The Sports Bar

[The Butcher]

So any of you have a take on the Dr.V - Grantland controversy? I have been looking like an insensitive mongrel all day over it.

I read the Deadspin article and Bill Simmons apology a few days ago, but not the actual piece itself (just didn't get to it at the time). It's an unfortunate situation that perhaps highlights how little understanding and compassion your average straight individual has for transsexuals, but the author was doing his job. He shouldn't have outed her, and it seems that either he or the editors should have added some wording to the article that showed some regret over how things played out.

Similarly, I've been reading the story of Sasha Menu Courey, a Mizzou swimmer who committed suicide months after being raped by members of the Missouri football team. Like Dr. V, it's a complex situation, but it seems the school failed the girl terribly. It's a shame she didn't just report the incident when it happened so the fuckheads who did it would've been the ones who wanted to hurt themselves. Crazy, sad world of sports sometimes.

 

[Mighty NorCal]

Reading the actual piece itself really helps put things into perspective, were I put zero responsibility onto Simmons OR grantland.

This person had simply made up an entire other identity, complete with claims she worked on the creation of the B-2 stealth bomber, had various degrees in physics and engineering, etc etc etc. She used this enormous pile of lies in order to secure investors for her products.

When the reporter did his due dilligence to verify the credentials, obviously, he discovered they were all entirely fabricated. The revelation that she started life as a he was only a part of the whole story, and simply furthermore evidence that this person entirely fabrcated their entire persona.

I can see someone saying it was irrelevant, and didnt need to be said, but I can see how the reporter felt it was a part of the entire picture....Plus, uh, fuck off, if you base your entre life off of lies, and use those lies to swindle people out of their money, you dont get to pick and choose which of the lies are discussed when you are revealed.


Not to mention, this person had attempted suicide before, when it appeared her company and product were going to bankrupt her.....Then her credentials are revealed to be a farce(which will ruin her company, she so much as mentions this in her final email, which also contained threats of physical harm), and she proceeds to kill herself? And people want to use her being TG and the reporter finding that out as the scapegoat?

Fucking please. Not the first person to be ruined financially by having their scam revealed, and then proceeded to kill themselves.

 

[The Butcher]

Reading the actual piece itself really helps put things into perspective, were I put zero responsibility onto Simmons OR grantland.

This person had simply made up an entire other identity, complete with claims she worked on the creation of the B-2 stealth bomber, had various degrees in physics and engineering, etc etc etc. She used this enormous pile of lies in order to secure investors for her products.

When the reporter did his due dilligence to verify the credentials, obviously, he discovered they were all entirely fabricated. The revelation that she started life as a he was only a part of the whole story, and simply furthermore evidence that this person entirely fabrcated their entire persona.

I can see someone saying it was irrelevant, and didnt need to be said, but I can see how the reporter felt it was a part of the entire picture....Plus, uh, fuck off, if you base your entre life off of lies, and use those lies to swindle people out of their money, you dont get to pick and choose which of the lies are discussed when you are revealed.


Not to mention, this person had attempted suicide before, when it appeared her company and product were going to bankrupt her.....Then her credentials are revealed to be a farce(which will ruin her company, she so much as mentions this in her final email, which also contained threats of physical harm), and she proceeds to kill herself? And people want to use her being TG and the reporter finding that out as the scapegoat?

Fucking please. Not the first person to be ruined financially by having their scam revealed, and then proceeded to kill themselves.

On my way to Grantland. The Deadspin piece covered some of that, but clearly the article really shows that the writer was just doing, like you said, due diligence. The dude heard an amazing claim about a putter, investigated, and the deeper down the rabbit hole he went the more outrageous the story got. Can't ask a reporter to not do his job because it'll hurt someone's feelings.

 

[klunderbunker]

I just read the piece and this is my first thought: if she had been a straight woman or man who was caught doing this and been outed as a liar, this isn't a story.

The way I took it, I don't think Dr. V. lied about her gender, but rather everything else and that's what got her in trouble. Think about it. What's going to bother an investor more: the fact that his expert from MIT and all those other schools used to have a penis or that his expert from MIT and all those other schools is a mechanic from Arizona?

