Talkin Turkey Trash
Here it is, another big bird day! That means football and we have some trash to talk.
Some Preliminaries: ESPN has been reporting that the Buffalo Bills and Mike Shanahan had a seven hour sit down, and there is serious interest on both sides; we shall see. In other Bills news, Jim Kelly thinks Trent Edwards is a nice guy, but is why the Bills are finishing last. Notre Dame has cancelled all of Charlie Weiss’ recruiting trips, that were already set up for after the Stanford game that ends the season. Not a good sign; put a fork in him and carve him up, this turkey is cooked. Oh, and former Eagles offensive lineman Jon Runyan is going to run for Congress in New Jersey – just as soon as he is through joining the Bolts for the rest of the season. Clearly more worried about himself and money than learning issues and actually doing the dirty work of being a politician, he ought to be the perfect Republican.
The Games: First up we have Cheesers at Kittens. Young Matthew Stafford’s willingness, make that determination in the face of his coaches, to get in for the last play of the game last weekend versus the Brownies, and win the game with a TD pass on the last play earned him the team, and its respect, for good. He was already the man; but boy did that seal the deal. He is a stud and threw for 422 yards and five, count em five, TDs last week. Stafford has a hurt non-throwing shoulder; if he can’t go, which is likely, Duante Culpepper will get the nod. The Packers also had a big win over the 49ers, but lost Al Harris and Aaron Kampman for the year in the process. The Pack’s O Line is getting healthier, and not a minute too soon for Aaron Rodgers, who has takin a lickin and kept on tickin this year. This should be a surprisingly good game, especially if Stafford can go.
Next up is da Rayduhs versus the ‘Boys. Yeah, I dunno what to think here. Both these teams are infuriating. Oakland has a great defense and should not have been nearly as lame as it has been on offense. They have some players, I just think Jamarcus Russell has been a lead weight around their neck. But he is benched, and Bruce Gradkowski is at the helm now, and they are responding. Dallas, on the other hand, is 7-3 but has just sucked. Seven godamned points against the Redskins? Come on man. The Cowboys need this game though, because the Giants might be waking up. It is in Dallas, the ‘Boys usually win Turkey Day games at home, so I will go with them. If this game was in Oakland I wouldn’t though.
Last, but not least, we have the aforementioned Gents traveling to Mile High to visit the Donkos. As RanDiego keeps saying, the Broncs really need to think about wearing them striped socks and butt ugly unis for the rest of the year; they are a good luck charm. Two things are crippling Denver lately; Kyle Orton is hurt and they got nobody else (Simms is nice, but really sucks) and their new defense has been seen and schemed now. Most of all, Brian Dawkins, the key and soul to the D, has been hurt with a neck injury. Dawkins should play, if he is up to speed, that makes a HUGE difference. Still, Eli is feeling better with his foot and the Gents are coming around. I’ll take them tonight.
In honor of turkey day, how could today’s music not come from the Yardbirds? Happy Thanksgiving folks, and my thanks to one and all for being our friends and partners in the never ending expedition that is Emptywheel.
Yeah, I’m with you: ‘Boys would lose in Oakland. Still, the Raiders are on a bit of a roll, taking out division leaders. And turkey day is always a weird day for football.
In other news, btw, the citizens of greater Detroit will be able to see today’s game, unlike the win that broke the losing streak, and unlike last week’s heroism from Stafford. It’s just the second home game this year that is not blacked out (the other being the Stillers game, I think).
So we’re bound to lose, unfortunately.
Oh, and one more thing. Got bumped up to first class on Sunday coming back from the ginormous steak dinner MadDog generously fed me. And there was a guy in what was likely a paid First class seat connecting through to Buffalo. Got ALL squirmy when I asked what kind of business anyone had in Buffalo.
He wasn’t Shanahan, though (I would have recognized the bad fake teeth). Who knows, though–looked like he might be a football guy.
Please, please, please, oh football Gods, in the name of all that is holy and especially John Madden’s six-legged roast turkeys, make it so the Raiders beat the Owboys.
I’ll need them to lose, so I can have something to toss back at the middle of the boat come next summer’s fishing trip to stave off all the smack the Owboys fan in the middle will be tossing at me because Steely McBeam* keeps showing up and waving kryptonite in front of my Stillers.
* A walking, talking invitation to a sock in the jaw, if there ever was one. I keep getting this from the Owboys fan.
So, football Gods, please, please, please throw me the tiny grace of an Owboys loss on national TV, on Thanskgiving, to the Raiders.
That would be delicious dessert wouldn’t it?
Freep has pie, so he doesn’t need the Cowboys…..
Yes it would but right now, having put the duck in the oven, I’m watching the dog show, so we can see the Gordon Setter.
