AFAIK, she's not going to get involved in the Ukraine war any time soon, so you'll probably be free of her there. Unless the Russian military has lots of Swifties.
SPORTS BALL!!! v2.0
- Thread starter Xprimentyl
- Start date
The AFL and NRL grand finals were this weekend and good lord it was an amazing weekend of sport
The AFL gf was an absolute barnburner, just two talented teams going tooth and nail all game in front of a crowd of 100,00. In the last 30 seconds either team could win. Nothing to complain about with this one other than the fact Collingwood won grumble grumble.
The NRL gf was a little more interesting. The current Penrith team is one of the best teams ever and was going for their third consecutive title, the first three peat since 1983 and they have Nathan Cleary, he best player right now, if not ever. They were going up against Brisbane which is a team full of young stars with heaps of momentum through the finals. Brisbane were killing it all game and with 15 mins left the score was 24 - 8. Penrith ended up winning 26 - 24 just absolutely dominating the end of the game with Cleary ending up with 148 METERS gained, kicking every field goal he attempted and scoring the winning try. This is a 28 - 3, Warriors up 3-1, Mariners 2001 level choke by Brisbane. Like, catastrophic tier stuff. All they had to do was put up half decent defense for 15 mins, like, 4 defensive sets and they had it in the bag. Just an absolute masterpiece of a fuck up in the final game of the season. This Penrith team is a juggernaut and scariest of all they should all be coming back next season too. There's a big chance they make it at least to the final again next year and do it all over again. One of the best performances I've ever seen in the NRL and the best comeback the league ever seen too.
The AFL gf was an absolute barnburner, just two talented teams going tooth and nail all game in front of a crowd of 100,00. In the last 30 seconds either team could win. Nothing to complain about with this one other than the fact Collingwood won grumble grumble.
The NRL gf was a little more interesting. The current Penrith team is one of the best teams ever and was going for their third consecutive title, the first three peat since 1983 and they have Nathan Cleary, he best player right now, if not ever. They were going up against Brisbane which is a team full of young stars with heaps of momentum through the finals. Brisbane were killing it all game and with 15 mins left the score was 24 - 8. Penrith ended up winning 26 - 24 just absolutely dominating the end of the game with Cleary ending up with 148 METERS gained, kicking every field goal he attempted and scoring the winning try. This is a 28 - 3, Warriors up 3-1, Mariners 2001 level choke by Brisbane. Like, catastrophic tier stuff. All they had to do was put up half decent defense for 15 mins, like, 4 defensive sets and they had it in the bag. Just an absolute masterpiece of a fuck up in the final game of the season. This Penrith team is a juggernaut and scariest of all they should all be coming back next season too. There's a big chance they make it at least to the final again next year and do it all over again. One of the best performances I've ever seen in the NRL and the best comeback the league ever seen too.
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My 49ers pulled off a convincing win last night against the Cardinals. Christian McCaffrey looked incredible, but my worry is that our scheme leans too heavily on him; he's going to get hurt. We need to spread the wealth given the abundance of talent we have available to us, i.e.: Aiyuk, Kittle, Samuels, Jennings, Mitchel, etc. We are a threat at nearly every position, but we kept giving the ball to McCaffrey! I was arguing with my buddy (also a Niners' fan) via text last night, and he's of the mindset that "if it ain't broke, don't fix it," meaning McCaffrey was working, why would would change, but I tried to explain he's getting hit EVERY SINGLE PLAY. He's being targeted and tackled, which once every few plays is expected, but constantly over 60 minutes, that shit wears you down and opens you up for injury, and we are no stranger to devastating injuries!
I'm happy with the win, just worried that any other team who watched that game has put a bigger target on McCaffrey's back than our talent pool merits; we can easily spread defenses out and keep DCs guessing. I dunno, maybe the team had the Cardinals so figured out that McCaffrey was all they needed; we'll see how McCaffrey-heavy we go next week... against the Cowboys, the only game I need to win at a level so fundamental, I might actually shit myself, win or lose, the only difference being, I will be crying while shitting myself if we lose.
