Saturday, 25 February 2012
Sports Desk Imminent!
Sunday, 19 February 2012
I was obviously a depressing child...
Death; it never leaves us. It hangs above us like a bitter cloud. The end, the apex, the complete cessation of life and physical senses stalks us throughout existence. We can feel its breath upon our necks; hear the ticking of its clock and the beating of its perversely excited heart. The existence of non-existence is irremovably woven into the fabric of life. Without death, there is no knowledge of mortality, no motivation to make use of the phenomenon of life and no cause to reflect upon it. When standing in the face of death we must ask ourselves; what does it mean to be alive? Is life something that came from nothing or is it something that has always been and always will be? Are the unborn made of the same stuff as the deceased? Is there an afterlife or a further existence beyond our mortal coils? These questions are posed but never answered by death that, in its silence is but a mirror in which we are forced to gaze upon our own fragility. I love death. It is the bringer of peace, of tranquility and freedom. It returns us to the state of ignorant bliss which we felt before we were dragged from serenity and forced into a weak and ill-fated corpse and made to agonise over the end of something we wished had never begun. If life has but one purpose, it is to teach us to embrace death; to welcome the unavoidable and rejoice in its superiority. We all must die. In time our bodies will fall, ancient and decrepit and we can only hope that the thing that made us who we were, our soul, lives on in some form.
Wednesday, 8 February 2012
The Manlin Watch (ETA 6498) Picture 3
Tuesday, 7 February 2012
The Manlin Watch (ETA 6498) Picture 2
Monday, 6 February 2012
The first Manlin Watch (ETA 6498) Picture 1
Sunday, 5 February 2012
The Day before the Morning after: Super Bowl XVI Preview
And so, after four months of ups and downs, the two prevailing teams stand on the doorstep of greatness, and preparing to knock for all they’re worth.
But only one call will be answered; only one team will receive the most coveted prize in football and have their names immortalised.
Despite the singularity of victory, the storylines yet to unfold are legion. As a humble chronicler of the NFL, being gifted such a multi-layered plot for Super Bowl XVI is a treat indeed, but a treat that begs a great many questions, most of which I, as a huge Tom Brady fan, am afraid to answer.
In the past I have made no secret of my allegiance to those oft-hapless desert birds, the Arizona Cardinals, but Brady is my generation’s Unitas, Marino or Montana. He is the only active QB with 3 Super Bowl victories, the only active QB with 4 AFC Championship crowns, the only QB ever to throw for 50 Touchdowns in a season and one of only three men (along with Drew Brees and Dan Marino) to eclipse the 5,000 yard passing mark in a single season. He is already a legend, but when the conversation turns to the greatest ever, the name of Joe Montana, Brady’s boyhood hero, still trumps Tom Terrific’s.
There are those who say he already stands alongside Montana on the highest pedestal in football, but many more who argue that a fourth Super Bowl victory is needed to truly align these two stars.
Personally I find that requirement a little harsh, given that Peyton Manning’s name is often mentioned in the equation despite the Colts superstar having posted a 1-1 record in the big game. Other greats like Steve Young, who only won one title as a starter, Joe Namath, whose career stats cannot hold a candle to Brady’s, and not to mention Dan Marino, who was never a World Champion, seem to have passed into the history books as Brady’s equal. Tom Terrific has a chance today to put himself right next to Montana in the only category that seems to be holding Brady’s legend back.
What worries me, the first of two concerns, is that Brady had his shot at true uniqueness four years ago, when the then undefeated Patriots fell 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII to the…Giants. That notch in the loss column must haunt Brady daily. Not only did the ’07 Pats miss out on perfection, Brady placed himself on a tightrope. 3-1 in the Super Bowl is a more than respectable record, but a loss tonight will put him at 3-2, which is dangerously close to .500, hardly what we expect from a clutch player. But even that is ridiculous. To say 3-2 is worse than 3-0 or 3-1 is like saying there is no merit in playing in a Super Bowl, only winning it all.
I would argue that if Brady were to win tonight, his 4-1 record will put him out in front on his own. That fifth Super Bowl appearance is an achievement Montana can not lay claim to. Okay, it is a loss, but it is also representative of another Conference Championship win.