Well, if the Raiders don’t do you the favor, you always have Saturday (12/19) evening to look forward to, when the ‘Girls have to go visit DREW FOOKIN BREES in the ‘Dome.
Thanks for the early helping of (Yard)bird(s), that really got the appetite going.
We also have a few college games this weekend, with the top three trying not to stumble against traditional rivals before their conference championship games next weekend. I look for all three to win, with the most “likely” upset being Auburn pulling some magic over Alabama (but not all that likely).
College roundball is also getting geared up, and I’ll find out if my Gators have anything tomorrow evening when they take on the Green folks from Marcy’s state. Billy D. might actually have re-loaded this year. We finally have a real center (Vernon Macklin, 6’10” transfer from Georgetown) and a great freshman guard (Kenny Boynton) who is playing like someone with much more experience. My twelve year old is going to try to get the same number for her basketball uniform as “Rod” Tishman, a freshman guard signed out of Israel. He hasn’t seen much playing time, but every time he gets onto the floor, we both shout “Nimrod!” at the TV. His real name is Nimrod, but he’s listed on the roster at Rod. My daughter just can’t stop giggling…
A mighty hunter before the Lord.
Indianapolis is also looking good for 16-0. Denver and Jacksonville would be the only two teams who would give them anything of a game right now.
(Reply is to 9, obviously)
I am worried about that Giants-Broncos game. The Broncos cannot possibly lose 5 in a row.
Oakland winning would be marvelous, but is probably in miracle territory.
If anyone saw Nick Kristof today, the “elohim” in Psalm 82 is translated as “judges” by um, commentators because it is convenient. You have another example in Exodus where “before elohim” is translated as “before a judge” by Rashi.
However, the introduction to “Duties of the Heart” has a terrific series of prooftexts for “Don’t be a hypocrite”. Most of them are from Isaiah 1.
And what breed of commentaters are they? ‘Elohim’ is the plural form of one of the principal word for “God” in the Jewish Bible (our “Old Testament”)– Yes, the plural form is troublesome, but the word is a key word in identifying one of the two earliest sources of the Hebrew Pentateuch (the Elohist source, or “E”), which contrasts with the “Yahwist” source (in Europe spelled with a “J”).
and how did this come up?
Bob in AZ/NM
I think this particular hairball came up because Palin and her lackeys are burnishing their Psalm 109 bumperstickers (about killing corrupt judges, implying the Biblical acceptability of whacking pols they don’t like), and sane people might be trying to out-Bible them.
Sort of a fools’ errand, if you ask me, b/c the Palinites are living in a closed universe where their inerpretation of Scripture Rules.
If I were confronted with someone of that ilk trying to take over the conversation, I have a stock set of questions which work, so long as the laws of logic are not suspended.
Q. You believe in an almighty God who created everything, knows everyting that is going on, is everywhere, and is omnipotent, correct?
(They have to admit this as “yes”.)
Q. You do agree that being omnipotent means there is nothing which can defeat God or even withstand God, correct?
(They have to admit this, otherwise they wind up falling into a blasphemy in which there are other Gods which are more powerful than the one they worship.)
Q. (alternate #1, for use with those fond of petitionary prayer or telling God what is wrong with someone else) How is it, then, that an omniscient God needs you to tell him what needs doing or would listen to your telling him what is wrong in his creation (where he is everywhere, anyway)?
The correct answer (again, assuming logic is not suspended) is that the omniscient God does not need to be told what is “wrong”, nor would he appreciate being told by the fundie that a part of his creation (where, being omnipresent, He already is and that part of the creation is therefore already perfect) is out of line and needs to be fixed to the fundie’s liking.
When they balk on this one they need to be reminded that when they disagree they are, directly, making themselves and their egos/desires superior to the God they pretend to worship. Since you are pointing out their blasphemy (don’t use that term – just ask them to explain the inconsistency), expect a huff and maybe being identified as a demon. But, you have to stand fast and take them back through the logic both of their own belief structure and of pointing out their arrogance and forcing them to explain their inconsistency. At some point, they will come down to either “you wouldn’t understand” or “faith” or “it’s a mystery”, all of which are openings to your saying (in the sweet tone they use for patronizing sanctimony) “well, please explain it to me so I can understand”.
In alternate #2, you are addressing the argument that God needs help, in the form of what they call “spiritual warfare” or some other physical (or psychological) assault on the “unbeliever”. In this, you use the same methods of questioning, but address it from the perspective that, since God is all powerful, why do they think their puny force can add anything to the discussion.
Or, if you’re so inclined, you can just say something along the lines of “Shut up before I dump the gravy on you” or “Shut up or I’ll break your jaw.” Neither of those is as effective in closing the discussion because you wind up the bad guy in the discussion.