I'm happy with the win, just worried that any other team who watched that game has put a bigger target on McCaffrey's back than our talent pool merits; we can easily spread defenses out and keep DCs guessing. I dunno, maybe the team had the Cardinals so figured out that McCaffrey was all they needed; we'll see how McCaffrey-heavy we go next week... against the Cowboys, the only game I need to win at a level so fundamental, I might actually shit myself, win or lose, the only difference being, I will be crying while shitting myself if we lose.
Yeah, that strategy didn't make a lot of sense to me. It is the kind of gameplay you utilize against a high scoring offense, to keep them off the field. And while I enjoyed watching them beat the Cowboys, Arizona does not have a high-powered offense. The 49ers could pretty easily best the Cardinals in a shootout, if I was a betting man I'd have gone for the over... and I'd have won. But that's because that over under of 45.5 was way lower than it should have been. The only thing I can point to was it was still close going into the 4th quarter and maybe they spent a majority of the game in "preserve the lead" mode, when with the 49ers talent I prefer "foot on the gas" strategy.
Hectic weekend of sports for me:
Formula 1, Friday morning, Bottas qualified 9th for Sunday's race where he finished 8th just ahead of his teammate Zhou. A double-points finish for Alfa Romeo.
NCAA football, my gf's Oklahoma Sooners won the Red River Rivalry against the Texas Longhorns despite her giving up when Texas went up a field goal in the 4th with 1:17 on the clock and OU was out of timeouts. I told her to be patient, and they punched in the TD for the lead and win. My Ohio Sate Buckeyes started off a bit rocky against the Maryland Terrapins, but then we remember who we were, and hung 37 on their 17.
NFL, the Saint blew out the Patriots, 34-0, oh my GAWD, and my 49ers DESTROYED the Cowboys, 42-10. I spent the whole weekend ignoring texts from Cowboys' fans, so I was very busy replying to them all last night. Curious that no one has responded to me yet
...
And to top it all off, I just found out my job is honoring Columbus Day today, and I have the day off! Literally the perfect weekend for me. If I died right now, I'd go straight to hell with a smile on my face.
Formula 1, Friday morning, Bottas qualified 9th for Sunday's race where he finished 8th just ahead of his teammate Zhou. A double-points finish for Alfa Romeo.
NCAA football, my gf's Oklahoma Sooners won the Red River Rivalry against the Texas Longhorns despite her giving up when Texas went up a field goal in the 4th with 1:17 on the clock and OU was out of timeouts. I told her to be patient, and they punched in the TD for the lead and win. My Ohio Sate Buckeyes started off a bit rocky against the Maryland Terrapins, but then we remember who we were, and hung 37 on their 17.
NFL, the Saint blew out the Patriots, 34-0, oh my GAWD, and my 49ers DESTROYED the Cowboys, 42-10. I spent the whole weekend ignoring texts from Cowboys' fans, so I was very busy replying to them all last night. Curious that no one has responded to me yet
...And to top it all off, I just found out my job is honoring Columbus Day today, and I have the day off! Literally the perfect weekend for me. If I died right now, I'd go straight to hell with a smile on my face.
I remember being cautiously optimistic when the Broncos signed Russell Wilson, I didn't think it would lead us to the promised land or anything, but holy shit how has it gone this bad. We're toothless all through the team. Even our defense which carried us to respectability last season can't do a job anymore. If the idea with this era was to try and recreate the Manning/Fox era then the front office is as dumb as they look. Wilson ain't Peyton Manning and Sean Payton is a better coach than Rick Fox (in my option but by the end of this season that will probably be turned on its head) but he wasn't great in his final season with NO, and didn't look great without Brees. The Avs better come out firing it's gonna be a rough few weeks. Basketball can't come back quick enough, I need my big Serbian boy to take the pain away.
