SPORTS BALL!!! v2.0
- Thread starter Xprimentyl
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Advanced thinking. Bottas had better savor every point he gets this autumn, for he ain't getting many more.
The Dutch Grand Prix yesterday was pretty interesting if ultimately uneventful. Was nice to have a proper race with no rain, if nothing else.
Bottas? Qualified third and finished third convincingly; the battle was out front between Verstappen and Hamilton with the former basically acting as a carrot on a stick and the latter the horse constantly complaining that his shoes didn't fit.
I did like when Mercedes brought Bottas in for a third pit (not the strategy they went in with,) put him on the soft compounds and instructed him NOT to take the fastest lap point from Hamilton, so, of course, Bottas went out and set the fastest lap "on accident." Hamilton immediately turned around and took it back on his own softs, but the message was sent: I will not be denied.
Why?
Because it's been confirmed: Bottas is out of Mercedes and going to Alfa Romeo in 2022. Damn you for giving me hope, @Offworlder. As promised, Bottas is going to Alfa Romeo? In the words of Dorothy Boyd:
"I WILL GO WITH YOU!"
Just waiting on the Bottas AR swag and I'll be decked out in red and white.
EDIT: and the Dutch fans can fuck off with those orange smoke flares. What a stupid distraction. They were actually affecting visibility on the track!! I understand turning out in droves to support the hometown driver, but fuck, WEAR orange; don't cloud the entire place with it! I hope it was poisonous...
Bottas? Qualified third and finished third convincingly; the battle was out front between Verstappen and Hamilton with the former basically acting as a carrot on a stick and the latter the horse constantly complaining that his shoes didn't fit.
I did like when Mercedes brought Bottas in for a third pit (not the strategy they went in with,) put him on the soft compounds and instructed him NOT to take the fastest lap point from Hamilton, so, of course, Bottas went out and set the fastest lap "on accident." Hamilton immediately turned around and took it back on his own softs, but the message was sent: I will not be denied.
Why?
Because it's been confirmed: Bottas is out of Mercedes and going to Alfa Romeo in 2022. Damn you for giving me hope, @Offworlder. As promised, Bottas is going to Alfa Romeo? In the words of Dorothy Boyd:
"I WILL GO WITH YOU!"
Just waiting on the Bottas AR swag and I'll be decked out in red and white.
EDIT: and the Dutch fans can fuck off with those orange smoke flares. What a stupid distraction. They were actually affecting visibility on the track!! I understand turning out in droves to support the hometown driver, but fuck, WEAR orange; don't cloud the entire place with it! I hope it was poisonous...
Maybe true. I guess we'll see how much of it is the car and how much is the talent of the driver. One wonders as Kimi Raikkonen is an ex-champ, and has been constantly at the bottom-to-middle of the field ever since joining AR, but at least Bottas won't be tasked to race in the shadow of the "greatest driver of all time" anymore. Like moving out of a two-story house into a one-bedroom apartment after a messy divorce: Yeah, I've downsized, but I'm free. I'm excited for him to race without team orders constantly telling him to back off.
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And adding insult to injury, George Russell is confirmed going to Mercedes in 2022. Trust me, my social media feeds remind me every fucking time I open ANY of them. I haven't liked that male lesbian-looking prick ever since the wreck with Bottas in Imola where instead of checking on a fellow competitor, got out of his car to talk shit (to which Bottas replied with a middle finger, and Russell proceeded to slap Bottas' helmet.)
I've said it before and I'll say it again, Hamilton and Russell will be a disaster. Both trying to get wins, both wanting the best strategies/pit stops, both wanting to be number one. Unless Toto can convince Russell to be patient, its all gonna go to shit. Or like every other sport prediction I've had, I'm so, so wrong (I said Habs in 6, take that for what you will).
Happy for Big Boy Bottas though, he can finally relax and just drive a fucking car without expectation for once.
This is a Commonwealth ***** but England are in deep shit if Joe Root can't pull them out of this last test match. India killed us the other summer and we brushed it off and are still terrible. They need a win at home desperately or the Ashes pretty much decided if they don't completely overhaul their squad. Pro tip, Haseeb Hameed isn't a number three and Moeen Ali and Jonny Bairstow are limited overs players and have been for the past 5 years. Forcing them into teams doesn't make them good, it fucks every chance you have in the near future. Good luck touring after Covid.
