Lucky Thirteen in the NFL !! by gator

Cheeseheads versus Stetsons…it’s almost like the ‘bad old days’ in the early ’90s…with the #1 ranking in the NFC at stake. Who will come out ahead?? Only time (and the NFL Network) will tell……
As for the vikes–will the return of “AD” mean a return to respectability? Or will the Lions right a sinking ship? Watch Sunday (as long as they’re not blacked out….) to see…….

SUNDAY’S GAME OUT IN THE MEADOWLANDS
WAS A MASSACRE OF THE HIGHEST DEGREE
AS THE VIKINGS’ OFFENSE SCORED TWO TOUCHDOWNS
WHILE THEIR DEFENSE RACKED UP THREE

MANNING AND THE GIANTS WATCHED HELPLESSLY
AS THE VIKINGS KEPT THEM STUFFED INTO A HOLE
CRUSHING ANY HOPE OF A COMEBACK ATTEMPT
AND NEVER RELINQUISHING CONTROL

THE VIKINGS NOW FEEL THE PLAYOFFS ARE IN REACH
WITH DETROIT BEING THE NEXT TEAM IN THE WAY
THE LIONS OF COURSE ARE LICKING THE WOUNDS
INFLICTED BY THE PACKERS ON TURKEY DAY

WHEN THESE TEAMS PLAYED BEFORE THIS SEASON
TO SAY THE GAME WASN’T PRETTY WOULD BE TOO KIND
AS THE LIONS WON THE GAME WITH A LONG FIELD GOAL
AFTER THE VIKINGS LET THE GAME GO INTO OVERTIME

DETROIT HOWEVER HAS LOST THREE GAMES IN A ROW
AND IF MINNESOTA WINS THESE TEAMS WILL BE TIED
AS ONCE AGAIN THE LIONS PULL THEIR USUAL COLLAPSE
AND WATCH THEIR SUCCESSFUL SEASON WAVE GOOD-BYE
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

ON THANKSGIVING THE LIONS TOOK AN EARLY LEAD
AS THE PACKERS HAD AN INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNING
THEN AS HAS HAPPENED IN OTHER GAMES THIS YEAR
THEY RIGHTED THEMSELVES AND WOUND UP WINNING

MANY HAVE EAGERLY AWAITED THIS WEEK’S CONTEST
AS BOTH DALLAS AND GREEN BAY ARE AT TEN AND ONE
WHILE OTHERS HAVE BEEN DREADING THIS WEEK’S GAME
KNOWING THE SERIES’ HISTORY HASN’T HELD MUCH FUN

LIKE THE PACKERS, THE ‘POKES ARE A MIXTURE
OF TALENTED PLAYERS BOTH VETERAN AND YOUNG
BOTH HAVE TALENTED GROUPS OF RECEIVERS
AND THEIR QUARTERBACKS’ PRAISES HAVE BEEN SUNG

IT’S GOING TO BE LIKE THE OLD SAYING GOES
“THIS GAME WILL WON OR LOST DOWN IN THE TRENCHES”
THE DEFENSES WILL BE EXTREMELY IMPORTANT
AS WILL THE PLAYERS COMING OFF THE BENCHES

CAN THE PACKERS CONTAIN T.O. AND JASON WITTEN
AND SHUT DOWN THE DALLAS RUNNING GAME?
WILL DRIVER, JENINGS AND GREG JONES RUN FREE
OR CAN THE COWBOYS MAKE THAT GROUP LOOK TAME?

FOR ONCE THE CONTEST DESERVES ALL THE HYPE
AS “SUPER BOWL CONTENDER” THE WINNER’S ANNOINTED
THESE ARE THE BEST TEAMS THE NFC HAS TO OFFER
AND FOOTBALL FANS AREN’T GOING TO BE DISAPPOINTED
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE VIKINGS SHOULD EASILY BE ABLE TO WIN THIS GAME
WHICH GREATLY INCREASES THEIR CHANCES OF TANKING
THE PACKERS WILL HAVE TO FIGHT TOOTH AND NAIL
BUT SHOULD MOVE UP THE CONTENDER’S RANKINGS.

gator gives us poetry on the Pack and Vikes every week, this week with an NFC championship game preview I decided to share it with every one.