Now to the second, rather bigger concern: to make it to 4-1, Brady must bury his demons and beat the New York giants and outplay his rising counterpart, Eli manning. The younger brother of Brady’s long-time nemesis Peyton, Eli is fast establishing a reputation as a great himself. If his career ended tomorrow he would have a legitimate shout at the Hall of Fame. Were he to win and go 2-0 in Super Bowls he would, remarkably, be the only multiple ring-wearing active QB undefeated in the Superbowl (Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a 2-1 record after losing to the Pack last year). Eli’s late game heroics are undeniable and, crucially, his defence does a great deal of the hard work for him. The Giants overbearing pass rush and disruptive front 7 are Tom Brady’s worst nightmare. They had his number in ’07 and they had his number in their regular season meeting this year. My gut feeling? They’ll have his number again tonight.
Brady’s high octane, fast scoring offense is a well oiled machine. The Giants D is grit in that oil. They will annoy, pester and capitalise on any disharmony their aggressive play can sew in the minds of the graceful Patriots. If Tight End Rob Gronkowski is fit, then the Patriots have a significantly better chance of carving it up over the middle through Gronk, Aaron Hernandez and slot receiver, Wes Welker, or sending it wide and deep to former Super Bowl MVP, Deion Branch and, would you believe, Chad Ochocinco, who has a chance tonight to finally win the Super Bowl many a great player in his mould has missed out on by playing for a bad team their entire career.
Either team could win this game (any given Sunday and all that) but I hope New England get the championship I feel the Gods of fate owe them after the cruelty of 2007. Sure, it won’t be as amazing; it won’t be as legendary, but it may be more impressive. The Patriots are a ragtag bunch, with few superstars in the classic positions of Running Back, Wide Receiver (Welker plays inside too often to be considered a true wide-out), or any defensive names that are commonly uttered in the same breath as greats. The Giants, on the other hand, actually have more playmakers on both sides of the ball. As they were in 2007, the Patriots are all about the team. As thy were in 2007, the Giants are all about the upset; all about peaking at the right time; all about winning it all in the most unimaginable way possible.
They stormed to the title in 2007 from 6th seed. If they do it again they will have done it from 4th seed and with the worst postseason record in the NFC. They looked dead and buried after a 4 game skid that very nearly cost Coach Coughlin his job. I bet they’re gad they’ve got him now. Coughlin knows Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick better than anyone, having served with him in the 80s when Belichick was D coordinator for the Giants and their first pair of Superbowl victories.
Last season I picked the Packers to win it all and they did. This year I picked the Patriots the second the final whistle of XLV was blown. If you’d asked me then, which team I would least like to see standing in the Pats’ way of the Lombardi Trophy, I would’ve said the Giants.
But Big Blue refused to go away, and now could very well go all the way. Whoever wins, this Super Bowl must be regarded as the jewel in either franchise’s crown, and the next chapter in what has become an absorbing and classic rivalry of recent times.
Good luck to all men. Play hard and leave it all on the field. Destiny awaits you all, and glory those lucky few.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
But only one call will be answered; only one team will receive the most coveted prize in football and have their names immortalised.
Despite the singularity of victory, the storylines yet to unfold are legion. As a humble chronicler of the NFL, being gifted such a multi-layered plot for Super Bowl XVI is a treat indeed, but a treat that begs a great many questions, most of which I, as a huge Tom Brady fan, am afraid to answer.
In the past I have made no secret of my allegiance to those oft-hapless desert birds, the Arizona Cardinals, but Brady is my generation’s Unitas, Marino or Montana. He is the only active QB with 3 Super Bowl victories, the only active QB with 4 AFC Championship crowns, the only QB ever to throw for 50 Touchdowns in a season and one of only three men (along with Drew Brees and Dan Marino) to eclipse the 5,000 yard passing mark in a single season. He is already a legend, but when the conversation turns to the greatest ever, the name of Joe Montana, Brady’s boyhood hero, still trumps Tom Terrific’s.
There are those who say he already stands alongside Montana on the highest pedestal in football, but many more who argue that a fourth Super Bowl victory is needed to truly align these two stars.
Personally I find that requirement a little harsh, given that Peyton Manning’s name is often mentioned in the equation despite the Colts superstar having posted a 1-1 record in the big game. Other greats like Steve Young, who only won one title as a starter, Joe Namath, whose career stats cannot hold a candle to Brady’s, and not to mention Dan Marino, who was never a World Champion, seem to have passed into the history books as Brady’s equal. Tom Terrific has a chance today to put himself right next to Montana in the only category that seems to be holding Brady’s legend back.