Merc is going to interesting in 2022; that's for sure. Russell looks like a kid trying to shine in a FINALLY competitive car; I'm sure he's ready to go fast, and the second James or Toto tell him "not TOO fast; let Lewis through," his little pissant mentality is going to cause problems. Hopefully the new regs and adjustments to cars for next season level the playing field a bit across the board; the Max Verstappen show is starting to get as old as the Lewis Hamilton show has been for the past few years.
I have a link saved on my phone I haven't read yet, but apparently Bottas has come out and stated that driving for Mercedes was "like having a knife in your throat." Eesh... Pretty gutsy given there's still plenty of racing to do under their management. He's been pretty amicable, thanking Merc for the past five years and whatnot, but he didn't take long to publicize how he really feels. Should be an interesting read...
Also Alex Albon is back!!!... at Williams.
Its gonna happen, I bet the house on it. It all depends if Russell is willing to follow orders for a season for two. I'm excited to see him in a Mercedes, but his last outing leaves a bit to be desired tbh. One of Lewis' greatest strengths is his ability to work within a team structure, and assert his place in that team, that goes back to the McLaren days. Bottas was perfect for that because he went with the plan. George wants a drivers championship. Either Russell comes to terms with that or that knife you mentioned is gonna be a lot tighter than he wants it to be, no matter how close to Toto he is.
Its good to see Albon back. Its trite to say it, but he really did get fucked over for some of races when he was at Red Bull. He's a good driver who can get results.
This is, I think, where American and non-American sports fandom differs. Non-Americans seem to appreciate a sport in its totality. Americans? We get rabid behind a singular entity within a sport and can't be reasoned with otherwise. We can respect other teams, but when it comes to picking a camp, "just wanting to see a good game between good players" is asking too much a lot of the time when OUR team is in the mix. E.g.: I'm a 49ers fan, LOVE my Niners, but I mentioned in a fan group that I simply "liked" the Saints as well, and you'd have thought I was a pedophile posting pictures of my recent date night in a daycare center.
Generalizing, of course, but having spent a lot of time in some F1 groups, I see a lot of people with a deference to the sport in general and far fewer fans of a singular team/driver. I can respect other drivers (Norris, Vettel, Ricciardo, LeClerc, hell, even Perez who's been hunting my guy down all season,) but I can't in all honestly say I can root for them until Bottas simply isn't an option in a given race or the sport entirely anymore. Probably immature, but there's something to be said, as a fan, for rooting for "your guy." With Bottas out of Merc, they can kiss my ass. I HOPE they fail; Hamilton, as pious as he seems to be, was a selfish roadblock the team deferred to, and Russell a covetous serpent waiting in the reeds to strike, the double-edged sword of Bottas being held back AND his seat challenged with Wolff as the mastermind behind it all. I'm not in the Merc meeting room, so that's obviously blind fandom speaking, but until I hear otherwise, like, Bottas slept with Susie, I don't care how deep the rabbit hole goes. Fuck Merc (after 2021.)
I already know I've no Constructor preference. As it stands, the field is pretty stagnant in that Red Bull and Mercedes dominate, Ferrari's a wild card threat, McLaren won't be dismissed, but everybody else needs safety cars and red flags to truly compete. So yeah, despite Bottas having been a Merc driver my entire fandom of F1, I've no loyalties to that constructor. My #77 Merc shirt is going to the back of the closet while I wait for #77 Alfa Romeo to get here!
Ok, this is touching; I'll admit. A child meeting his hero who grows up to become his hero's 2022 teammate. I still maintain Russell looked like a tomboy as a kid and a male lesbian as an adult.
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Valtteri Bottas takes pole for sprint qualifying Friday!!
Valtteri Bottas WINS sprint qualifying Saturday!!
Valtteri Bottas receives a grid penalty for exceeding his seasonal allotment of power units upon the instalment of his 4th... starts dead last tomorrow.
Bad enough that with him starting on pole and Hamilton qualifying 2nd, it was a foregone conclusion team orders would have seen them switch positions the second there was enough of a gap between them and Verstappen (in 3rd) to give maximum points to Hamilton, but when Hamilton somehow almost immediately fell to the 5th when he got passed by Verstappen and pinched out by both McLarens, it became incumbent upon Bottas to stave off Verstappen and secure 1st for a team that shat him out for the 2022 season last week.
