So this showed up on one of my favorite Twitter feeds…
'why can't my kid destroy his brain and peak in high school like I did' https://t.co/wynKlfcLOU
— Zeddy (@Zeddary) January 20, 2019
Jesse Kelly, apparently a Houston radio shock-jock, flexes & struts for his presumed audience of fellow idiots…
They just announced the champion and this place is rocking like it’s the Super Bowl. I don’t belong here.
— Jesse Kelly (@JesseKellyDC) January 19, 2019
… and (to use the kind of metaphor of which he would approve) gets his arse kicked six ways from Sunday…
I, too, hate the idea of my children one day having valuable career skills
— Mike Drucker (@MikeDrucker) January 20, 2019
Despite his father
— Kim Foye (@alpinenascar) January 20, 2019
"Dad, you really don't have to come to my competition today"
— lmb21 (@lmb6453) January 20, 2019
If you wanted to care for something but still keep it all about you why didn’t you just get a dog? https://t.co/E2172tGcal
— Andy Richter (@AndyRichter) January 20, 2019
So, naturally, falls back on the Why can’t you people take a joke!?! defense…
3 hours apart pic.twitter.com/xV9ILIqwob
— Schooley (@Rschooley) January 20, 2019
AMERICA IS ALREADY GREAT, MY DUDE!
raven
Both NFL playoff games go to overtime!! Yay football.
CarolDuhart2
Of course, when his kid gets hired with a signing bonus from Google, having graduated from college with a PHD in physics at the age of 20, dad will suddenly want to borrow money.
jl
If this Jesse Kelly guy can figure out how to turn Lego robot futball (soccer) into American football, he’ll be famous.
Intro week robot football 2012
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aTFcKmxT834
CarolDuhart2
By the way dad, a football career often lasts no more than 5-10 years (only the hardy or stars get much more than that) but a robotics career can be a lifetime gig.
WaterGirl
@raven: Isn’t this late for you to be up and commenting? Not intended as snark; this is a serious question. Not sure I’ve ever seen you after 9 pm.
raven
@WaterGirl: It’s overtime.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
“Son, when I belittled your achievements, I was only going for likes on twitter dot com!”`
WaterGirl
@raven: Ah, I see. I recall watching the Blackhawks in one of the playoff games in 2013 – at midnight! Crazy.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@raven: not anymore
raven
@CarolDuhart2: I know this will come as a great shock to you but people actually play the game for other than a “career”. Of course since Balloon Juice has gone anti football I’m sure the whining will continue.
WaterGirl
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That doesn’t sound good. Not for one of the teams, anyway.
Patricia Kayden
Poor kid although Andy Richter’s tweet made me belly laugh.
raven
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Thanks, I had a little delay on my dvr. Ya’ll have fun.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@raven: sorry, I was overcome by grief, or at least irritation
WaterGirl
@raven: Did your team win?
Jay
President Rouhani of Iran takes a lap,
https://freethoughtblogs.com/singham/2019/01/20/the-failure-of-the-iraq-occupation-revealed/
Honus
@raven: I guess that’s why all those draft picks sat out their bowl games.
Amir Khalid
@raven:
Do many men who are not professional athletes continue playing competitive American football after high school/college?
Jeffro
Gawd I hate the Patriots
Steeplejack
Also from Zeddary:
The two wrong teams won today. The Saints got robbed on a heinous missed pass-interference call at the end of the game, so the Rams are in. And the Patriots are the Patriots.
AnotherBruce
@raven: I’m tired of the NFL’s stupid overtime rules. I knew the coin toss would determine the winner of a trip to the Super Bowl. It’s the playoffs, come up with a system that gives both teams an equal chance of victory. Apparently, that’s too difficult for the NFL.
Jay
@raven:
Moose turned a mediocre hockey talent ( in Canada) into a full paid Michigan State scholarship, and a BA into marrying a sperm lottery winner and being set for life.
smedley the uncertain
@Steeplejack: Yes!