I know mental health is a hot topic, so I qualify this sentiment as highly hyperbolic: I wanted to kill myself yesterday. My 49ers, one of only two undefeated teams in the NFL, LOST yesterday to the fucking Cleveland Browns. I am not a shit talker; I don't care how great we look on paper, in film, or out of the mouths of pundits, you will never find me swaggering like our shit doesn't stink. I don't "expect" to win every game, much less am I'm going to throw my expectations in the face of an opponent. So when my humility is validated in an "any given Sunday" game like yesterday's loss, it stings pretty badly.
Against my better judgement, I let my gf talk me into going to a sports bar to watch the game; her Saints and Seahawks were playing at the same time as my Niners, and instead of playing musical TVs at home, we opted to go somewhere where our heads on a swivel could watch all three games. Know this: I am VERY passionate when it comes to my Niners. I don't care where I'm at, who's around, you need to know, if my Niners are playing, I'm going to be loud. I was the lone Niners fan in a half empty bar where only ONE other guy was watching the games, and he was staunchly anti-Niners (Cowboys' fan.) I was watching quietly the whole game (which is rare for me, but a close one tempers my enthusiasm,) and when we missed that final field goal that would have sealed the win, I shouted "MOTHER FUCKER!!!!" at the top of my lungs. The whole bar turned to look at me, saw me in my Purdy jersey, and decided it wasn't an "active shooter" situation, just a devastated fan, but this +300 lbs dude stood up and shouted at me "That's what you get you cocky sumbitches!" I politely replied with something to the effect of "you need to sit the fuck down before I knock you the fuck down," a threat which I've no way of backing up save for pure fury and passion; that guy could easily have killed me. He came over and extended his hand saying it wasn't personal, he just really hates the Niners. I respect that; the Niners/Cowboys is a storied rivalry, and only a week prior we routed his Cowboys pretty badly. We shook hands agreeing to disagree, but I still needed to leave as I was intoxicated, furious, and extremely sad, i.e.: I wanted to kill myself. Got home, and unceremoniously hung my Purdy jersey back up until next week.
My gf's other favorite team is the Eagles, the only other undefeated team, and they were the midday game and televised, so she wanted to watch the game at home (mostly because she was afraid my ass might be tasked to cash the checks my mouth was writing if I kept drinking.) She wanted me to "get over" my loss and support "her team" last night since her Saints and Seahawks both lost earlier too. Huh, almost 8 years together, and she still doesn't know who she's talking to on NFL Sunday. In the NFL, she has 30 "favorite" teams; the only two teams she won't actively root for are the Cowboys because she's surrounded by Cowboys fans, and the 49ers, because she lives with an insane person who values his life based on their win/loss ratio, and proudly wears a "Fuck The Seahawks" t-shirt whenever the Niners play them. The other 30 teams, she likes because she's either been to the city, or she likes a team vicariously through a friend or family member who supports them. I didn't say anything, but the only saving grace for me yesterday would have been the Eagles losing too so I wouldn't have to hear Sports Center talking heads regurgitating "the ONLY undefeated team in the league" for the next week. They played the Jets; it was unlikely they would lose... but they did! I went from devastation and recklessly risking my life bullying a man twice my size, to 3 hours of silence as I seethed watching the Eagles play, to an outburst if elation in the face of my gf's despair. I almost spit on her Jason Kelce jersey (which I bought her) while she was wearing it, but even in my bitterly spiteful and euphoric state, I knew that'd have been a bridge too far.
TL;DR? I am insane, capable of few things, but willing to do most things, and a Niners' game is my hair trigger.
