Conference Championship thread

[over the mountain]

Bonds was won ROY, 3 MVPs, 3 gold gloves and 3 silver slugger awards his first 5 or 6 seasons in the league ... not counting his steals. He, van slyke and bonilla we awesome together. their catcher was really good too.

** im pretty sure of the awards, i checked the net real quick but may be off a little bit **

[BaltimoreSkins]

Originally Posted by SmootSmack

I'd argue he was close to it

I think he was a shoe in nobody stole bases and hit for power in the same way he did early in his career. Look at the dichotomy between 1997 and 1998 statistically two different bonds.

[Lotus]

I think arguing about whether or not Bonds deserved the first ballot misses the point.

Belichick should be remembered for being the greatest coach ever. Instead he will be remembered as a cheater. He has no one to blame but himself, of course. What a shame.

[SFREDSKIN]

This is funny:

Alex Rodriguez Reportedly Training with Barry Bonds at Bay Area Facility | Bleacher Report

[Alvin Walton]

Originally Posted by Lotus

I think arguing about whether or not Bonds deserved the first ballot misses the point.

Belichick should be remembered for being the greatest coach ever. Instead he will be remembered as a cheater. He has no one to blame but himself, of course. What a shame.

Thank for speaking for all sports fans.
I'm sure it took you a long time to interview all of them.

[skinsfaninok]

The football things has happened forever it did for the bucs in 03. People just hate on NE because they win every yr. Didn't the saints cheat too?? All teams look for leverage apparently not our team but everyone else does. Gets old

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by skinsfaninok

The football things has happened forever it did for the bucs in 03. People just hate on NE because they win every yr. Didn't the saints cheat too?? All teams look for leverage apparently not our team but everyone else does. Gets old

If NE wins every year, why the f*ck would they do this?

Nation Can’t Wait To Hear Patriots Fans’ Excuses This Time | The Onion - America's Finest News Source

[skinsfaninok]

I don't mean win championships of course but they win the east ev yr man.

[JoeRedskin]

Sorry the "Everybody does it" defense does not fly with me either as a substantive defense to the violation or as a basis for substantial mitigation of the sanction. Maybe as mitigation on the first confirmed violation of cheating, but not the second. Everybody speeds, but, if I get nailed for multiple speeding tickets, I lose my license even if each infraction is small or causes no imminent injury/danger to others.

In light of the issue being more widespread (i.e. everyone DOES play fast and loose with this particular issue), I can see SOME minor mitigation to the sanction and will back off the forfeit. Other than that, yes, everyone tries to bend the rules to their advantage and we know we only catch one in ten (if that). Because of that, and to protect the integrity of the game - which would otherwise die the death of a 1,000 cuts, violations relating to competitive balance will be dealt with severely when teams are actually caught. Additionally, cheating on the competitive balance has at its core a deception - either on the refs, the other team or the fans. Because so much of our society is reliant on the need for honest dealings, violations involving dishonesty and deceptive dealings should always receive a higher penalty than merely accidental errors.

The penalty this time around should be a multiple of the prior cheating sanction (at least double but, IMHO, treble or quadruple) as it involves almost the exact same management team. Clearly, to the Pats, dishonesty is an acceptable method for gaining a competitive advantage - I strongly disagree. Until dissuaded of this belief, however, the current Patriot staff will continue to ignore the rules wherever possible relying on any penalty imposed when caught never being strong enough to significantly impact their ability to win.

Regardless of the penalty imposed this time, if Belichick gets caught again, he gets banned Pete Rose style. Let him know that as part of any sanction imposed this time around and hold him personally responsible for ensuring the honesty and integrity of his staff and players (No Henry II proclamations of "If only someone would rid me of this meddlesome priest" right before his knights ride off to kill the archbishop).

Belichick is a great coach. The Pats are a great team. They don't need to cheat. They did. Twice blatantly enough to be caught. Belichick's legacy is now in his own hands

[MTK]

Cheating is cheating. Always amazing to see people justify it.

[MTK]

[Hijinx]

You just know some naive ball boy is going to fall on his sword for Brady/Belicheat. He will take all the blame and Goodell will just look the other way.

[Chico23231]

Originally Posted by Mattyk

love that van

[Ruhskins]

Originally Posted by Hijinx

You just know some naive ball boy is going to fall on his sword for Brady/Belicheat. He will take all the blame and Goodell will just look the other way.

Or Goodell will make the 11 footballs and the ball boy disappear like the Spygate tapes.

[VirgilTibbs]

This is screwed up on so many levels. The NFL needs to send a message. I would expedite a thorough investigation before the Super Bowl or postpone it. If the Patriots are found guilty, they automatically forfeit the conference game, the win is reversed and the Colts go on to play Seattle. Suspend Belichek for a year, fine Kraft and take away draft picks. Seeing as how they are repeat offenders, this harsh punishment is necessary. Who knows if the Colts would have won if the balls were inflated properly or not, that is not the question. We wouldn't even be asking these questions if they were and it's obvious this was done intentionally. Question is did the Pats coaching staff order this to be done and/or know about it. This is serious business and should be treated as such.