Cowboys vs. Packers
by JoseA

Home field advantage for the NFC throughout the playoffs may be on the line as two teams battle for NFC supremacy. The Cowboys (10-1) led by Tony Romo take on the Packers (10-1) led by the ageless wonder Brett Favre.

Many consider the Patriots the best team from the AFC, but there has been a debate in the NFC.
This game will settle the argument as to who is really the best team in the NFC at this point of the season.

The Packers however, have been hit with the injury bug as of late. Starters Nick Collins, Mark Tauscher, Charles Woodson, and KGB all are on the Packers’ injury report. Regardless of these injuries the Packers must be ready to come and play in Dallas.

Meanwhile, Tony Romo and T.O. have the Cowboys rolling this season. Wade Phillips is looking like a genius coaching the Cowboys after Bill Parcells’ departure. The Cowboys just came off a 34-3 whooping of the Jets on Thanksgiving day.

However, this game will be on Thursday and broadcasted on the NFL Network. This means if you don’t get the NFL Network, you won’t get to watch the game.

It’s the first time since 1970 that two 10-1 teams will face each other. Discuss the game and who you think has the upper hand.

It becomes increasingly apparent to NBA * fans and Seattle sports fans that the Sonics * will eventually not be in Seattle. How soon depends not upon attendance, but upon the outcome of a court case. This isn’t necessarily a suprise to Sonics fans, as we have known that at least one minority owner bought the team with the sole intent of moving it * . David Stern recently made comments that if the Sonics leave Seattle the team will not be replaced (unlike Charlotte). Stern has had a recent case of foot in mouth concerning the viability of his league in a business sense. From the previous link

Stern repeated earlier criticism of Seattle’s City Council for promoting a measure, overwhelmingly passed by voters, that requires any funds to help build an arena earn money at the same rate as a treasury bill.

That measure means there is no way city money would ever be used on an arena project, Stern said.

Stern just admitted publically that there is NO economic advantage to be gained from spending public dollars on an NBA arena. Think about the impact of that. He claims that a city can’t earn back money at treasury bill rates from a stadium investment. Why would ANY city fully fund a stadium?

Just two weeks ago he made statements that Seattle should emulate the San Antonio model, a model which involved a super-majority of public funding and which was so successful that the team is already demanding over 100 Million dollars in public funds to update the FIVE YEAR OLD AT&T Center. Perfect business model. A city should provide 85% of initial funds and then every five years should expect to spend nearly that same amount on updates.

Stern is working very hard to break his league. This is more than just about stadiums, but about regions and cities that Stern would lose in his efforts to get fully funded stadia. Why would any sports owner approve a move from market 13 to market 42 by Nielsen TV ratings? How will that help their next contract? Would the peripheral markets in Tulsa really be better than Vancouver BC, Spokane and Boise?

Furthermore, as the league continues to shrink its market penetration in English speaking North America through moves like the Seattle - Ok City how does it see its future? Would a league really be better for not having youth in the Puget Sound wanting to be NBA stars? Would it be better without Brandon Roy, Nate Robinson, Dan Dickau and others? Maybe Stern doesn’t realize it but a league doesn’t last long if it can’t appeal to the best athletic talent in its home nation, especially not while shrinking the number of viewers who care.

The good news for the great citizens of Cascadia is that though we have already lost one NBA team and will soon lose another, there is a sports league expanding to the region. Seattle will be getting an MLS team.

David Stern you did great in the 80s and 90s, but its the 21st century now and you are failing to understand that though sports in the USA are global in appeal they must first appeal locally and around North America as a whole. Your inability to adapt the league to the some time competive strings of global and local appeal mean that you are becoming sports version of Sears.

You will still be around, but at one point you were a top two league in America. Your league’s appeal continues to fall. As the NFL * and MLB * compete for top status, you have fallen behind NASCAR * and are currently battling with the NHL * and MLS * for pro-sports respectability.

Any owner that votes to turn its back on millions of consumers and future consumers for a short term gain is emulating the day traders of the 90s. Vote against Clay Bennett and his short-sightedness.

* Link goes to Fanhome forums