Against my better judgement, I let my gf talk me into going to a sports bar to watch the game; her Saints and Seahawks were playing at the same time as my Niners, and instead of playing musical TVs at home, we opted to go somewhere where our heads on a swivel could watch all three games. Know this: I am VERY passionate when it comes to my Niners. I don't care where I'm at, who's around, you need to know, if my Niners are playing, I'm going to be loud. I was the lone Niners fan in a half empty bar where only ONE other guy was watching the games, and he was staunchly anti-Niners (Cowboys' fan.) I was watching quietly the whole game (which is rare for me, but a close one tempers my enthusiasm,) and when we missed that final field goal that would have sealed the win, I shouted "MOTHER FUCKER!!!!" at the top of my lungs. The whole bar turned to look at me, saw me in my Purdy jersey, and decided it wasn't an "active shooter" situation, just a devastated fan, but this +300 lbs dude stood up and shouted at me "That's what you get you cocky sumbitches!" I politely replied with something to the effect of "you need to sit the fuck down before I knock you the fuck down," a threat which I've no way of backing up save for pure fury and passion; that guy could easily have killed me. He came over and extended his hand saying it wasn't personal, he just really hates the Niners. I respect that; the Niners/Cowboys is a storied rivalry, and only a week prior we routed his Cowboys pretty badly. We shook hands agreeing to disagree, but I still needed to leave as I was intoxicated, furious, and extremely sad, i.e.: I wanted to kill myself. Got home, and unceremoniously hung my Purdy jersey back up until next week.
My gf's other favorite team is the Eagles, the only other undefeated team, and they were the midday game and televised, so she wanted to watch the game at home (mostly because she was afraid my ass might be tasked to cash the checks my mouth was writing if I kept drinking.) She wanted me to "get over" my loss and support "her team" last night since her Saints and Seahawks both lost earlier too. Huh, almost 8 years together, and she still doesn't know who she's talking to on NFL Sunday. In the NFL, she has 30 "favorite" teams; the only two teams she won't actively root for are the Cowboys because she's surrounded by Cowboys fans, and the 49ers, because she lives with an insane person who values his life based on their win/loss ratio, and proudly wears a "Fuck The Seahawks" t-shirt whenever the Niners play them. The other 30 teams, she likes because she's either been to the city, or she likes a team vicariously through a friend or family member who supports them. I didn't say anything, but the only saving grace for me yesterday would have been the Eagles losing too so I wouldn't have to hear Sports Center talking heads regurgitating "the ONLY undefeated team in the league" for the next week. They played the Jets; it was unlikely they would lose... but they did! I went from devastation and recklessly risking my life bullying a man twice my size, to 3 hours of silence as I seethed watching the Eagles play, to an outburst if elation in the face of my gf's despair. I almost spit on her Jason Kelce jersey (which I bought her) while she was wearing it, but even in my bitterly spiteful and euphoric state, I knew that'd have been a bridge too far.
TL;DR? I am insane, capable of few things, but willing to do most things, and a Niners' game is my hair trigger.
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When I was a kid I used to get sooo depressed whenever the Pistons lost. This was during the bad boys era, but the first time I ever really got addicted to anything as a sports fan. I continued watching basketball even after the Bulls took over because well, MJ was just fun to watch. But yeah, I kinda backed away from it all after that for my sanity lol.
For shits and giggles -
You're a better man than me. I'm a +30 year Niners fan; it's basically a part of my DNA; I couldn't "back away" if I wanted to.
I think it's just a lot more frustrating this year because we've been "built to win NOW" for a few years now, and keep coming up short. Two NFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl appearance in the past few years, a luxury very few teams can boast, yet we haven't been able to seal the deal. And all of this "close, but no cigar" can't last forever. Our roster is stacked with young talent, an embarrassment of riches, but that youth has been squandered given rookie contracts are coming to an end, and we won't likely be able to pay everyone what they're worth when the bills come due. We seriously need to win NOW, and losing a close one to the fucking Browns in week 6 makes the postseason feel just that much further away.
I called my buddy the next day. He's also a Niners fan (worse than me, if I'm being honest,) and he talked me off the proverbial ledge. A lot of things factored into that loss, and it was still close, so since he wasn't panicking, I stopped panicking.
Meanwhile being a Michigander, in the realm of pigskin I’d probably finally be pretty happy with how things are going (but yeah, now I probably also just jinxed that for everyone lol).
The U Of M Football 
& Detroit Lions have been doing great this season! Especially the Lions! Michigan State, not so much. Get it together Spartans!
