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Huge football news!!! (DMPJFL)

Frayed Knot Jan 26 2009 08:39 PM

Both the Steelers & Cardinals planes landed today ... The players are in Tampa!!!! I'm not quite sure why this is big news (although it would be tough to play the games without them) but it must be super-big since there were cameras everywhere filming guys walking down the ramps and they only do that for popes, kings, or other heads of state. Hey maybe that's what these guys are: heads of state from countries where people are really large. As you may have guessed by now this was just my way of pointing out how really silly the coverage gets this week. Also how absolutely starved for real news the assembled media gaggle gets to the point where they're forced to turn non-events like planes landing and guys walking off them into lead-story coverage with accompanying film footage and 'You-Are-There' commentary. Plus, it's as good a way as any to start a SB thread before any real news starts getting tacked onto some A-P football thread.

Nymr83 Jan 26 2009 09:23 PM

]absolutely starved for real news the assembled media gaggle gets thats about it. the entire football media is down there with their bosses paying for hotel rooms, meals, etc. they've gotta do something.

SteveJRogers Jan 26 2009 09:29 PM

Also got to factor in the fact that literally nothing else of note really is going on in sports right now. To play Devil's advocate, people would be saying the same thing about some over blown baseball thing in the middle of July.

Fman99 Jan 27 2009 06:09 AM

Eh. The week off between the conference championships and the Super Bowl sucks all of the momentum out of the postseason. Same thing with college football and even the MLB playoffs. Just play. Please. I'm not getting any prettier here.

metirish Jan 27 2009 06:20 AM

To me this year doesn't seem nearly as bad as last year when the giants were playing , but of course it helps that I can't remember the last time I actually stopped at ESPN and watched it. Some of the articles I have seen are basically painting the Steelers as a model franchise and the Cardinals as scumbags , or at least their owners.I thing the media are trying to build it up of course. Like Fman says just play.

Edgy DC Jan 27 2009 07:09 AM

I think a lot of outlets aren't sending out a local crew this year.