The transgender issue is a detail in a long series of lies where the liar got caught. A journalist's job is to report facts and it's not his responsibility what happens to a person that agrees to be interviewed by him.

 

[The Butcher]

Kevin Durant is on some whole other $#!*. That is all.

 

[WhiskeyTango]

Kevin Durant is on some whole other $#!*. That is all.

Hes a maniac. What was the last time we saw something like this?

 

[The Butcher]

Hes a maniac. What was the last time we saw something like this?

Have we? I mean dude is exceeding MJ in terms of offensive efficiency. This is something special. The Heat didn't help matters with their mistakes tonight, but even if they were flawless, The Slim Reaper would still be getting his. The fact that Ibaka and the rest of the crew are coming through really makes OKC a potential playoff juggernaut when Westbrook is back healthy.

 

[WhiskeyTango]

Have we? I mean dude is exceeding MJ in terms of offensive efficiency. This is something special. The Heat didn't help matters with their mistakes tonight, but even if they were flawless, The Slim Reaper would still be getting his. The fact that Ibaka and the rest of the crew are coming through really makes OKC a potential playoff juggernaut when Westbrook is back healthy.

my man as a knick fan who was tormented by Jordan, this guy is doing ridiculous things...I mean I think hes clearly the MVP, especially without Weastbrook. I mean whose beating OKC in the playoffs? San Antonio? Golden State? Maybe

 

[The Butcher]

my man as a knick fan who was tormented by Jordan, this guy is doing ridiculous things...I mean I think hes clearly the MVP, especially without Weastbrook. I mean whose beating OKC in the playoffs? San Antonio? Golden State? Maybe

San Antonio doesn't seem to be too interested in beating good teams right now, but they do have that playoff switch they can turn on so maybe. OKC's experience should give them an edge over the other contenders in the west. I adopted the Rockets when I moved down here to Tejas, so the fan in me would love for them to be the ones to do it. Ain't happening, but hope springs eternal.

A Miami/OKC Finals is fine by me. It'd definitely suit the narrative that LeBron and KD are today's Magic and Larry.

 

[WhiskeyTango]

You got it right dude. Im a Lebron fan but KD is immortal right now.

 

[Akhilleus]

Oh I would definitely love to see Heat vs Thunder in the finals. I think they're definitely the two best teams in the league right now, with the two best players. To get the chance to see both of them go head to head would be something, and to see the Heat defend their finals winning streak would be a good story.

I don't have a specific favorite NBA, but the Heat and Thunder are definitely in my fave five (in the words of Booker T) so I wouldn't be against it in anyway. In fact I would probably be disappointed if it was two other teams.

 

[Big Sexy]

We haven't seen a consistent, dominant run like this from anyone in over a decade. Back in 2003 both Kobe and T Mac had longer streaks of games with at least 30 points. Kobe went 16 straight games and that included 11 games of at least 40 points and in 2 of those he had at least 50. McGrady went 14 straight games and that included 4 games of at least 40 points. The most impressive thing about Durant's streak is his efficiency. He has shot over 60% from the field in 5 of the 12 games in this streak and he has shot over 50% in 8 of the 12. That plus the all around game he is portraying gives him the nod over the other two streaks even if he doesn't extend it beyond tonight's game.

 

[The Butcher]

Happy to see Ray Guy and Andre Reed get into the Hall of Fame. Both long overdue.

On a basketball note, looks like KD's hot hand has cooled a bit. Still leading the MVP race by a furlong, though.

 

[Akhilleus]

I disagreed with a few of the award winners to be honest. The Hall of Fame was reasonable (Even though Marvin Harrison and Jerome Bettis got snubbed pretty badly) and it was sweet to see Andre Reed finally get in, and Ray Guy is definitely an interesting one being the first full time punter to get in.