And he did his job. You couldn't ask for a better team player, and Mercedes doesn't deserve him.
Valtteri Bottas WINS sprint qualifying Saturday!!
Valtteri Bottas receives a grid penalty for exceeding his seasonal allotment of power units upon the instalment of his 4th... starts dead last tomorrow.
Bad enough that with him starting on pole and Hamilton qualifying 2nd, it was a foregone conclusion team orders would have seen them switch positions the second there was enough of a gap between them and Verstappen (in 3rd) to give maximum points to Hamilton, but when Hamilton somehow almost immediately fell to the 5th when he got passed by Verstappen and pinched out by both McLarens, it became incumbent upon Bottas to stave off Verstappen and secure 1st for a team that shat him out for the 2022 season last week.
And he did his job. You couldn't ask for a better team player, and Mercedes doesn't deserve him.
What an incredible Formula 1 Grand Prix in Monza today!!! Pretty sure my neighbors weren't ready to hear my yelling this morning!
Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren from P2 blew past Verstappen (P1) and never looked back. McLaren took P1 AND P2, stingy bastards.
A botched pit stop (11 seconds) saw Verstappen (the favorite to win) tossed back to the middle of the field where he found himself entangled with Hamilton of ALL drivers, and they wrecked each other out in glorious fashion!!! Were it not for the "halo" that a lot of F1 purist haven't liked since its inception, Hamilton would have died, simple as that. Verstappen's right-rear tyre was on Hamilton's HEAD when the crash ended. So far, I see Verstappen has a grid penalty for the incident, but I think Hamilton deserves one as well; both were at fault. Hamilton didn't leave space for a pass, and Verstappen tried to squeeze where said space didn't exist.
And the best part? Despite starting 19th after a grid penalty for exhausting his allotment of power units, BOTTAS fought through the field to take a PODIUM at P3!!! He showed what he's capable of, what Mercedes is losing, and what Alfa Romeo is gaining. I don't expect him to be as competitive in 2022 given the nature of the car/team, but damn it, he can fucking drive. He literally, in every way, carried Mercedes this weekend, taking pole during sprint qualifying and fighting to maximize points for the team today. The "Golden Child" Hamilton was a shit show.
Daniel Ricciardo's McLaren from P2 blew past Verstappen (P1) and never looked back. McLaren took P1 AND P2, stingy bastards.
A botched pit stop (11 seconds) saw Verstappen (the favorite to win) tossed back to the middle of the field where he found himself entangled with Hamilton of ALL drivers, and they wrecked each other out in glorious fashion!!! Were it not for the "halo" that a lot of F1 purist haven't liked since its inception, Hamilton would have died, simple as that. Verstappen's right-rear tyre was on Hamilton's HEAD when the crash ended. So far, I see Verstappen has a grid penalty for the incident, but I think Hamilton deserves one as well; both were at fault. Hamilton didn't leave space for a pass, and Verstappen tried to squeeze where said space didn't exist.
And the best part? Despite starting 19th after a grid penalty for exhausting his allotment of power units, BOTTAS fought through the field to take a PODIUM at P3!!! He showed what he's capable of, what Mercedes is losing, and what Alfa Romeo is gaining. I don't expect him to be as competitive in 2022 given the nature of the car/team, but damn it, he can fucking drive. He literally, in every way, carried Mercedes this weekend, taking pole during sprint qualifying and fighting to maximize points for the team today. The "Golden Child" Hamilton was a shit show.
Formula 1's FIA stewards have handed down their ruling on the incident in Monza between Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton: Verstappen to receive a 3-place grid penalty in Sochi 2 weeks from now. I personally felt BOTH drivers were at fault and BOTH deserved a penalty, but given how Max acted immediately following the crash, I'm ok with this outcome. Max showed little-to-no concern for a driver still stuck under his car as he just walked away from the carnage in a little butt-hurt hissy fit.
I like competition. I like a good fight between good players/drivers, but when shit gets serious, I like it most when competitors put "the game" aside to show respect and concern for each other. I love it when a defensive players makes a hard hit in a football game, then offers his hand to bring the player he's hit back to his feet. Max made a cursory glance at Hamilton to ensure he wasn't dead, and just walked away before Lewis was even out of his car. That's a dick-shit move, and has put Max at the bottom of my list of drivers to respect. I don't' care if he wins every race for the rest of my life, I'll never respect him again unless he comes out and apologizes or acknowledges that he was an asshole.