What worries me, the first of two concerns, is that Brady had his shot at true uniqueness four years ago, when the then undefeated Patriots fell 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII to the…Giants. That notch in the loss column must haunt Brady daily. Not only did the ’07 Pats miss out on perfection, Brady placed himself on a tightrope. 3-1 in the Super Bowl is a more than respectable record, but a loss tonight will put him at 3-2, which is dangerously close to .500, hardly what we expect from a clutch player. But even that is ridiculous. To say 3-2 is worse than 3-0 or 3-1 is like saying there is no merit in playing in a Super Bowl, only winning it all.
I would argue that if Brady were to win tonight, his 4-1 record will put him out in front on his own. That fifth Super Bowl appearance is an achievement Montana can not lay claim to. Okay, it is a loss, but it is also representative of another Conference Championship win.
Now to the second, rather bigger concern: to make it to 4-1, Brady must bury his demons and beat the New York giants and outplay his rising counterpart, Eli manning. The younger brother of Brady’s long-time nemesis Peyton, Eli is fast establishing a reputation as a great himself. If his career ended tomorrow he would have a legitimate shout at the Hall of Fame. Were he to win and go 2-0 in Super Bowls he would, remarkably, be the only multiple ring-wearing active QB undefeated in the Superbowl (Big Ben Roethlisberger of the Pittsburgh Steelers has a 2-1 record after losing to the Pack last year). Eli’s late game heroics are undeniable and, crucially, his defence does a great deal of the hard work for him. The Giants overbearing pass rush and disruptive front 7 are Tom Brady’s worst nightmare. They had his number in ’07 and they had his number in their regular season meeting this year. My gut feeling? They’ll have his number again tonight.
Brady’s high octane, fast scoring offense is a well oiled machine. The Giants D is grit in that oil. They will annoy, pester and capitalise on any disharmony their aggressive play can sew in the minds of the graceful Patriots. If Tight End Rob Gronkowski is fit, then the Patriots have a significantly better chance of carving it up over the middle through Gronk, Aaron Hernandez and slot receiver, Wes Welker, or sending it wide and deep to former Super Bowl MVP, Deion Branch and, would you believe, Chad Ochocinco, who has a chance tonight to finally win the Super Bowl many a great player in his mould has missed out on by playing for a bad team their entire career.
Either team could win this game (any given Sunday and all that) but I hope New England get the championship I feel the Gods of fate owe them after the cruelty of 2007. Sure, it won’t be as amazing; it won’t be as legendary, but it may be more impressive. The Patriots are a ragtag bunch, with few superstars in the classic positions of Running Back, Wide Receiver (Welker plays inside too often to be considered a true wide-out), or any defensive names that are commonly uttered in the same breath as greats. The Giants, on the other hand, actually have more playmakers on both sides of the ball. As they were in 2007, the Patriots are all about the team. As thy were in 2007, the Giants are all about the upset; all about peaking at the right time; all about winning it all in the most unimaginable way possible.
They stormed to the title in 2007 from 6th seed. If they do it again they will have done it from 4th seed and with the worst postseason record in the NFC. They looked dead and buried after a 4 game skid that very nearly cost Coach Coughlin his job. I bet they’re gad they’ve got him now. Coughlin knows Patriots’ coach Bill Belichick better than anyone, having served with him in the 80s when Belichick was D coordinator for the Giants and their first pair of Superbowl victories.
Last season I picked the Packers to win it all and they did. This year I picked the Patriots the second the final whistle of XLV was blown. If you’d asked me then, which team I would least like to see standing in the Pats’ way of the Lombardi Trophy, I would’ve said the Giants.
But Big Blue refused to go away, and now could very well go all the way. Whoever wins, this Super Bowl must be regarded as the jewel in either franchise’s crown, and the next chapter in what has become an absorbing and classic rivalry of recent times.
Good luck to all men. Play hard and leave it all on the field. Destiny awaits you all, and glory those lucky few.
Pick up THE HARE newspaper at Night and Day, Bar Centro, Font or Tiger Lounge in Manchester town centre, or the Oakwood in Glossop.
E-mail theharenewspaper@hotmail.co.uk with questions, comments or contributory pieces.
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