WaPo editorial board to stop using term "Redskins"

By Richard K. Barry

As reported by The Washington Post:

The Washington Post editorial board said Friday it will stop using the word “Redskins” when referring to Washington’s football team, joining a growing list of other commentators who have renounced the term because they believe it disparages Native Americans.

In a statement, the board said, “While we wait for the NFL to catch up with public opinion and common decency we have decided not to use the slur ourselves except when it is essential for clarity or effect.”

The editorial board is separate from the news-gathering side of the organization, which executive editor Marty Baron said will continue to use the team’s moniker.

Someone needs to explain to team owner Dan Snyder that there is no future in being on the wrong side of history.

This is not going away, nor should it.

(Cross-posted at Culturolio.)

Da 'Skins

By Capt. Fogg

Redskins - that's what we call the tourists with their New Jersey complexions who come down here in the Winter to expose themselves to old Sol in all his ultraviolet glory. Mad dogs and Northerners go out in the noonday sun.

But anyway, I wouldn't dream of calling one of our proud Seminoles a 'redskin' and for more reasons than that they're actually not red at all, having the sense to stay out of the sun, but none the less, they are an indigenous population which is not really the case with a Washington professional football team or its owner. No thought has been give to calling them the whiteskins or blackskins despite the player's origins. But this is America now and the right to make money, even if it defames or mocks the innocent is sacred. Daniel Snyder, even though as a Jew he should know far, far better, still thinks it's OK.

I'm sure I don't have to waste time illustrating how obnoxious this team name is even if the owner is too stupid or too greedy (or both) to realize it but for someone who loves irony, it's fun to speculate about a buyout. If the Florida Seminole tribes could buy the Hard Rock Cafe franchise for a billion dollars, perhaps the Washington Redskins might become available and particularly if Snyder gets tired of the ridicule he so richly deserves. It's fun to speculate about a name, but I'll keep it to myself and I have a feeling the tribe has too much class and business sense to consider any of my suggestions.

(Cross-posted from Human Voices.)

The awesomeness of Ryan Shazier, new Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

I haven't done much blogging recently -- well, any. Not in well over a week. I've just had a lot on the go and haven't had any time to write. But I hope you've been checking in, as we've had some content from Carl and Capt. Fogg, and I'll get back to it soon.

In the meantime, how about some FOOTBALL???!!!

My beloved Steelers took Ohio State LB Ryan Shazier in the first round (15th overall pick) of the recent NFL draft. It was something of a surprise to the very many of us who were expecting a WR or CB, two positions of glaring need, but upon reflection it made perfect sense. This guy is simply an awesome player who will bring lightning speed and a huge football IG, not to mention maturity, professionalism, and leadership, to the playmaking "mack" ILB role in Pittsburgh's 3-4 D. He could be one of the key players in a revitalized D for many years to come.

Anyway, here's a highlight video that just adds to my excitement. Enjoy -- until we get back shortly to politics.

Will Congress ban gays from the NFL?

By Michael J.W. Stickings

Well, it's come to this:

Washington lobbyist Jack Burkman on Monday said he is preparing legislation that would ban gay athletes from joining the National Football League.

Burkman in a statement said he has garnered political support for the bill, though his statement didn't mention any specific lawmakers who are behind it.

"We are losing our decency as a nation," Burkman said in a statement. "Imagine your son being forced to shower with a gay man. That's a horrifying prospect for every mom in the country. What in the world has this nation come to?"

Burkman said he came up with the idea after college football star Michael Sam publicly revealed he is gay a few weeks ago. If drafted, Sam would be the first openly gay player in the NFL...

"If the NFL has no morals and no values, then Congress must find values for it," Burkman said.

You know what, I really hope this ends up being debated in Congress and put to a vote. Let's find out who's for it. Let's force Republicans to vote their bigotry or cower in fear of political retribution. And let's not just hear from politicians but from, well, everyone, including conservatives who side with Burkman. Everyone should take a side so that we know exactly who the bigots are, who the hateful homophobes are -- with sitting on the fence counting as siding with the bigots and homophobes, no excuses allowed.

This guy is clearly, and has a long record of being, a right-wing piece of shit. But let him have his day. Let him expose himself in full public glare for what he truly is, and let all those who agree with him to raise their arms so that we may condemn them to the extremist fringe and their views to the dustbin of history.