Jay
@Honus:
They sit out so that a meaningless game for them, ( others make millions off their unpaid labour), doesn’t result in an injury that ends their careers.
Mathguy
@AnotherBruce: There’s a reason it’s the No Fun League.
plato
Steve in the ATL
@Steeplejack: Both blue state teams won over both red state teams, so there’s that.
Also, f*** the Patriots!
Jay
@Amir Khalid:
Not ususally. Field costs, equiptment costs and crippling injuries generally end “recreational” hand ball after colledge, for those who don’t go pro or semi pro.
It’s not like football which can just be played with love and a ball.
CarolDuhart2
@raven: Yes, some may play for fun,but dad isn’t talking about the backyard game. He wants the next Tom Brady so that he could brag about his “he-man” son. That his kid may have a better and longer career and healthier life through robotics doesn’t even register with him. Rather his son be-if he’s even capable of being-a mediocre NFL benchwarmer that someone who could create a self-driving Space Shuttle.
SFAW
@raven:
What are you talking about? Most people here seem to appreciate Amir posting the latest Liverpool, Man U, or Man City scores. Or, at least, they don’t give him any grief about it.
Villago Delenda Est
Good grief this maroon deserves all the dragging he’s going to get. What a nin-cow-poop!
Honus
@Steeplejack: the patriots also benefitted from a totally bogus roughing g the passer call.
Steve in the ATL
@Honus: we graduates of ODAC schools may not have the best perspective on college football!
The Midnight Lurker
SUPER BLOOD WOLF MOON IN THREE MINUTES!!!
Honus
@Jay: so it’s about careers. That was exactly my point.
B.B.A.
Meh, programming nerdboys have just as much toxic masculinity as everybody else with a penis, in their own way. I should know, I was one.
Honus
@Steve in the ATL: The mighty ODAC!! I’m a W&L grad, I’m guessing Hampden-Sydney for you.
Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]
@The Midnight Lurker: So I guess that vampires can turn into giant werewolves tonight? S/
Steve in the ATL
@Honus: YOU TAKE THAT BACK RIGHT NOW
plato
Jay
@Honus:
It’s not just careers, for some, it’s scholarships.
They have several years of University left and if injured or crippled The Program will drop them faster than a cold Big Mac Hamburdgder.
SFAW
@Steeplejack:
“Heinous” is an understatement. Blatant interference, plus helmet-on-helmet (and leading with his helmet).
Were I the Commissioner, I’d fire the fuckup first thing tomorrow. Maybe the entire crew.
And fuck the Pats. Although I’ve been a Jets fan since the early 1960s, I haven’t hated the Pats — until recently. Even Kraft stealing Belichick, lo these many years ago, didn’t cause me to hate them. Not sure what caused me to flip. Maybe it’s Brady and Kraft being Shitgibbonistas. (Not that Woody Johnson is any better in that regard.) Ah, fuck it, who cares?
Steve in the ATL
@SFAW:
The NFL Refs have a union, so…not so easy to do.
Martin
And the GOAT delivers.
Honus
@Steve in the ATL: hey man, sorry. I know that’s ugly. Although my son went to HS.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Steve in the ATL:
But…but..but…America’s Team™!
/I’ll never get tired of that.
Chetan Murthy
@Jay: And the money graf. Rubbing in the scotch bonnet juice ….
Yeah, lots of people noted at the time, that the Iraq War was a gynormous gift to Iran. With a lovely bow on top. I mean, the SCIRI guys (remember them?) were all getting IRGC pensions, from back when they’d fled to Iran and supported Iran’s war against Saddam Hussein. The idea that somehow they’d turn against the IRGC and Iran …. ridiculous.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
@The Midnight Lurker: A brief break in the clouds here in San Francisco allowed me to see about a 15% bite out of the moon, thus proving that there is an eclipse. It’s not science unless it can be verified, right?
debbie
@SFAW:
Cheating and big boy baby tears.
Steve in the ATL
@Honus: my usual golf foursome in law school was a H-S guy, a UVA guy, a VMI guy, and me representing the better side of Lexington. We were way into diversity.