& Detroit Lions have been doing great this season! Especially the Lions! Michigan State, not so much. Get it together Spartans!
Amen! I know racing tends to be kinda niche insofar as one could casually glance at it and just see a bunch of cars going in circles, but the strategy, science, and athleticism necessary is incredible which is what makes racing so exciting. The competitive decisions made at 200mph where inches dictate pass or crash, defend or offend, life or death, etc., I've got nothing but massive amounts of respect and awe for those drivers and the sport.
I remember the time playing basketball in my driveway and our neighbors had a roofing crew working on their garage. I was maybe ten years old and the lead guy just straight up told me “The only sport that can’t be played by children is racing!” I just thought, well yeah we can’t even drive lol, but now I’m sure he also meant all of that too.
And where that roofer was wrong is that most Formula racers got their start in karting as children. Most of the drivers on the grid today have years of competitive history that started together when they were literal kids.
The likes of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton (early 40s and late 30s respectively) are currently racing against other drivers who idolized them as children. Here's a photo of George Russell as a kid meeting Lewis Hamilton:
And here's the same pair today as teammates/rivals at Mercedes:
I know you don't want to talk about it yet, but you ran into a team that needed a win at exactly the wrong time for SF. If you need some good news, the playoffs are a long way off and the 49ers still have a really good chance at winning the division outright. The next 4 games will be fairly critical, and going 3 of 4 at least will really help. And that IS the good news, 3 of those 4 look VERY winnable. Even with 2 losses in a row, San Francisco still looks pretty strong.
You already know...
Believe it or not, I took last night's loss a lot easier than last week's, i.e.: I didn't want to kill myself, but extreme self-mutilation was not off the table. Not necessarily because I respect the Vikings more than the Browns, but more for the next punch in the mouth we needed to reassess ourselves and start scheming to use the talent we have on hand more effectively. I said it weeks ago, and I'll say it again: CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY IS NOT OUR ONLY OPTION!! The man is playing banged up, yet every other play went his way while the embarrassment of riches we have everywhere else went largely underutilized. Every offensive play should have defenses on their heels: McCaffrey, Kittle, Aiyuk, Jennings, Mitchell, Samuel (when he's not hurt,) Juszczyk, and more recently, Purdy has shown he's got the legs for a quick first down if need be, etc. Defenses' heads should be on a fucking swivel with what we CAN do, yet we just don't put them in that position as often as we could. I hope last night's loss puts Shanahan back to the drawing board, removes the blinders, and lets him see the opportunities he's squandering right now.
And our defensive coordinator Steve Wilks is an entirely other conversation. I rarely if every direct my ire towards any one person after a loss, but Wilks last night, boy... We were basically Swiss cheese. Short gains turned into sustained drives and points for a team we should have stonewalled. 17-22 tells me we were a play away from the win, and at least HALF of those 22 points were preventable. I know missing Trent doesn't help, but the dude missing doesn't make ALL of the defense disappear.
On top of that, we drove an hour to watch the game at my gf's sister's and her boyfriend's house (both 49ers fans) to watch the game, and I took my new hot sauce (made with the world's newest hottest pepper in the world) to spice up some wings I brought. That shit burned like nobody's business, and the hour ride back home, IN THE RAIN, was even worse. Yesterday was nothing but lessons; I learned a lot; I hope my Niners did too.
But thank you for thinking of me today. Despite our being effectively strangers, you were the FIRST to extend me condolences and some hope. I think my friends and family have all written me off as a fanatic and beyond rationality after facing a loss like last night; it feels good knowing there's at lease someone who hasn't given up on me!
What the last game taught me, as a 49ers fan, was to stop following football discourse. We win 4 games in a row, we're unstoppable juggernauts! MVP of all time for Brock Purdy! CAN THIS MAN BE STOPPED?!
Lose two games in a row "The 49ers are frauds. They were never that good. Brock Purdy's been getting lucky."
Lose two games in a row "The 49ers are frauds. They were never that good. Brock Purdy's been getting lucky."