Nice try, but here is the quote from Kristof:
“Mr. Wright also argues that monotheism emerged only gradually among Israelites, and that the God familiar to us may have resulted from a merger of a creator god, El, and a warrior god, Yahweh. Mr. Wright also argues that monotheism wasn’t firmly established until after the Babylonian exile, and he says that Moses’s point was that other gods shouldn’t be worshiped, not that they shouldn’t exist. For example, he notes the troubling reference to a “divine council” and “gods”–plural–in Psalm 82.” Nothing about Palin or Psalm 109. The theme was about attempts to bridge the gap between fundamentalists and atheists in the view of what religion is and does. I brought this up because “Psalm 82” was my choice for the title for EW’s reality show based on C Street, or at least one of them.
The question of whether prayer has any effect is tied up with the question of free will. The reason that people have free choice is to choose whether to have a relationship with God, and prayer is part of having that relationship. The more intense the relationship, the more God, however omnipotent, may choose to answer the prayer.
Also, prayer reminds people of their dependence on God for many of the things they want.
Have you seen R. Crumb’s “Genesis”? It’s pretty cool, but then, you’d expect that.
I saw reviews of it, and it looks pretty cool, but I’m not planning to read it right now.
On how this came up, see 31.
The traditional Jewish way of reading the names of God is that “elohim” is the attribute of justice. Most people can perceive “elohim”. YHWH is the attribute of mercy. It is the name that is given to Moses to take the people out of the land of Egypt and connotes more of an intimate relationship. So once you have that “elohim” can become “judge” very simply.
I said “commentators” because I didn’t know, but Artscroll happily translates “b’adat el” (“divine council”) as “in the midst of judges” and the other reference to “elohim” as “angelic”, for which I assume they have some authority. JPS writes “divine beings” for both. And now my husband would like to go to his mom’s house so I won’t be able to look this up until tomorrow.
And per wiki the Documentary Hypothesis doesn’t apply to Psalms. Now I really have to go.
Duties of the Heart on wikipedia This introduction Ibn Paquda wrote himself.
If the Saints can handle the Pats on Monday Night, they have a real shot at 16-0. Remaining schedule: at WAS (3-7), at ATL (5-5), DAL (7-3) in the ‘Dome, T-Bay (1-9) in the ‘Dome, and finishing at CAR (4-6). The party Monday Night should be awesome.
Yeah NOLA and The Quarter would be a LOT of fun to be in Monday night.
When I lived there, if you didn’t see the game you could always tell who won anyway just by the way people were feeling the next day. If everyone was generally cheerful, that was a win. A loss, and folks were a little mopey. That city loves its team like no other I’ve seen.
Dolts also have a shot at 16-0, I agree, but the Texans on Sunday in Houston could also be a tough one.
That idiot Frank Caliendo they force on the pre game watchers is pitiful. How does that moron make a living? He sucks.
“Got you to watch”, chuckled Roger Ailes and Rupert Murdoch.
Hey bmaz,
I left a question for you back on the torture tape destruction thread, if you’ve got a minute between football games.
I’m in Albuquerque with my better half, visiting my sister and cousin Kate, so I’m spending T-day with three women who are not into football. So, I’ll eat well, but probably won’t get to see much football!
Bob from AZ now in NM
That roughing the passer should have been a facemask.
How is it that the Kities got so far downfield so quickly? I missed the first couple seconds watching the dogs.
What, the Lions don’t think Donald Driver can catch the ball and therefore shouldn’t be covered or something??
25 in blue did – did you see him dogging it while Driver blew past him to be open by lke 5 yards?
No pressure on Rodgers today; that has been their problem all year. He and his receivers will carve you up if they are not pressured and being sacked.
Uh, bmaz? Crabtree plays for the 49ers, not da Raiduhs.
Uh bmaz, what does Crabtree have to do with the Raiduhs/ Cowboys? He plays for the 49ers, yes?
Also, it’s not me on the Burros striped socks. That’s Petro, if I’m not mistaken.
Bolts picking up Runyan was a great move by AJ Smith. They lost yet another O-line starter to IR this week. Dude’s a Republican – at this point I don’t care if he’s a Tea-bagging Martian if he can run-block and pass-protect!
Oh bite me. My head hurts and Crabtree is on some team up there in the Bay area – they both suck, what’s the difference? (I removed that stupidly authored sentence).
Secondly, I know that deep down you really are a Donkos fan and want them to do well. You love teh socks!
PS – Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Hey, the Lions halftime dancing girls look like they escaped from a Catholic elementary school with uniforms from K-Mart. What’s up with that?
Apparently Donald Driver wears a Romulan cloaking device and cannot be seen by the Lions running free deep down the field.