Suzanne
I never cease to be amazed by the sports parents I know who blow essentially a whole college tuition on club sports in the hopes that Junior will get a scholarship to college, but then don’t give much of a damn about their schoolwork or their brainy extracurriculars. Like, do they know that they can get scholarships for being scholarly?
Eh, I’m just a pointy-headed intellectual liberal coastal elitist who majored in Whatever Studies, or something. I should learn about Real Americans.
stinger
@The Midnight Lurker: Thank you for the reminder! It’s a clear night here, which is a tad unusual for January, so the view is spectacular. But it’s also 2 degrees, which sadly isn’t at all unusual for Jan., so I’m taking it in in 1-minute bursts, dashing back inside to warm up.
Steeplejack
@AnotherBruce:
Yeah, the current system is only marginally better than the previous “sudden death” one. When they changed it I couldn’t believe they didn’t make it one possession for each team—regardless of whether the first team scores—then sudden death after that.
dmsilev
@Comrade Colette Collaboratrice: It’s mostly clear, or at least clear enough, here in the LA area. Got a nice photo just now of the moon with a big bite taken out of it; totality starts in a half hour or so.
Sure is a lot easier to photograph than the solar eclipse was.
Jay
@Chetan Murthy:
The College ReThug’s gave Iraq to Iran with the Iraqi Constitution.
Now that class of College ReThugs run the Needy Admin-istration.
Probably the same end result eventually.
Brickley Paiste
Tonight, on “Commenters who like to watch black guys inflict brain injuries on one another for their amusement …”
Jay
@Suzanne:
Moose was a C+ student, a B+ hockey player, ( in Canada).
Got a full ride, “coached” to a BA, married more money than he could spend in 9 lifetimes.
Steeplejack
@SFAW:
Yeah, I sort of eased into Patriot hatred too without conscious effort. They don’t have a monopoly on smug dickishness and Trump-humping, but they are really good at projecting it all over. And of course their winning is salt in the wound.
Steeplejack
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
I’m so old I remember when the Dallas Cowboys were America’s Team™.
I wonder if they can sue the Pats for infringement?
Honus
@Steve in the ATL: the glare off the white shoes in that foursome would be blinding.
J R in WV
So neither of the teams I wanted to see win actually could do it.
The Lost Rams and the NE Cheaters in the Superb Owl. Yay! not…
Will look for GoFundMe accounts for more than one federal employee tomorrow. Will also pitch into John’s GFM account for the botanist. Hating that we ordinary taxpayers have to fund people Trump is screwing, but glad to do so in this dire situation.
How is this defending and protecting the Constitution, Mr. Trump? In what universe are you promoting the general welfare? The indictments can’t come soon enough!!
If the airlines are still flying Tuesday, I’ll be more scant here… no telling if the camp still really has sat service via Hughes…
G’Night all.
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
One of you played left-handed?
Honus
@Steve in the ATL: I’m so old I remember when W&L used to occasionally beat UVA in lacrosse. That would result in huge celebrations at the White Column.
dm
Fixed it for him.
Steeplejack
@stinger:
I need to go take a look out of my bedroom window. Usually I see the moon at some point during the night, but I’m not sure exactly when. It’s 17° in NoVA right now, so I sure as hell am not going outside.
BruceFromOhio
@SFAW: Viva Barcelona!
Suzanne
@Jay: Yay for him. I got a full academic scholarship for undergrad. Didn’t marry money, but that’s okay. I know a shit-ton of people who played sports in high school and went on to…..well, not much. They probably outnumber the ones who went on to athletic scholarships by a hundred to one. (Though Richard Jefferson and Luke Walton were college classmates.)
But SPORTS SPORTS SPORTS, as they are good and manly, whereas robotics or academics or arts are for the weak. But what toxic masculinity?
Steeplejack
@J R in WV:
Last notice: I left you a comment about your “dummy output” problem in the morning thread.
Steve in the ATL
@Honus: yeah, we were still playing them when I was there but never won. I blame coeducation.