The problem with the NFL plan to crack down on the N-word

By Michael J.W. Stickings

According to Jason LaCanfora at CBS Sports:

John Wooten, head of the Fritz Pollard Alliance that monitors diversity in the NFL, said he expects the league's competition committee to enact a rule at the owner's meeting next month making it an automatic 15-yard penalty if a player uses the N-word on the field, with a second infraction meriting an ejection.

Wooten spoke about his desire to eradicate the word completely from NFL workplaces at the Fritz Pollard event during the combine, wanting it to be fineable and policed throughout team facilities, and received a standing ovation according to those in attendance. Wooten said he will continue being vigilant about this with the NFL office and Commissioner Roger Goodell.

"I will be totally shocked if the competition committee does not uphold us on what we're trying to do," Wooten said. "We want this word to be policed from the parking lot to the equipment room to the locker room. Secretaries, PR people, whoever, we want it eliminated completely and want it policed everywhere."

*****

Wooten said the competition committee will formally decide whether or not to support his measure at the meeting in March, and then present it to owners. Wooten is "extremely hopeful" it will pass.

"I think they're going to do what needs to be done here," he said. "There is too much disrespect in the game."

There certainly is, and while I'm generally concerned about any crackdown on language, because it's often the thin end of the wedge, and while in my view organizations that impose speech restrictions should be viewed with suspicion at the very least, it's hard to object to any effort to rid the NFL of a slur that, one imagines, is far too commonly used.

But is this really the right way to go about it? I mean, "nigger" is bad, of course, but what then? What about gay slurs? Shouldn't, say, "faggot" be eliminated from the NFL? Or how other racial slurs, whether directed at blacks or others? Are there not Latino and Asian slurs, for example, that ought to have no place in civilized society, if that is what the NFL is trying to be? Where exactly does it end?

Read more »

It doesn't really matter if the NFL is "ready" for a gay player: Thoughts on Michael Sam

By Michael J.W. Stickings

With the Olympics on, I've been spending more time than usual on Twitter, but over the past 24 hours what I've tweeted about most isn't Sochi but Michael Sam, the Missouri college football player who, ahead of this spring's NFL draft, announced publicly on Sunday that's he's gay.

My quick thoughts are as follows:

Michael Sam is a courageous young man. He may only be projected to be a third- or fourth-round pick, and there may be questions about his ability to succeed at the pro level, but he's obviously a leader of superior character. He was a great college player, but he was also the respected captain of a successful team. And it says a lot that his team was fully behind him all season after he came out to them last year.

It is disappointing that some of the reaction from the NFL has been negative, mainly from anonymous team officials but also from idiots like Herm Edwards, but in general I've been impressed with the support Sam has received -- from the league, from players, from commentators in the media. I suspect that there are many who are keeping quiet because they fear what would be said about them, and to them, were they to be open about their views, but that, too, is a sign of just how much things have changed.

Will Sam have an easy go of it in the NFL? No, of course not. First, it'll be tough for him to make an opening day roster, though, as I said, his leadership and character should not be discounted. Second, if he does make it, I'm sure there will be those in the locker room, among the fans, and throughout the NFL and society generally, who reject him given their bigotry towards his sexual orientation. But let's not think that NFL teams are dominated by bigots. I suspect that, despite some initial questions from some who don't know what to make of him, he'll quickly be welcomed by his team, just as he was at Missouri. Support for gay rights, and for acceptance, is very much a generational matter, after all, and most of the players in the league are really young. Being gay just isn't the "problem" it is for some of the league's older personnel, like GMs and scouts. And ultimately I suspect it will all be a non-issue, even if the media try to make a great deal of it.

Read more »

Listening to Now: Bruno Mars, your Super Bowl 2014 entertainment

By Richard K. Barry

Keeping with today's football theme here at The Reaction, I'm pleased to pass on, courtesy of the Hollywood Reporter, that Bruno Mars will play the Pepsi Super Bowl XLVIII Halftime Show on Feb. 2, 2014. (Hooray!!!)

And, as you may know, it's a big deal:

The Super Bowl is traditionally the most-watched U.S. television event every year, but the Halftime Show often scores higher ratings than the game itself. Madonna's 2012 performance currently ranks as the most-watched event in U.S. television history, with over 114 million viewers tuning in. Beyonce's 2013 performance, the first Halftime sponsored by Pepsi, attracted 110.5 million.

The first time I heard this tune I thought it was The Police, or a tribute band. Anyway, I like Bruno. 