EDIT: So I'm not the only one disappointed in Verstappen's post-wreck behavior: Hamilton himself is surprised.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-hamilton-max-didnt-check-okay/
I like competition. I like a good fight between good players/drivers, but when shit gets serious, I like it most when competitors put "the game" aside to show respect and concern for each other. I love it when a defensive players makes a hard hit in a football game, then offers his hand to bring the player he's hit back to his feet. Max made a cursory glance at Hamilton to ensure he wasn't dead, and just walked away before Lewis was even out of his car. That's a dick-shit move, and has put Max at the bottom of my list of drivers to respect. I don't' care if he wins every race for the rest of my life, I'll never respect him again unless he comes out and apologizes or acknowledges that he was an asshole.
EDIT: So I'm not the only one disappointed in Verstappen's post-wreck behavior: Hamilton himself is surprised.
https://www.planetf1.com/news/lewis-hamilton-max-didnt-check-okay/
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Well, the Formula 1 Sochi GP is a thing that happened this weekend. Y'know when people stay in a loveless relationship because they have children together and are waiting for them to leave the nest so they can divorce? Welcome to Valtteri Bottas' relationships with Mercedes.
Sochi is HIS track. He always does well there, and this weekend was no different. Finished 1st in both practices setting the pace for the entire field. So of course his teammate Lewis Hamilton fucked himself AND Bottas by wrecking in the pits during qualifying which left both drivers only one lap to qualify on fresh, cool tyres. Hamilton quali'd 4th and Bottas 7th.
Woke up yesterday morning at 6am to watch the race only to see... Bottas received a grid penalty for ANOTHER engine change, demoted to 17th. Suspicion Is Mercedes did it on purpose to put him at the back of the field to block Max Verstappen, the one person challenging Hamilton for the Driver’s Championship, who’d also received a grid penalty. Didn’t work out that way at all; Bottas moved up a few spots, and basically gave Verstappen the “ole” when the critical moment came. I want to believe Bottas did it on purpose.
My fandom aside, the real story of the day was Lando Norris, a 21-year-old kid going for his first F1 win, who’d led the majority of the race until the rain came in the final laps. Everyone else pitted to get intermediate tyres, and when Norris got the call from the pit wall to box for inter tyres, he responded with a gut-wrenching “Nooooo!” and stayed out. Watching him struggle on slick tyres trying to keep his win was like watching a kid who’s birthday party got cancelled just as they were about to open presents. Inevitably, he slid out and ended up P7. With my dog out of the fight, I really wanted Norris to win, and my heart broke when it was taken from him. Like Icarus flying too close to the sun. His day will come, though; McLaren have shown to be strong contenders, and he’s young. He showed maturity giving Hamilton a “good job, bro” hug during Hamilton’s post-race interview.
Sochi is HIS track. He always does well there, and this weekend was no different. Finished 1st in both practices setting the pace for the entire field. So of course his teammate Lewis Hamilton fucked himself AND Bottas by wrecking in the pits during qualifying which left both drivers only one lap to qualify on fresh, cool tyres. Hamilton quali'd 4th and Bottas 7th.
Woke up yesterday morning at 6am to watch the race only to see... Bottas received a grid penalty for ANOTHER engine change, demoted to 17th. Suspicion Is Mercedes did it on purpose to put him at the back of the field to block Max Verstappen, the one person challenging Hamilton for the Driver’s Championship, who’d also received a grid penalty. Didn’t work out that way at all; Bottas moved up a few spots, and basically gave Verstappen the “ole” when the critical moment came. I want to believe Bottas did it on purpose.
My fandom aside, the real story of the day was Lando Norris, a 21-year-old kid going for his first F1 win, who’d led the majority of the race until the rain came in the final laps. Everyone else pitted to get intermediate tyres, and when Norris got the call from the pit wall to box for inter tyres, he responded with a gut-wrenching “Nooooo!” and stayed out. Watching him struggle on slick tyres trying to keep his win was like watching a kid who’s birthday party got cancelled just as they were about to open presents. Inevitably, he slid out and ended up P7. With my dog out of the fight, I really wanted Norris to win, and my heart broke when it was taken from him. Like Icarus flying too close to the sun. His day will come, though; McLaren have shown to be strong contenders, and he’s young. He showed maturity giving Hamilton a “good job, bro” hug during Hamilton’s post-race interview.