Steeplejack
@Jay:
Who is Moose?
Steve in the ATL
@Steeplejack: one guy didn’t have Pings. Poor fella.
eemom
@Steeplejack:
Yeah, and fuck this shit. ?
MomSense
@Steeplejack:
It’s 4 here. Brrrr
JWR
Sorry if already commented on, but the kid intimidating Nathan Phillips just made a statement. Says he was just standing there as a way to show Phillips that he wasn’t going to be intimidated. Jeebus.
The Pale Scot
@SFAW:
WTF dude, Parcells told Bill he was gone from the Jets and then voila! Tuna was the Jets general manager. It ain’t Tuna’s Super Bowl defensive game plan that’s in the hall of fame. BB was done being Parcell’s wizard. That is all on Jets executives, Tuna was not a great draft guy. I’m a Giant fan that treasures them beating the Pats twice. Belichick is league in with Satan, but I can’t complain ’cause Eli’s got his own hoodoo man, he just didn’t get the favorable terms that BB got. I figure BB also sold his kid’s souls off.
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
Damn. You guys were inclusive as hell.
Steeplejack
@eemom:
In fact, if I can avoid it, I’m not going out all day tomorrow either. Predicted high of 23° down here in Falls Church.
Mnemosyne
@Suzanne:
Apparently the dude’s schtick is to make jokes on Twitter about being a shitty, clueless dad. Because apparently talking in an honest way about loving and supporting your kids will make a man’s peni$ fall off.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
Y’know, Pasty Bricks is an asshole troll, but this crack is actually pretty funny:
In isolation anyway.
Steeplejack
@MomSense:
You’re in Maine, right? (Always helps to know where “here” is.)
Steve in the ATL
@Steeplejack: yes, we were awesome. Though we did make him hit fourth every time regardless of who was away.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Steeplejack:
The Cowboys are still called that, but so are the Patriots sometimes. I’ve always thought it was stupid and presumptuous.
Ken
@Steeplejack: We’re close to the winter solstice so the sun is about as far low in the sky as it gets (in the northern hemisphere). The moon in eclipse is thus about as high in the sky as it gets. So it’ll definitely clear the treetops, but you might have to lie on the floor to see it out your bedroom window.
Suzanne
@Mnemosyne:
But the Gillette ad went too far, or something. Beta male cucks.
SFAW
@The Pale Scot:
No, I know. I’m just bitter, thinking about the Jets that “mighta been.” I think Kraft has been a great owner, despite his politics. And I think Belichick has a bit of the drama queen in him, given the way he handled the quit/sign thing.
Shit.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
It’s funny because of how stupid it is, to be clear.
SFAW
@MomSense:
6 here, as of 20 minutes ago. The wind was really howling earlier in the night.
SFAW
@debbie:
I don’t follow.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
it occurs to me: If the Pats do win the Superb Owl, will Gisele make touchdown Tommy skip the White House again?
also:
Steeplejack
No sign of the moon from any of my windows, so either it’s hella eclipsed or I’m not situated right. Maybe BillinGlendaleCA will have some pics tomorrow.
Jay
@Suzanne:
Moose was a meathead moron for a long time.
I knew him before High School, from swim team, we had a detante, I didn’t tolerate his BS and he learned not to pull that around me, or even me finding out about it afterwards.
We “reconnected” when my Company sent me out to rescue Milwaukee, and it turned out that Moose was the VP of a Company that was both one of our vendors, and one of our customers.
They did metal fab, we built industrial automation, industrial computer systems, programming and communications.
We “connected” over business, Canada things, ( hockey and canoes), sort of, enough for the odd dinner, the odd holiday weekend at his “cottage”, after all, I was “alone” in Milwaukee, working 17/6 to try to save a Division that had spent 8 years in the red and 500+ jobs.
3 of his kids wound up at my place, ( 2 when I lived in Milwaukee, 1 in Vancouver), when they came “out”. 3 am doorbell rings.
