Sorry... can't see myself as a Giants fan because:
1. Eli Manning... I admit I am a Manning hater (not proud of that) -- mostly Daddy Manning, but it spilled down on Eli and Peyton, too... long story from my perspective... but there it is... you're right that the Spanos family probably hates Eli, but it seems quite unlikely they'd care, or even know about whether I am a fan of... well, anyone or any team -- I have no delusions along those lines.
2. History: if all I cared about was SB victories since the 1980s, why not the 49ers or the Pats, or even the Cowboys? I'm curious why you draw a line in 1986 for "the dawn of the modern era"... ??? Most references call 1960 the start of the modern era in pro ball -- had not seen 1986 referenced as such before and am trying to figure that one out... I'll go out on a limb here and guess that you picked that year because it was the first time the Giants won a SB? However, if we include the entire history, Pittsburgh has won more SBs than anyone and are 6-2 in SB games... plus, the Steelers are the only team to win back-to-back SBs twice... from 1975 through 1980, the Steelers went 4-0 in Super Bowl wins...
3. Steelers tend to keep coaches a long time -- I like that... I also liked Knoll and Cowher... and I'm no stranger to "legendary" coaches... I lived next door to Ara Parseghian when I was a kid... my dad played HS football in and basketball Oxford for some coach named Weeb Ewbank -- who was also a family friend of my grand parents... and then there's Miami's record for more HOF coaches (NCAA and NFL) than any other college... a sample list of notable coaches produced by Miami U in Oxford, OH: Earl Blaik, Paul Brown, Woody Hayes, Bill Arnsparger, George Little, Weeb Ewbank, Sid Gillman, Ara Parseghian, Bo Schembechler, John Pont, Carmen Cozza, Bill Mallory, Jim Tressel, Joe Novak, Ron Zook, Dick Crum, Paul Dietzel, Bill Narduzzi, Randy Walker, John Harbaugh, Gary Moeller, Larry Smith, Dick Tomey, Sean Payton and Terry Hoeppner... I will admit, I did like Big Tuna as a coach, and of course Arnsparger was a Miami product...
(((Miami has also produced notable basketball coaches Darrell Hedric, Randy Ayers, Herb Sendek, Thad Matta and Sean Miller. Hedric, currently a scout for the Toronto Raptors, is an Ohio and Cincinnati Basketball Hall of Famer and holds the record for Miami victories. Ayers was a four-year starter for Miami, leading the team to back-to-back NCAA appearances in 1977 and 1978, and later served as a head coach for Ohio State and assistant coach in the National Basketball Association. Sendek began his head coaching career at Miami and led the RedHawks to the postseason in each of his three seasons. Matta, currently the head coach at Ohio State, was an assistant under Sendek for one memorable year that included a regular season MAC championship and NCAA tournament appearance, and also for one year under then-head coach Charlie Coles.)))
(((Baseball Hall of Fame manager Walter Alston is also a graduate of Miami (I met him many times holding court at The Hitching Post in Dartown, OH -- tiny little burg of a few dozen people 5-10 miles east of Oxford and Smokey's home town to which he returned after every season. Legendary University of Tennessee basketball coach Ray Mears is a graduate of Miami. Additionally, hockey coach George Gwozdecky served as head coach at Miami prior to leaving for Denver, where he won two national championships.)))
4. As someone who has an oft-mangled last name, I feel a kinship to those folks <ggg>
5. Well, you got me there with your rigorous adherence to scientific methodology to determine gear availability... but doesn't that also mean they don't sell much of it and that's why so much is available and in stock? <ggg>
Finally, I have to roooot for Harrison... he's the only guy starting in the NFL who's my age, 147 years old...
Come to think of it, maybe I'll just ditch the NFL altogether and become a fan of a bo-taoshi team... what is bo-taoshi? Glad you asked... it is quite the manly sport... it's played in Japan (bo-taoshi means "pole pulldown") and involves two teams of 150 players each (75 attackers and 75 defenders)... the object of the game is to pull down the other team's pole... which can be quite a dangerous game with 300 players on the field attacking/defending two poles stuck in the ground... the only problem is I'll have to start a pro league myself, but the potential upside is unlimited... if you want to be a founding owner, PM for details on fees and franchise requirements to join the league I'm going to create... <ggg> |