Yesterday, Darrell "Bubba" Wallace became only the second African American driver to win a NASCAR Cup series race, the first was almost 60 years ago.
Granted, the race was gifted to him due to an insurmountable rain delay, but such is the nature of the sport. As long as more than half of the race is completed before the rain stops everything, whoever's leading at the time wins; just so happens he was out front which is in and of itself no easy feat, so I'm extremely happy for him. Of all sports, NASCAR could use more diversity, and hearing all the fans of ALL walks of life cheering for him as they crossed their fingers for the stoppage to grant him his first ever win, it reminded me there are still some good people out there.
Granted, the race was gifted to him due to an insurmountable rain delay, but such is the nature of the sport. As long as more than half of the race is completed before the rain stops everything, whoever's leading at the time wins; just so happens he was out front which is in and of itself no easy feat, so I'm extremely happy for him. Of all sports, NASCAR could use more diversity, and hearing all the fans of ALL walks of life cheering for him as they crossed their fingers for the stoppage to grant him his first ever win, it reminded me there are still some good people out there.
VALTTERI BOTTAS TAKES A COMMANDING WIN IN THE TURKEY GRAND PRIX!!!
Despite qualifying for pole position on Saturday, I was nervous for Bottas as Max Verstappen, the current leader in the Driver's Championship, qualified P2 and was starting right behind him. Max is notorious for great getaways coming off the line; you often see him position his car in just such a way as to target whoever's in front of him when he qualifies below P1, or block whoever's behind him when he's in P1. But Bottas got the jump on him by .1 seconds to keep his position and Max at bay!
I got worried as the entire field started on intermediate tyres due to to wet conditions, and inters go quickly, so pit strategy was going to be key in Bottas keeping 1st place. When he finally pitted, he came out in P2 6 seconds behind Charles LeClerc (who hadn't yet pitted,) and LeClerc radioed the pit wall to ask if he could manage a no-stop strategy, and take his tryes to the end. They said he could. I was gutted. 6 seconds would have been a lot of time for Bottas to make up in the final dozen or so laps of the race after he'd led it so convincingly the whole time. But as fate would have it, the no-stop for LeClerc turned out to be a gamble; his tryes started to fade and a couple of crucial slides and lockups saw that 6-second gap diminished to just over 2 seconds in a single lap. Bottas came in for the kill. LeClerc Pitted, and it was a one-horse race til the end, BOTTAS VICTORY!!!
When he crossed the line, there was almost 14 seconds between himself and Verstappen in 2nd place. With the exception of Sebastian Vettel who, for some reason, pitted early to try slick, medium tyres which turned out to be a massive mistake, every single driver/team were on the same strategy and tyres, but Bottas executed it PERFECTLY.
Despite qualifying for pole position on Saturday, I was nervous for Bottas as Max Verstappen, the current leader in the Driver's Championship, qualified P2 and was starting right behind him. Max is notorious for great getaways coming off the line; you often see him position his car in just such a way as to target whoever's in front of him when he qualifies below P1, or block whoever's behind him when he's in P1. But Bottas got the jump on him by .1 seconds to keep his position and Max at bay!
I got worried as the entire field started on intermediate tyres due to to wet conditions, and inters go quickly, so pit strategy was going to be key in Bottas keeping 1st place. When he finally pitted, he came out in P2 6 seconds behind Charles LeClerc (who hadn't yet pitted,) and LeClerc radioed the pit wall to ask if he could manage a no-stop strategy, and take his tryes to the end. They said he could. I was gutted. 6 seconds would have been a lot of time for Bottas to make up in the final dozen or so laps of the race after he'd led it so convincingly the whole time. But as fate would have it, the no-stop for LeClerc turned out to be a gamble; his tryes started to fade and a couple of crucial slides and lockups saw that 6-second gap diminished to just over 2 seconds in a single lap. Bottas came in for the kill. LeClerc Pitted, and it was a one-horse race til the end, BOTTAS VICTORY!!!
When he crossed the line, there was almost 14 seconds between himself and Verstappen in 2nd place. With the exception of Sebastian Vettel who, for some reason, pitted early to try slick, medium tyres which turned out to be a massive mistake, every single driver/team were on the same strategy and tyres, but Bottas executed it PERFECTLY.