Gov. Christie doesn't understand loyalty

By Richard K. Barry

The NFL Network interviewed New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie this week on a range of topics. One was the frequently heard complaint that both the Giants and the Jets play at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey but are still identified as New York teams. There was also talk about Super Bowl XLVIII that will take place at MetLife Stadium on Feb. 2, 2014. Everyone is treating it like it is taking place in New York. I even see that the organizers call themselves the NY/NJ Host Committee. This all seems to annoy Christie.

Yes, I remember when the Giants made the move to the Garden State, but no head of marketing was ever going to call them the New Jersey Giants. It wasn't going to happen. As a New Yorker, I was good with that.

But the thing that pissed me off about the interview with Christie was his proud declaration as a Dallas Cowboys' fan.

He explains himself this way:

"I'm a Dallas Cowboys fan," the governor told NFL Network in a segment that aired Sunday morning. "I saw Roger Staubach play for the first time, and this was 1971, and I became a huge Staubach fan. And as a result, a Cowboys fan, and I've been one ever since."

How do Christie's constituents feel about that development? Exactly as you might expect.

"Oh, they hate it," Christie said. "Giants fans, obviously, are more hateful of my rooting interests, but, you know, I told them right from the beginning when I was running in 2009. You get asked those kind of questions and I didn't try to hide it. I'm a Cowboys fan, I'm proud of it, and you got to be true to the team you've been rooting for your whole life."

And he said more. He talked about why he wasn't a Giants' fan in the 60s and 70s. The answer: Because the Giants sucked back then, and boy did they ever (who could forget the 1966 1-12-1 season?). 

I'm a few years older then Gov. Christie so I became a Giants' fan just in time to completely miss their championship runs in the 50's and early 60s. Still, I suffered through the later 60s, all of the 70s, and the early 80s because I'm a New Yorker and that's what you do when you're from a place.

Chris Christie turned his back on his home town team to root for their arch rival because the enemy had a better team.

No wonder Republicans question his loyalty. I would to. 

Happy NFL season!

By Richard K. Barry

From those of us here at The Reaction who live and die with their respective teams, we hope those of you who feel the same way enjoy tonight's kick-off. 

Prediction: 36-24 Broncos. 

Aaron Hernandez and the American Way: A tale of murder, media, guns, race, class, and the NFL

By Michael J.W. Stickings

My apologies for being away from blogging most of the past few weeks, and, once more, a huge thanks to Richard and my great co-bloggers for filling in. For a variety of reasons, including kids, work, and a busted computer, I've been doing my writing, such as it is, almost exclusively at that wonderful and dysfunctional place called Twitter (you can find me here).

But I'm back, refreshed and, while still intending to tweet a lot, eager to get back to more serious writing.

I'll take it slowly today, though, with a post on the current crime sensation involving a certain tight end for the New England Patriots...

**********

By now, you've surely heard about the ongoing police investigation of the murder of Odin Lloyd, if only because it involves a sports celebrity, football player Aaron Hernandez. (Whether you have or haven't, Time has a helpful guide here.)

With the police searching for evidence, there's been a ton of speculation in the media, with reports that charges were going to be filed turning out, so far, to be untrue -- and, predictably, Hernandez's lawyer has attacked the media for what he called "false reports." Basically, we don't know anything, or at least not nearly enough to have much of a clue. Maybe Hernandez did something, maybe not, but it's not even clear what that something might be -- obstruction of justice? more and worse? It's just too early to say.

Follow the story if you like, and however you like. The sensation-obsessed media are all over it -- you know how much they like (feed off of) the intersection of crime and celebrity.

But step back a moment. There's more going on here than you might think. Because it's not just about the crime and the celebrity, it's what this whole episode tells us about... well, pretty much everything. And for that, there's no better person to turn to than Charles Pierce, who in a piece at Grantland yesterday was as brilliant as ever, shining his flashlight on the sordid underbelly of the whole damn thing -- the bloodthirsty media, the bloodthirsty gun culture, the bloodthirsty pro sports industry, and pretty much the degradation of American civilization as we know it.

Read more »

The Autumn Wind Is A Pirate

By Richard K. Barry

I miss NFL football this time of year. Sure, there's all the news about free agency, and the college draft coming soon, but it's not the same thing. 