Took 3 years of beating on Moose for him to finally buy a clue.
He went MAGA from day one, but now he’s “retired” off the family money, because China ate his shorts. He’s not MAGA any more, but he’s not “woke”, and still as dumb as a stump.
debbie
@SFAW:
Tom Brady, when caught out deflating footballs. “They’re too heavy!”
Steeplejack
@Steve in the ATL:
That’s only fair. I mean, there are limits.
SFAW
@Mnemosyne:
The Traitor-in-Chief tried using that as an explanation for his own predicament, until someone pointed out that it hadn’t fallen off — it was just so short/small that it appeared that way.
chris
It’s 50f here in Nova Scotia because we’re on the other side of the storm getting that sweet south wind. By morning it will be back to freezing and Wunderground says it will be 11F by Tuesday morning. Global weirding continues. It’s also raining so no visible moon here.
Jay
@Steeplejack:
Moose was his nickname. He has a name, but it’s not my place to doxx him.
poleaxedbyboatwork
@Steeplejack:
Balmy 41 degrees here in Sitka. Marine rain forest living down to its precipitate reputation — no eclipse for us. Was sposed to go out with a buddy — waders on, headlamp affixed, cat’s-paw at the ready — for abalone (before the sea otters gettem all) on the (minus) low tide earlier tonight, but put er off for a coupla days. (Best lows inconveniently timed after dark right now.) Lotta bears about still, roaming the beaches. Very lean time a year. The ravens and gulls and eagles and bears miss the land a plenty they knew in the usedtawas. Down to my last box of home-pack a salmon and rockfish and halibut, tho in fairness am usually gone by now for warmer climes so been hoovering up more’n usual. Gotta put HumptyDumpty back together again before bolting. (Living down to my nym.) Ugh.
rikyrah
@plato:
???
AnotherBruce
@Steeplejack: Yes, that would work, the game might go on a long time, but so what? I’m sure they could show more advertisements.
Steeplejack
@Ken:
I’m just going by my usual. When it rises I see it from my front windows over Threadkill Lane, and then later I often see it from my bedroom window high over the trees and grounds leading to Moderation Alley. But that “usual” could be much later, because I’m a night owl and retire long after midnight—although I’ve been changing that somewhat lately.
BruceFromOhio
@Suzanne:
Worked for the TeensFromOhio. Busted their asses in HS, scored good ACTs, got free rides. And no concussions.
Comrade Colette Collaboratrice
Just as the alleged “eclipse” supposedly approached totality, the clouds took over and it started raining. This is bullshit. Science isn’t real and clearly this astronomy crap is just as much of a hoax as climate change.
Unless Billin got pix, in which case my faith will be restored. But apparently sticky nyms are gone forever.
Steeplejack
@Jay:
I’m not asking you to dox the guy. Just wanted to know who the fuck you were talking about. You started with Moose’s mediocre hockey talent but gave no context until your comment to Suzanne. Maybe throw in a “Moose, a guy I knew some years back” somewhere. For a while I thought you were talking about someone in the Chiefs-Patriots game.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Today we’re all
AmericansLA Rams fans.Jay
Btw, the moon here is at about 15 degrees above the horizion, and we just got the full red/blue warping of the light spectrum,
And the coyote’s are in full opera from all 5 hills.
Cool.
Suzanne
@Steeplejack: Moose = anecdata.
@BruceFromOhio: Yeah, me too. I had to go to a state school to accept the scholarship, not the university I wanted, but it was definitely a good deal. Can’t beat free. And my knees work and my head works.
MomSense
@Steeplejack:
Yup. We had such a weird storm. 10” of snow followed by hours of sleet and freezing rain – but it was about 7F most of the day which should be too cold for freezing rain. There is no way I can walk outside and even the dog doesn’t want to go out and slide around the yard.
Jay
@Steeplejack:
Didn’t take it the “wrong way” at all, so we’re cool, right?