Finally somewhere I can post this but I love it cause its all feel good because Chicago Sky have become WNBA champions for the first time!!!
Plus the perfect feel good story for Candace Parker bringing the title to her home town that gave her a love for basketball.
This got me so happy many won't give a shit I am aware of the discourse and I don't give a fuck. Candace went to school with family of mine I am not say I met her but its just lovely to see how happy she was in a way that only sports can bring no other nonsense involved.
Plus the perfect feel good story for Candace Parker bringing the title to her home town that gave her a love for basketball.
This got me so happy many won't give a shit I am aware of the discourse and I don't give a fuck. Candace went to school with family of mine I am not say I met her but its just lovely to see how happy she was in a way that only sports can bring no other nonsense involved.
Since Messi has moved to PSG, I find myself wondering again: does it make more sense to be a fan of a player, or of a team? I played football for most of my life but I never got into supporting a team like my friends did. To see them be so genuinely invested in a team makes me feel like I'm missing out a bit, but then my friend is also an Arsenal fan and it's only been pain for him for almost a decade.
Whereas if you just follow a player, all you have to worry about is him slowly getting worse till he has to retire, then you can find a new player.
Whereas if you just follow a player, all you have to worry about is him slowly getting worse till he has to retire, then you can find a new player.
There's something to be said for both lines of thinking. Maybe it has to do with how "individualized" a given team sport is that makes it easier to a "player" fan over a "team" fan. I've noticed that tends to be a common case in basketball, a sport where a single player can elevate a team and success follows wherever he goes, like LeBron James; there are a lot of "LeBron" fans who liked him Cleveland, Miami, now the Lakers.
Unlike in football (NFL,) a great receiver is only as good as a quarterback who can get him the ball; the QB is only as good as the offensive line that protects him, and each fan's hope is for greatness to come together at the same time to make the "team" a force to be reckoned with. Good example is what Brady has done with the Buccaneers; already the GOAT of his own right, but went to Tampa Bay, called in his forces (Gronk, Antonio Brown, etc.,) and they've been killing it ever since.
Well, Tom Brady made history again Sunday, becoming the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 600 touchdowns. The lucky receiver to catch the 600th, Mike Evans, didn't realize the significance of that game ball and gave it to a fan in the stands. Upon realizing what had happened, the Buccaneers staff approached the fan and asked for the ball back. He at first refused, but when the staff told him how much Brady wanted that ball, he reluctantly gave it back stating "you can't say 'no' to Tom Brady."
The team has since negotiated with him for his selflessness giving him Brady's game helmet and cleats, a signed Brady Jersey, a signed Evans Jersey, a $1,000 voucher to the fan store AND season tickets for the rest of the season. Wow.
That game ball is literally priceless. If he could've gone through the effort to have it authenticated, he could easily have gotten several hundred thousand dollars (if not a cool million) for it. Not saying what he ended up with isn't significant, but damn, I wonder if he's quietly kicking himself. Just sayin', he's a better man than me, then again when surrounded by rabid Bucs/Brady fans, it was probably safest for him to acquiesce!
Also, I'm not sure how "ownership" actually works when game balls go into the stands. Technically, it IS still the leagues property, but considering they've got hundreds of balls and they're likely a pittance when compared to the other expenses the leagues deals with, they probably just write them off when fans keep them. I wonder if the Buccaneers could have actually sued that guy had he not given it back to them?
The team has since negotiated with him for his selflessness giving him Brady's game helmet and cleats, a signed Brady Jersey, a signed Evans Jersey, a $1,000 voucher to the fan store AND season tickets for the rest of the season. Wow.
That game ball is literally priceless. If he could've gone through the effort to have it authenticated, he could easily have gotten several hundred thousand dollars (if not a cool million) for it. Not saying what he ended up with isn't significant, but damn, I wonder if he's quietly kicking himself. Just sayin', he's a better man than me, then again when surrounded by rabid Bucs/Brady fans, it was probably safest for him to acquiesce!
Also, I'm not sure how "ownership" actually works when game balls go into the stands. Technically, it IS still the leagues property, but considering they've got hundreds of balls and they're likely a pittance when compared to the other expenses the leagues deals with, they probably just write them off when fans keep them. I wonder if the Buccaneers could have actually sued that guy had he not given it back to them?