However I don't think Ron Rivera should have won coach of the year. I would have given it to Andy Reid and Bill Belichick before I would have even considered giving it to Rivera. Reid turned the worst team of 2012 into a team that looked like they could have gone all the way. Had they played in another division who knows they might have. Bill Belichick lost nearly seemed to lose three quarters of his entire team, maybe that's an exaggeration but there is no question that team is a shell of what it used to be. Yet if someone compared this season to their last four other seasons without knowing anything that happened to the team, they would never have guessed that going into the 2013 season the Patriots would be without half of their offense.

Rivera certainly did a good job with his squad, winning what seemed like a very tough division especially at the beginning of the season. I personally didn't even consider the Panthers to content for the Super Bowl let alone win the division, I thought it was going to be a dogfight between the Falcons and Saints. Yet they were still unfortunately one and done when it came to playing in the postseason (Then again I suppose the same could be said for Andy Reid).

Another one I didn't exactly agree with was comeback player of the year. What did Phillip Rivers comeback from? Blowing chunks? This award seemed more appropriate last year when the candidates being discussed were Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning, two plays who came back from what could be career ending injuries and both had amazing seasons. It was a gift from god that the Chargers even made the playoffs after nearly losing to a bunch of backups at home, which they basically did lose twice had it not been from two mistakes from the officiating crew. I would say that Revis should have won, but he didn't exactly have that great of a bounce back season. Which is understandable because it is such a hard injury to return from, but that doesn't warrant the award. So I guess Knowshon Moreno should have won it, and I hate that guy.

So there were a few things that I did disagree with, but all in all it was a good show with a lot of well deserved awards handed out.

 

[The Butcher]

I disagreed with a few of the award winners to be honest. The Hall of Fame was reasonable (Even though Marvin Harrison and Jerome Bettis got snubbed pretty badly) and it was sweet to see Andre Reed finally get in, and Ray Guy is definitely an interesting one being the first full time punter to get in.

However I don't think Ron Rivera should have won coach of the year. I would have given it to Andy Reid and Bill Belichick before I would have even considered giving it to Rivera. Reid turned the worst team of 2012 into a team that looked like they could have gone all the way. Had they played in another division who knows they might have. Bill Belichick lost nearly seemed to lose three quarters of his entire team, maybe that's an exaggeration but there is no question that team is a shell of what it used to be. Yet if someone compared this season to their last four other seasons without knowing anything that happened to the team, they would never have guessed that going into the 2013 season the Patriots would be without half of their offense.

Rivera certainly did a good job with his squad, winning what seemed like a very tough division especially at the beginning of the season. I personally didn't even consider the Panthers to content for the Super Bowl let alone win the division, I thought it was going to be a dogfight between the Falcons and Saints. Yet they were still unfortunately one and done when it came to playing in the postseason (Then again I suppose the same could be said for Andy Reid).

Another one I didn't exactly agree with was comeback player of the year. What did Phillip Rivers comeback from? Blowing chunks? This award seemed more appropriate last year when the candidates being discussed were Adrian Peterson and Peyton Manning, two plays who came back from what could be career ending injuries and both had amazing seasons. It was a gift from god that the Chargers even made the playoffs after nearly losing to a bunch of backups at home, which they basically did lose twice had it not been from two mistakes from the officiating crew. I would say that Revis should have won, but he didn't exactly have that great of a bounce back season. Which is understandable because it is such a hard injury to return from, but that doesn't warrant the award. So I guess Knowshon Moreno should have won it, and I hate that guy.

So there were a few things that I did disagree with, but all in all it was a good show with a lot of well deserved awards handed out.

I don't see Bettis as a snub, and there's been a logjam at wideout for years now. Harrison and Bus's time will come.

I'm fine with Rivera considering that the Chiefs were a loaded team with a last place schedule. It'd have been more shocking if Reid didn't turn them into a winner. Comeback Player of the Year is the type of award that doesn't really need to be handed out every year, and this year was one of those. Might be the only award Rivers gets, so good for him I guess. The Chargers playoff appearance wasn't a divine gift; it was a gift from my underachieving Ravens.