Frayed Knot Jan 27 2009 07:18 AM

="SteveJRogers":17pq6gwg]To play Devil's advocate, people would be saying the same thing about some over blown baseball thing in the middle of July.[/quote:17pq6gwg] I'll take 'Totally Incongruent Analogies' for $200 Alex Centerfield Jan 27 2009 08:57 AM ="SteveJRogers":ok57h74m]Also got to factor in the fact that literally nothing else of note really is going on in sports right now. [/quote:ok57h74m] That is neither "fact", nor is it essential that it's "got" to be factored in. Nymr83 Jan 27 2009 11:18 AM ]That is neither "fact", nor is it essential that it's "got" to be factored in Indeed. I just watched the replay of last week's amazing game between Chelsea and Stoke. Playing to avoid relegation Stoke held a 1-0 lead until Chelsea scored in the 88th minute and then again 4 minutes into stoppage time. I never thought when i got verizon that i'd spend so much time on Fox Soccer channel G-Fafif Jan 27 2009 11:19 AM Anything that gets Mike Francesa out of state can't help but be a good thing for New Yorkers. Frayed Knot Jan 27 2009 12:52 PM ="G-Fafif"]Anything that gets Mike Francesa out of state can't help but be a good thing for New Yorkers. Except there was the one year when he got there (wherever "there" was that year) didn't like the accomodations and so promptly threw a hissy fit, turned around and went home - leaving Russo to man the desk on "radio row" solo all week while he co-anchored from back in the FAN studios. The funny thing is, that despite that prima donna move, it really didn't matter that he wasn't there. The same guests still came on and all 7,923 of them still got asked the same question they get asked by every single media outlet every single year: 'so, who do you like in the game?' Centerfield Jan 27 2009 02:36 PM My favorite thing about this media circus is that, because there really isn't much going on, a common question these athletes are asked is how they are managing to stay focused amidst this media circus. Frayed Knot Jan 27 2009 02:54 PM The best part about the requisite 'who do you like in the big game' question is that the answers from the insiders and self-proclaimed experts are about as accurate as the one where you make your pick based on whether your dog goes after the red or yellow water dish first. Willets Point Jan 27 2009 02:55 PM Next year they will be filling this vacuum with .... The Pro Bowl! Woo-hoo! metsguyinmichigan Jan 28 2009 08:56 AM The bad part is that they run out of interesting things to say by the end of the third day after the conference championships, and they fill the remaining week and a half rehashing the same crap over and over and over and occasionally sprinking in gripes about the host city, which is never as warm or nice as they want, too expensive and too crowded. (All of this was vaild in Detroit a few years back, except for the crowded part) Then, by Thursday the topic will be complaining about Super Bowl hype, which they've all contributed to over the past week and a half. And Steve's wrong, there is no comparison for baseball. Baseball never shuts it self down for two weeks for no good reason. Frayed Knot Jan 29 2009 12:44 PM Watching/hearing NBC promote the hell out of this thing is getting as amusing as it is annoying. It's like it's a virus that's invaded every pore of the corporate body. The pre-game show - I don't even wanna know when it starts (hell, it may have started already for I know) - has lined up interviews with both Barack (Matt Lauer I think) & Bruce (Costas). MFS62 Jan 29 2009 01:51 PM Today I heard that there is something called "radio row" at the stadium in Tampa. Every radio station this side of a CB radio is apparently there. As I picture it, the producers try to flag down passing players, coaches and other potential guests as they walk by. Sort of like an awards show red carpet on steroids. I imagine that competition is like watching hookers on 9th avenue. Just sayin'. Later Frayed Knot Jan 29 2009 02:23 PM ="MFS62":3qo8w0lx]Today I heard that there is something called "radio row" at the stadium in Tampa. Every radio station this side of a CB radio is apparently there. As I picture it, the producers try to flag down passing players, coaches and other potential guests as they walk by. Sort of like an awards show red carpet on steroids. I imagine that competition is like watching hookers on 9th avenue. [/quote:3qo8w0lx] Oh yeah the "radio row" set-up has been around for years. It's usually not at the stadium though but at some hotel or convention center that's been designated as the media central. And, yeah, the flagging down of everyone who is even briefly famous within the sports or entertainment world is part of the gig. The real big-wigs, of course, have their publicists set them up only with the top shows and the top shows pre-arrange to have the best guests ushered to their set which is probably set away from the un-washed masses. Francesa always manages to slip in the fact that his show is separate from the main throng. MFS62 Jan 29 2009 02:40 PM ="Frayed Knot"] The real big-wigs, of course, have their publicists set them up only with the top shows and the top shows pre-arrange to have the best guests ushered to their set which is probably set away from the un-washed masses. Francesa always manages to slip in the fact that his show is separate from the main throng. Why does that not surpris....., er, my sarcasm control just overheated. Later Frayed Knot Jan 31 2009 09:18 AM Just getting a good chuckle out of the radio sked for tomorrow: - WFAN is airing the 'Super Bowl Preview' show from 3:00 to 4:00 - followed by the 'Super Bowl Pre-[u:3mqeh4zc]Game[/u:3mqeh4zc]' show from 4:00 to 5:00 (I'm guessing lotsa new info there, right?) - followed by the Super Bowl broadcast itself starting at 5:00, except that seeing as how it's a 6:30 kick-off it means that the first 90 minutes of that show will consist of more pre-game fluff, fluff that at this point will have lasted longer than a regular game prior to the game even beginning. - and then the radio-cast of the game itself is scheduled to run through 11:30, so that's 5 more hours of coverage for the game plus whatever post-game wrap-up they do all for 60 minutes of actual in-game action. As I've said before: No one does excess like the NFL Fman99 Jan 31 2009 09:34 AM ="Nymr83"] ]That is neither "fact", nor is it essential that it's "got" to be factored in Indeed. I just watched the replay of last week's amazing game between Chelsea and Stoke. Playing to avoid relegation Stoke held a 1-0 lead until Chelsea scored in the 88th minute and then again 4 minutes into stoppage time. I never thought when i got verizon that i'd spend so much time on Fox Soccer channel Sounds as exciting as watching old people chew. Soccer stinks -- one goal in the first hour and a half of game time? No thanks. Kong76 Feb 01 2009 06:54 AM This pre-pre-pre-pre-pre- game show is riveting! Did you know that Kurt Warner is also a hand model and that's why he wears gloves on both hands? Frayed Knot Feb 01 2009 08:05 AM NBC is starting coverage at noon. For those who can't wait that long (and if you are one of those please seek help) ESPN is doing about 4 hours officially for pre-game but essentially the coverage has been going since ... well last week sometime. As counter-programming, MLB-TV is replaying the 5-1/2 hour long Game 5-2005 'Stros/ChiSox contest. Hey, it may still be shorter than the SB, just not with cutting edge commercials or Bruce.