Pet Peeves in Sports

The day after Super Bowl 46 is as good a date as any to bring up some of my pet peeves with sports and all that goes around it.

There are many! No doubt, too many for me to list, and remember right now, but here we go!

Watching the Giants beat the Patriots and Tom Brady for the second time in the last four years in the Super Bowl, I have listened all day that Ahman Bradshaw should have gone down at the one yard line, forcing New England to use their last time out so the Pats would not have any time to come back. People wanted the Giants to play for the field goal, forget about going up four points with the touchdown, and rely on your long snapper, holder and kicker to bring another title to the Big Apple.

I'm sorry, but scoring the touchdown was the right call! You are trailing in the game, 17-15. No field goal, no matter how short, is a guarantee. Ask Baltimore and Billy Cundiff.

People and football experts keep bring up Philadelphia's Brian Westbrook going down at the one a few years back. Big difference. The Eagles were leading that game, 10-6 with under two minutes left. The Giants were trailing. Simple as that!

If your team can not stop the opposition, Tom Brady or no Tom Brady, from going 80 yards and scoring a touchdown, you don't deserve to win a Super Bowl.

Speaking of the Big Game, why is it that the networks and the NFL feel we need a 31 minute halftime, and that we need to be entertained by an aging rocker, (Madonna, Springsteen, the Who, etc.), for just this one game of the season, the biggest game of the year! It messes with the coaches and the players, that have played with a 13 minute intermission all season. Silly! Are we that shallow that we need to be entertained with music and a light show...isn't the game enough for us?

I know I have done it myself, but when broadcasters say things like, "anyone that knows the game knows..." or anything that shows the broadcaster "thinks" he knows or is better than his listeners, this is WRONG! The listeners and viewers many times know more about the games and the situations. The broadcasters are there to enlighten and inform, but not to show their superiority. Please STOP IT!

A playoff in college football...why bother with this one, the college presidents and the BCS just seem to be stuck in the dark ages...or might they be seeing the light? Reports say some minds may be changing.

NBA players are well trained, skilled athletes. When I hear fans and media criticize coaches for playing guys deep into blow-out games, I just don't get it. You can not protect players from injuries. Playing a few extra minutes is not going to hurt these guys. The panic from fans and media types alike is comical. There are time outs, free throws, it's not like these guys on the floor don't get a break.

Why is it that we can't just enjoy games instead of trying to categorize games and players. The Giants and Eli Manning win another Super Bowl. All we hear after the game is how does this one rank, or are you now better than your brother, or is Eli better than Brady? It's ridiculous! Enjoy the games! Enjoy the skills! Stop trying to rank each and every game and player in historical terms. And worst of all...Is this guy a Hall of Famer after he retires? Wait til he retires, and THEN the discussions can begin.

That's a good start. Have any of your own? Let me know.

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