? That was one rough stretch for us Pats fans. Ewww.

 

[Joker]

Worse was the Marc Wilson era. Do you remember arguably the worst QB I've ever seen, Jeff Carslon? That was one rough stretch for us Pats fans. Ewww.

personally, I thought the worst Patriot QB that could ever possibly exist was Joe Kapp...I suffered through THAT season in 1970. We gave the Vikes TWO number one picks for that bum,the cost decided and demanded by Rozelle. I'm not sure but I think the only wins in that 2-12 season were the ones where he got knocked out of the game. I saw THIS up close during one game, he drops back to pass, throws and out and the ball actually goes end over end like a kickoff....for real....gawd, he was awful.

 

[shmessy]

Worse was the Marc Wilson era. Do you remember arguably the worst QB I've ever seen, Jeff Carslon? That was one rough stretch for us Pats fans. Ewww.

personally, I thought the worst Patriot QB that could ever possibly exist was Joe Kapp...I suffered through THAT season in 1970. We gave the Vikes TWO number one picks for that bum,the cost decided and demanded by Rozelle. I'm not sure but I think the only wins in that 2-12 season were the ones where he got knocked out of the game. I saw THIS up close during one game, he drops back to pass, throws and out and the ball actually goes end over end like a kickoff....for real....gawd, he was awful.

That was the last season in exile. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to start a turnaround.

1971 they get Plunkett and Vataha and a new (crappy, but all-football) stadium. Plus that year they got my hero, Bob Windsor. They still stunk for a few years, but you could see the young guys beginning to put in the foundation for something competitive.

 

[Joker]

yeah...too bad they used Plunkett as a crash test dummy

 

[captain stone]

Appropos of I don't know what, but when Theo the Boy Blunder of Brookline joined the Cubs
(and enjoy not winning a WS for another century w/ that pompous, over-rated, gorilla-suit-wearing fraud
as your GM, Cubs fans), Sox management should have demanded that the compensation comprise
entirely of ass-uming the grotesquely bloated contracts of Lackey, Jenks & Crawford. No middling,
injury-prone minor-leaguer in return, thank you very little.

 

[AzPatsFan]

That was the last season in exile. Sometimes you have to hit rock bottom to start a turnaround.

1971 they get Plunkett and Vataha and a new (crappy, but all-football) stadium. Plus that year they got my hero, Bob Windsor. They still stunk for a few years, but you could see the young guys beginning to put in the foundation for something competitive.

Windsor's goal line score was the epitome of ... go for it. A great play and a career ender.

 

[PatsFanSince74]

In Valentines defense, Youkilis has been beyond worthless since the start of Spring Training. He shouldnt have said anything, but seriously he can't hit worth a damn right now and his fielding is sub par.

Yo, he's engaged to Tommy's sister. You want maybe that TB send a couple of his linemen over to your house for an attitude adjustment session? :singing:

 

[BradfordPatsFan]

Appropos of I don't know what, but when Theo the Boy Blunder of Brookline joined the Cubs
(and enjoy not winning a WS for another century w/ that pompous, over-rated, gorilla-suit-wearing fraud
as your GM, Cubs fans), Sox management should have demanded that the compensation comprise
entirely of ass-uming the grotesquely bloated contracts of Lackey, Jenks & Crawford. No middling,
injury-prone minor-leaguer in return, thank you very little.

You can say this but it has been said on more than one occasion that the Lackey signing was 100% ownership's choice, not Theo's. They wanted to sign the biggest fish out there and Lackey qualified. I doubt that a GM who is so absorbed in numbers would go after a guy whose career numbers at fenway were abysmal.

Also, there were reports that the contract Theo wanted to offer Crawford was two years shorter than the one that he ended up getting because ownership wanted to "blow him out of the water" so he wouldn't be enticed to shop around. My real problem with the Crawford signing is the fact that Tampa knew he was hurt, how did the Red Sox not know this?