Get Off My Lawn!
Spent Sunday afternoon watching Bills-Ravens with my boy, Sam.
He’s obviously crazed because the Bills were coming into the game at 9-3 and the Ravens were a true test. A win and the Bills could actually press New England for the division.
They fell behind.
I was telling Sam a little about the Super Bowls in the 90’s. I know an awful lot about those teams. Sam has a single playoff memory.
Bills lost 10-3 in round one a couple of years back.
He wants his own memories.
“Will you be fired up if they make a playoff run?” Sam asked.
“Maybe,” I said.
But then I got to thinking about it.
The short answer is ‘no chance.’
And it’s not the Bills fault, it’s mine.
A few things ruined it for me.
1). I’m older - Jim Kelly and Don Mattingly were my last athletic idols. They retired back-to-back. Shortly after they left, these guys were suddenly younger than me.
I remember seeing a few Sabres at a practice after that. They all looked like kids. “Did you ask them for their autographs?” My kids asked. “They should’ve asked for mine,” I said.
2). I worked at both the Bills Stadium and the Sabres arena.
Turned my stomach a little to listen to the management for each team down-talk the guys who were doing the work. There was so much arrogance. Saw how the athletes were treated as royalty.
“I’d like to hang a tarp so those workers don’t look at my players,” Sabres/Bills owner Terry Pegula said.
My response to him got me kicked out of all future meetings.
3). Sports suck now!
The officials can’t officiate the sport of football. The game has also changed a lot to protect the players - which is good - but Kelly used to get absolutely hammered to complete a pass. The Bills current QB had a hand graze his helmet yesterday. He got up screaming and making the motion designed to get the ref to throw a flag. The ref did. 15-yard misconduct penalty.
“That’s awful,” I said.
A number of those plays happened. I lost count, but I think that they called at least 5 misconduct penalties yesterday.
Late in the game a Bills receiver flopped.
Looked as if he was shot from the rafters.
Flag came out.
“That was bad,” Sam confessed.
“Unwatchable.”
I used to watch 3 or 4 games a week.
“Shut this garbage off,” I said immediately after the flags started flying in the next game.
And it’s not just football.
Maybe it’s nostalgia but I don’t think that any sport is as good now as it was when I was a kid.
Baseball has too many homers and too many strike-outs.
Basketball has everyone shooting 3’s.
Hockey is a clutch and grab fest.
“You know,” I told Sam, “when the Bills lost the Super Bowls it was like someone died. I didn’t talk for a week.”
“It would be heartbreaking,” Sam said.
Sadly, it doesn’t affect me that way anymore...
...even for the Yankees.
“Get off my lawn!”
He’s obviously crazed because the Bills were coming into the game at 9-3 and the Ravens were a true test. A win and the Bills could actually press New England for the division.
They fell behind.
I was telling Sam a little about the Super Bowls in the 90’s. I know an awful lot about those teams. Sam has a single playoff memory.
Bills lost 10-3 in round one a couple of years back.
He wants his own memories.
“Will you be fired up if they make a playoff run?” Sam asked.
“Maybe,” I said.
But then I got to thinking about it.
The short answer is ‘no chance.’
And it’s not the Bills fault, it’s mine.
A few things ruined it for me.
1). I’m older - Jim Kelly and Don Mattingly were my last athletic idols. They retired back-to-back. Shortly after they left, these guys were suddenly younger than me.
I remember seeing a few Sabres at a practice after that. They all looked like kids. “Did you ask them for their autographs?” My kids asked. “They should’ve asked for mine,” I said.
2). I worked at both the Bills Stadium and the Sabres arena.
Turned my stomach a little to listen to the management for each team down-talk the guys who were doing the work. There was so much arrogance. Saw how the athletes were treated as royalty.
“I’d like to hang a tarp so those workers don’t look at my players,” Sabres/Bills owner Terry Pegula said.
My response to him got me kicked out of all future meetings.
3). Sports suck now!
The officials can’t officiate the sport of football. The game has also changed a lot to protect the players - which is good - but Kelly used to get absolutely hammered to complete a pass. The Bills current QB had a hand graze his helmet yesterday. He got up screaming and making the motion designed to get the ref to throw a flag. The ref did. 15-yard misconduct penalty.
“That’s awful,” I said.
A number of those plays happened. I lost count, but I think that they called at least 5 misconduct penalties yesterday.
Late in the game a Bills receiver flopped.
Looked as if he was shot from the rafters.
Flag came out.
“That was bad,” Sam confessed.
“Unwatchable.”
I used to watch 3 or 4 games a week.
“Shut this garbage off,” I said immediately after the flags started flying in the next game.
And it’s not just football.
Maybe it’s nostalgia but I don’t think that any sport is as good now as it was when I was a kid.
Baseball has too many homers and too many strike-outs.
Basketball has everyone shooting 3’s.
Hockey is a clutch and grab fest.
“You know,” I told Sam, “when the Bills lost the Super Bowls it was like someone died. I didn’t talk for a week.”
“It would be heartbreaking,” Sam said.
Sadly, it doesn’t affect me that way anymore...
...even for the Yankees.
“Get off my lawn!”
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