I happened to be watching the NFL Network yesterday, which I do too often, and caught a segment on Ed Sabol's induction into the Hall of Fame. Ed Sabol started NFL Films, one of the finest entertainment institutions around. I remember growing up with it, the incredible footage, Sam Spence's music, John Facenda's narration. Glorious stuff. 

It got me thinking about the old "Autumn Wind" piece on the Oakland Raiders, narrated by Facenda. It was done in 1974. The poem was written by Steve Sabol, Ed's son and co-founder of NFL Films, and it really captures something about the relationship between autumn and football, two of my favourite things. 

Collecting pee for fun and profit

By Frank Moraes 

Yesterday, The Post Game reported, "Bizarre Location For NFLer's Drug Test." It tells the story of Washington Redskins backup quarterback Kirk Cousins being drug tested during a visit to his grandmother. The article expresses some surprise at such behavior from the league, but is still supportive of it.

I'm not. I couldn't give half a "fuck you" about the NFL. But I do care about worker rights. This kind of thing is pure bullshit. The NFL has much bigger problems than its players using steroids.

In general, I don't understand the big deal about steroid use. As a society, we have decided that our sports are going to require people who are very tall, heavy, and fast. What's more, we've elevated these freakish pituitary cases to the status of hero. Is it any wonder that many of those with normal bodies would try to compensate with drugs?

Read more »

Tackling the culture of anti-gay bigotry in the NFL

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

Visit NBCNews.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

The NFL is facing tough questions about anti-gay bigotry with reports that prospects at the recently concluded combine in Indianapolis were asked by teams, if indirectly, about their sexual orientation, obviously an effort to weed out the gays. 

The NFL, which according to a spokesman "prohibit[s] discrimination against any player, including on the basis of sexual orientation," is supposedly looking into it. 

Now, we all know there's widespread homophobia and anti-gay bigotry all throughout the NFL. Like the rest of professional sports (in America, but certainly elsewhere as well), it's rather behind the times in addressing this blatant problem, a bastion of hyper-heterosexual masculinity and repression, even if has made efforts to tackle (sorry) other forms of bigotry and exclusion (e.g., reaching out to women, particularly with respect to breast cancer awareness, and creating the "Rooney Rule" to require teams to interview minority candidates for vacant coaching positions). 

It's too early to say that things are changing for good, but there are certainly signs of acceptance on the horizon, not least because the league itself is finally being forced to address discrimination and is saying the right things in response, for public relations if not out of principle (better than nothing).

Read more »

Thoughts on Super Bowl XLVII, in progress

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

(Update, the game having just ended, 34-31 for Baltimore: Crap. I hate the Ravens. And there's no way I'm going to watch the arrogant, self-righteous jackass Ray Lewis whoop it up in the post-game, as if his "God" won this for him. Admittedly, he's been a great player through much of his career, but so much about him is pure bullshit. And the rest of the Ravens aren't much better: the buffoon Joe Flacco, the headhunter Ed Reed, etc., etc. What an ugly, ugly team. Let's see what else is on...)

I was going to add to Richard's post earlier, but I was too busy spending time with the family, making dinner (huge nachos that I like to refer to as "nachismos"), drinking beer, and not being in front of the computer.

And, yes, avoiding having to think too much about the game.

These are two teams, after all, that I don't much care for, and for Steelers fans it's especially tough: do we go with an arch-rival from the AFC North with the loathsome Ray Lewis, other obnoxious figures, and an annoying Harbaugh, or do we go with a team that with a win would tie us for most Super Bowl victories with six, that includes its own share of obnoxious figures, and that is similarly coached by an annoying Harbaugh?

In the end, I decided I had to root for the 49ers, and I was hoping for a good game.

But it was a lousy game in the first half, with the Ravens opening up a huge lead, and I started tuning out, finding solace, of sorts, in huge helpings of those nachismos, watching the game but not really -- and certainly not caring.

But thank the football gods, or whatever, for power outages, because it's gone the other way since, the Niners making a game of it.

It's now 31-29 Ravens with 7:32 left in the fourth, with Baltimore driving and San Francisco appearing to be running out of gas.

Well, at least it's turned into an entertaining game.

Come on, San Fran! (Ugh.)

Really, I just want this awful season to be over, for the draft to bring renewed hope, and for next year to begin with the Steelers in better shape than they showed in 2012.

Let's move on.