 

[Big Sexy]

Jerome Bettis is not a snub. He is a HOFer but anyone who thought he would be in on one of his first few ballots was delusional. When it comes to Marvin Harrison, if Chris Carter had to wait a few years and Tim Brown STILL isn't in then Harrison had no chance as a first ballot guy. The only person in this class I disagree with is Andre Reed. Reed is a HOFer but Tim Brown should have gotten in over him. I'm guessing it was just a longevity thing and Tim Brown will be the next receiver to get in followed by Harrison. There aren't many HOF caliber receivers coming on the ballot in the next few years so the veterans on the ballot should be fine. Issac Bruce is the only worthy receiver coming on next year and he will have to wait a little before he gets in.

 

[The Butcher]

If anyone is up for some light reading, over a thousand text messages exchanged between Jonathan Martin and Richie Icognito have been leaked. I haven't read them yet, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has, and he gives a his impressions right here. There's a link to the site that has the full transcript in that article. For those who don't like clicking, my take of Florio's take is that Martin at least put up the facade of being Richie Icognito's friend. He partook in the crude banter, wasn't forced to pay $6,000 for the much talked about Las Vegas trip, and told Icognito "I got nothing to do with it man I haven’t said anything to anyone," after the story broke. The texts don't paint the whole picture, of course, but Martin's credibility just took a big blow.

 

[Fire Marshall Bill]

If anyone is up for some light reading, over a thousand text messages exchanged between Jonathan Martin and Richie Icognito have been leaked. I haven't read them yet, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has, and he gives a his impressions right here. There's a link to the site that has the full transcript in that article. For those who don't like clicking, my take of Florio's take is that Martin at least put up the facade of being Richie Icognito's friend. He partook in the crude banter, wasn't forced to pay $6,000 for the much talked about Las Vegas trip, and told Icognito "I got nothing to do with it man I haven’t said anything to anyone," after the story broke. The texts don't paint the whole picture, of course, but Martin's credibility just took a big blow.

Seems he's burned every NFL bridge possible. The funny thing is Incognito had several teammates defending him, but was still considered guilty until proven innocent by the masses.

 

[Little Jerry Lawler]

Why, Marcus Smart, why?

 

[Paul Bunyan's Axe]

KD is OP. And "the slim reaper" is officially my all-time favorite nick name.

 

[Akhilleus]

After seeing even more of this whole Incognito/Martin thing I definitely don't know what to think. I'm once again leaning towards the side of blaming Incognito. I definitely don't think he has a chance of resigning with a team. Martin I'm still not decided about, I think he'll be welcomed somewhere.

Also based on the text messages, I no longer have much respect for Mike Pouncey either. Both him and Incognito seem to be quite racist and bigoted.

 

[CH David]

This USA vs. Russia game is a lot of fun.

 

[The Butcher]

This USA vs. Russia game is a lot of fun.

Thanks for the heads up. Not much of a hockey guy, but it beats the hell out of what they pass off as Saturday morning cartoons these days.

 

[CH David]

In time for what should be an intense 3rd period. I missed the 1st, but the 2nd was great. Even if the Russians did dominate. Still tied at 1 though!

 

[The Butcher]

After seeing even more of this whole Incognito/Martin thing I definitely don't know what to think. I'm once again leaning towards the side of blaming Incognito. I definitely don't think he has a chance of resigning with a team. Martin I'm still not decided about, I think he'll be welcomed somewhere.

Also based on the text messages, I no longer have much respect for Mike Pouncey either. Both him and Incognito seem to be quite racist and bigoted.

There's a lot of blame to go around. "Bullying" was the wrong word to use for this situation from the get go, but I'll just have to heed my own words on semantics about that. What Martin faced and how he responded were complex, and the Wells Report did a good job sorting it out. Hopefully people just learn from this. I forgot who said it, but an ESPN talking head said it well: leaders have to step up and say "all right guys, that's enough" when they see a weaker guy constantly getting fucked with. Between this and Michael Sam's pending entrance into the league, guys are just going to have to watch what they say and to whom they say it. Sucks for "locker room culture" in some ways, but times are changing and cultures have to evolve with them.