Happy Thanksgiving, phred *g*
*cough* … I don’t think the Lions have a prayer today …
*Ducks and runs*
Just stop it!
Were you the one with the Donkos and their socks as Surfer Boy alleges above?
*Rolls Eyes all innocent-like while frantically searching for Exit*
Hmmm ?!!
Okay, here is some good football related human interest news. From the NYT:
Prolly got the idea from Madieu Williams
Yep, it is way cool, and a very good thing, too.
My mother was a teacher, not because she had to be, she had the advanced degrees and skills to have done about anything, and the offers over the years to do so, but she loved teaching. One of her favorite students ever along the way was a chap by the name of Randall McDaniel. He was inducted recently into the Hall of Fame and was known as a huge presence in the Minnesota (where he played most all of his career for the Vikings) community, charitable and otherwise. Now my mother was an academic, not even close to being a sports fan. In fact, she hated athletes for the privileges and treatment they received, and was extra hard on them usually. But she loved Randall from the second she met him on his first day in class. He cared about his and others’ education, and she was smitten. Since his retirement, McDaniel has become a teacher and has continued his work and support in the community. He wants to make a difference, not just with money, but with his sweat and life. That is awesomely impressive and admirable.
We pound on the entitled athletes all the time, and rightfully so. They are all overpaid, and while not all, far too many are self important cancers. But we do not pay enough attention to those that are doing more than the obligatory community service that teams and the NFL mandates, but those that really are standing up and doing. Locally, say what you will about Kurt Warner, and his religious schticht is annoying sometimes, but he and his wife are constantly out putting their time and money where their hearts are. There are a lot like this, and like McDaniel, Woodson and Williams and they should be known, publicized, encouraged and praised.
You can add Mike Peterson to that list.
Awesome!
Randall McDaniel was a rock on the left side of the line. And iirc, the person he chose to introduce him for his HoF speech was someone you probably know – his HS Principal
There are good guys who happen to be jocks
Thanks for the story bmaz
I have known that man literally all my life and he was my high school basketball coach.
He was an incredibly successful coach and teacher before he became principle after stepping down as coach later in his life.
Charles Woodson just gave a chunk of change to support UM’s children’s hospital.
Whatta guy! Dallas Braden, Oakland A’s pitcher, pulled together one ton of food for the hungry in Stockton.
Okay, my pea-sized brain on tryptophan can’t handle this. Why are the ‘boys in dark shirts and the
thugsRayduhs in white? I’m gonna go through the whole game not knowing which team is which…Throwback unis?
Hmmm, I didn’t know the ‘boys used to wear their dark unis at home; I’ve only seen them wear the home-whites
That was their thing for many years. They wore white home and away, so they always wore essentially the same uni. The dark home shirts have been around for a few years, but I hate them. [I’m just a traditionalist. When the Gators wear blue pants with their blue shirts, I always grumble.]
They’ve had those dark blue jerseys all along but just haven’t worn them that often. For a while there, the blue was looked on as a jinx as they seemed to lose when wearing them. (That’s why a few times, other teams forced the Cowboys to wear them – I forget what the rule is but there are situations where one team gets first choice of jersey to wear and would chose the white jerseys just force the ‘Boys into the blue.)
I gotta run along for awhile. Happy Turkey Day
I wrote this the other day, but didn’t post it. It’s about Terrible Ted Thompson and his demolishing of the Packers and thought that phred might be interested. Here’s what I wrote …
It’s not the fans or the players fault that they have arrogant
suckhead pricks inmanagement. I commented in one of the first Trash Talk threads that I didn’t think the defensive personnel was a good match for the new 3-4 defense (which is also pointed out in the link); which is McCarthy’s fault. And it’s not easy to see games from the division like I used to because of where I live, so I didn’t see the problems with the O line, but others didFrom bmaz’s link
The NFL sucks. It’s a freaking national holiday and your best game of the day is on a network that only 10% of the nation can see.
Why does the NFL hate its customers?
Until that last TD, I’ve been having fun watching the Aggies stay embarrassingly close to Bevo’s boys.
They’re still in it, but they can’t keep trading TD’s. Sooner or later they’ve got to make a stop. The tackling on that last “drive” was horrible.
We’re pulling for A&M over here. Heh.
Because they’re a bunch of money grubbing bastards that really don’t care for the fans but use them only as the excuse to do something that gives them more scratch, even as it screws said fans?
Wow, the Donkeys are dominating the Eli’s! Whodathunkit?
This game is not even close. At all.
oh holy christ! make a freaking stop!
Riders fans snap up watermelons in Calgary.
“(Tiger) Woods injured in crash near home”
and charges prolly pending
also airbag didn’t deploy
is this thing on ???
I finally ran out of pie, but I’m gettin more
we might need “extended trash” this week