Bob Costas advocates for gun control at halftime of NBC's Sunday Night Football game

By Michael J.W. Stickings

I was watching and thought it quite remarkable. I suspect it'll get more coverage in the morning, but here's one of the early reports, from the Globe:

NBC broadcaster Bob Costas used his halftime segment on "Sunday Night Football" to advocate for gun control following this weekend’s murder-suicide involving Kansas City Chiefs linebacker Jovan Belcher, causing an immediate debate on social media.

In a segment about 90 seconds long, Costas paraphrased and quoted extensively from a piece by Fox Sports columnist Jason Whitlock.

After praising the column, Costas said: "In the coming days, Jovan Belcher's actions and their possible connection to football will be analyzed. Who knows? But here, wrote Jason Whitlock, is what I believe. If Jovan Belcher didn't possess a gun, he and Kasandra Perkins would both be alive today."

Belcher shot and killed Perkins, the mother of his 3-month daughter, on Saturday morning, then drove to Arrowhead Stadium and committed suicide in the parking lot of the team's practice facility.

The online reaction to Costas' segment was swift, with many people criticizing the broadcaster for expressing his personal views on a program meant for entertainment.

I must admit, my reaction is mixed.

On the one hand, I agree with Costas. I am a strong advocate for aggressive gun control. On the other hand, I'm not sure we want our sportscasters going all political. It's fine when we agree with them, but what if a conservative -- and there are many of them in the sports world, of course -- had used his or her platform, say, to argue for tax cuts for the wealthy, or against financial regulation, or whatever. Okay, sure, the Belcher case has an obviously connection to sports, but I'm sure there's a "sports" spin for any number of issues. Remember when Rush was on ESPN and said there was pro-black racism in the media?

At the same time, I don't want to suggest equivalency here. What Costas said is very different than what Limbaugh said. The problem is, it's hard to know where to draw the line.

Read more »

(American) Thanksgiving 2012

By Michael J.W. Stickings

We had ours. Now, by all means, go have yours.

To my American friends and family, to all of you Americans out there, and especially to my American editors, co-bloggers, and contributors here at The Reaction, as well as to my many American friends and acquaintances throughout the blogosphere, I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you're all having a wonderful day.

And as for football today -- Texans at Lions, Redskins at Cowboys, Patriots and Jets -- all I can say is that I despise all of those teams with the possible exception of the Texans. But those are all interesting and potentially entertaining matchups, and of course there's also fantasy, so I'll be cheering for Calvin Johnson, Matt Schaub, Stevan Ridley, Jason Hanson, and Houston's D.

And, as a Steelers fan, contemplating our prospects on Sunday against the Browns, including the odd, and somewhat depressing, thought of Charlie Batch throwing the ball to Plaxico Burress. Good times.

-- Michael

The NFL officiating clusterfuck and the homer hypocrisy of Paul Ryan and Scott Walker

By Michael J.W. Stickings 

Yeah, I watched the Packers-Seahawks game Monday. Yeah, it was appalling. That call at the end -- the "Touception" -- was the worst game-deciding call, and maybe the worst major call generally, I've ever seen.

But isn't it hilarious how Republicans Paul Ryan and Scott Walker, both Wisconsinite Packers fans, are calling on the NFL to "get the real refs" back (in Ryan's words)? (Presumably Ryan meant all officials, not just the referees, but maybe he really doesn't know any better and is something of a faux fan.)

Because, you know, those "real refs" are unionized and both Ryan and Walker are viciously anti-union. I guess things are different when your team gets screwed.

**********

As for the issue itself, look, the officiating has been pretty awful. The Monday night game was terrible, but so was the Sunday nighter between the Patriots and Ravens. I watch parts of every game, because I have that NFL package, and every game has had its share of bad calls.

For example, while I hesitate to make excuses for my Steelers after their embarrassing 34-31 loss to the Raiders on Sunday, I would like to note that there was illegal motion on a key play near the end of the second quarter that gave the Raiders a first down deep in Steelers territory. It went uncalled and, with a new set of downs, the Raiders ended up scoring.

But I do think the officials should be given the benefit of the doubt. Maybe they're doing their best, or maybe not, but basically they're just not up to the very difficult job of officiating NFL games. (Most of us aren't. Not even close.) They're in way over their heads, and, to make matters worse, they're being bullied by players and coaches alike. Is it really all that surprising that they're making mistakes?