Knew a bunch of “jocks” because I was a Jock-Nerd. Some, like the Larrsen Girls were smart as whips and rode Jockdom to fame and fortune, ( free rides, serious degrees, serious careers). Karen went Rhodes Scholar and Olympic Gold.
Then, there was Moose.
Steeplejack
@AnotherBruce:
They could keep the “overtime is only 15 minutes” or whatever other rules they have. The main thing would be to lessen the coin-toss advantage of receiving the ball at the start of overtime. If the other team gets a possession, then at least they had a fair(er) shot.
Obviously (I hope), if the kicking team scores on the first team’s possession—safety or touchdown by fumble or interception—game over.
Villago Delenda Est
@David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch: I’ve been one (except when they play the Seahawks) since the 7th grade.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@MomSense:
Here in Ohio, the forecast is calling for 43 F and rain this Wednesday then another cold snap this Saturday. After we got like a foot of snow. Winters are becoming super weird the last few years; that, and shorter.
Burnspbesq
@raven:
Judging by what I have read, the outcomes of both games were significantly affected by egregiously bad calls. Not the best advertisement for the product.
Burnspbesq
@raven:
Society in general is souring on handegg. Balloon-Juice is a perfectly representative sample.
Mnemosyne
@Suzanne:
My brother’s goddaughter got a full-ride scholarship for both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, which is one of the best engineering schools in the state (and possibly THE best for engineers who don’t want to build spacecraft).
I don’t really have a point, I’m mostly bragging. ?
Mnemosyne
@Burnspbesq:
Most parents I know who have kids under about age 10 won’t let them play football. The CTE findings are just too damn scary. Plus a lot of locals were really traumatized by Junior Seau’s CTE-related suicide since he was a college star at USC before he played for the Chargers.
J R in WV
@Steeplejack:
Hey, thanks for the suggestion, I’ll look into that tomorrow/later today. That’s very helpful looking and I’ll get into it when awake.
At least it works when I have the Logitech speakers connected, but sure seems to have forgotten all about the internal audio equipment somehow. I have support from System76 also and will call them… like a last resort, read the manual, call the help desk.
Thanks again, glad I caught up to you!!
J R in WV
@Burnspbesq:
Yes, the officiating was pretty much amateur hour, no call on really bad pass, defense tackled receiver before the ball arrived, violent hit alone was a penalty, leave alone no chance to catch the pass… KC would have had first and goal with the penalty called.
So the Superb Owl will be the Lost Rams and the NE Cheaters. Who are a good football team, they just need serious supervision by the officiating team. Before and during the game!
Raven
@Burnspbesq: Bullshit
Compared to this point last year, the NBA ratings have seen a decline. Andrew Marchand reported yesterday TNT is seeing a daunting 22 percent declined and ESPN is down at five percent. This may come as a surprise to some, or many, because unlike when the NFL ratings slipped, the media–at least in terms of coverage on television and outside of media-focused reporters–has largely ignored it.
For nearly the entire 2016 and 2017 NFL season, the decline in viewership was a topic of conversation on sports and news platforms. It led to many media members using their platforms to bash professional football. It became open season on the NFL as to why it saw these declines. Political views and opinions often shaped which causes were blamed.
Steeplejack
@J R in WV:
Glad you saw it. Hope you find a fix.
J R in WV
@Steeplejack:
Thanks, caught it, have the tabs open. I plan to call System76, the builder of the laptop, for advice if I have time this afternoon. I have to go to town to pay the vet for her service Friday with the late beloved Happy dog. And pack to fly out tomorrow, optimistically.
It was 4 when I woke up at 4 am, and now it’s down to 1 degree F, which is chilly any way you look at it.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
“I’m at a Lego robotics tournament for my oldest and you’ve never seen this many depressed fathers in one place. We’re all thinking, “Other kids play football…””
Most of my friends forbade their sons to play football because of the long term injuries and I’ve yet to meet a guy who played high school football who doesn’t regret it because of thinks like damaged knees and backs. I gather soccer is the sport of choice now because of that.
Victor Matheson
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Soccer is the sport of choice because it is awesome.