But it's not their fault they're in this position. I suppose they could have turned down the offer to act as replacements, but that's hardly realistic. If you're a football referee or other official and the NFL comes to you with an offer like that, you don't turn them down.

No, the fault lies with Commissioner Goodell and the disgustingly rich (and disgustingly cheap) owners who are playing hardball with the union.

It's time to end the madness. It's time to pay the officials, the real officials, what they want. Because without them it's all just a massive joke, with the players facing even greater risks on the field and the very integrity of the game, not just the league, coming undone at the seams.

New poll: Democrats are more positive about the 2012 campaign

By Richard K. Barry

That's right. Any excuse to post a picture of the New
York Giants with the Super Bowl trophy.

I truly have no idea what to make of polls like this, or what the implications of such findings might be in November, but the Pew Research Center asked the question, so I suppose we should know the answer:

The latest national survey by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press, conducted Sept. 7-9 among 1,012 adults, finds that 66% of Democrats say the presidential campaign is interesting while just 27% say it is dull. Among Republicans 50% say it is interesting while nearly as many (45%) describe it as dull. The gap is about as wide in opinions about whether the presidential campaign is informative – 68% of Democrats say it is informative, compared with 49% of Republicans.

In September 2008, nearly identical percentages of Republicans (75%) and Democrats (74%) said the campaign was interesting. And similar majorities of both groups viewed the campaign as informative (62% of Republicans and 59% of Democrats).

Again, I'm not sure what this means. I will say that, as a football fan, when my team, the New York Giants, is doing well, I'm very interested in the football season, want to know everything that is going on, and find it all very exciting. When they are losing, I find everything about the season dull and don't care to be informed.

Could that be the point? Are Democrats starting to feel that success is within reach with the thought in mind that it's always fun to be engaged when victory is close at hand?

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)

Quite a kick

By Mustang Bobby

The great Chris Kluwe.

Baltimore Raven player Brendan Ayanbadejo expressed support for Maryland's referendum on marriage equality, much to the ire of Baltimore County state delegate Emmett Burns (and a Democrat, oy), who wrote a letter to the Ravens owner, basically telling him to shut his team member up.

That got the attention of Chris Kluwe, a punter for the Minnesota Vikings, and he knows how to kick. David Zirin at The Nation sums it up:

The punter sat down at his computer and produced the greatest political statement by any athlete ever... or at least since Muhammad Ali told the US Government that "the real enemy of my people is here." Perhaps that's hyperbole. Certainly it's arguable. But what's undeniable is the greatness of Kluwe's rant. I quote my favorite parts below but I strongly encourage people to read it in it's entirety here at deadspin. Warning that it's brilliantly profane, or profanely brilliant, so you might not want to print it out at work and leave it lying around. Then again, if you work in a place with NFL fans prone to homophobic slurs, you might want to leave it everywhere.

Here's just a part of it, in all its glory:

I can assure you that gay people getting married will have zero effect on your life. They won't come into your house and steal your children. They won't magically turn you into a lustful cockmonster. They won't even overthrow the government in an orgy of hedonistic debauchery because all of a sudden they have the same legal rights as the other 90 percent of our population -- rights like Social Security benefits, child care tax credits, Family and Medical Leave to take care of loved ones, and COBRA healthcare for spouses and children. You know what having these rights will make gays? Full-fledged American citizens just like everyone else, with the freedom to pursue happiness and all that entails. Do the civil-rights struggles of the past 200 years mean absolutely nothing to you? In closing, I would like to say that I hope this letter, in some small way, causes you to reflect upon the magnitude of the colossal foot in mouth clusterf-ck you so brazenly unleashed on a man whose only crime was speaking out for something he believed in. Best of luck in the next election; I'm fairly certain you might need it.

Sincerely,

Chris Kluwe

Touchdown and endzone dance. 

(Cross-posted at Bark Bark Woof Woof.)

The New York Giants crushed the Jets last weekend

By Richard K. Barry

Stop poking me in the eye!

I know preseason games mean nothing, or next to nothing, but given the fact that the New York Giants are Super Bowl champs and the Jets still get way too much ink because some second-stringer got signed in the offseason, this one was a little sweeter.

The Giants offence wasn't all that sharp, but the defense made up for it. And the G-Men got to chase Tebow around for some of the game. Anyway, the Giants smacked around the Jets 26-3. I liked it.

Back-to-back, baby! (I can dream, can't I?)

(Cross-posted at Lippmann's Ghost.)