Finding out that your sports heros are Repukes.

[Bleacher Creature]

It sucks. I don't usually expect any less from a bunch of spoiled, overpaid, selfish jerks, but you always hope. By the way, this is what set me off (and I know I should have put the title in my subject line -- but it's not my main point).

http://www.syracuse.com/news/poststandard/index.ssf?/base/news-0/110250097140980.xml

Pataki promises Assembly Republicans $80,000 each
Wednesday, December 08, 2004

Assembly Republicans have been promised $80,000 apiece by Gov. George Pataki to spend for pork barrel funding. Some at the Capitol see the money as a reward for Assembly Republicans denying Speaker Sheldon Silver, D-Manhattan, the votes he needed to override Pataki's budget vetoes in September - and for creating difficulty on recent override contemplations.

<SNIP>

Kelly for Congress?

Republicans might try to recruit former Buffalo Bills quarterback Jim Kelly to run for Congress in two years, according to the buzz in Western New York political circles.

Fueling the speculation: Kelly attended a recent event with Pataki at which the governor announced that the popular Bass Pro Shops will open an outlet in Buffalo, and the former football star has appeared at some recent political functions.

<SNIP>

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

1. I know!

The thought of Joe Montana and Steve Young as Repugs KILLS me, but there it is.

[Bleacher Creature]

3. I didn't know about Montana.

But didn't Steve Young speak at the 2000 GOP Convention?

[LeftyMom]

9. Young doesn't surprise me, he went to BYU after all. nt

nt

[JohnKleeb]

2. I hear my baseball hero, Cal Ripken is,

[motely36]

32. NOOOO!!!!!

Say it isn't so :cry:

[Bleacher Creature]

39. This is all we know about Cal

I live in Maryland and remember reading this a few years ago:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2001-06-20-ripken.htm

[JohnKleeb]

49. oh god no

sigh, he was my childhood idol. Maybe hes like Morella.

[Cadence]

4. I know ....Curt Shilling is one and I still have to find a

to like him. But John Elway on the other hand forget it..it's over and I'm not buying a car at one of his dealerships now either!

[maveric]

5. I hope that Tony Gwynn isnt a repuke.

I doubt it because for years he and his wife have donated and raised millions for underpriviliged and sick kids/families here in the San Diego area.
Thats hardly a repug trait.

[maveric]

7. Cool! It appears he gives to dems.

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=CA&last=gwynn&first=tony

[Bleacher Creature]

8. You're in luck maveric!

I'm not sure if this is conclusive proof, but check this out:

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?st=CA&last=gwynn&first=tony

On edit: I guess great minds think alike -- and at the same time.

[maveric]

10. You cant say anything bad about Tony,

20 years with the same team, some bad ones IMA, 16 All Star games. 2 World Series, 8 batting crowns, 3000+ hits, 5 Gold Gloves. .338 lifetime BA and NEVER THE HIGHEST PAID PLAYER ON HIS TEAM, NEVER!
He never went the free agent route. Probably could have made more money, but wanted to be a Padre for life.
The man is a gem.

[AndyP]

6. this is a slightly related story

while they aren't my heroes I'm sure someone loves them. I was fixing a girls computer and she had on the rodeo, the cowboy was asked how it felt to be someone's hero and I knew his answer before he spoke. He said, "well, you know who the real heroes are, are the brave men and women who are fighting in Iraq "for our freedom". Now how you put together Iraq with our freedom I dunno.

You know my story had absolutely nothing to do with the post topic but I had to vent. Thanks :)

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

11. Re: Jim Kelly, his grandparents, I believe, are from the same area of

Co. Down, Ireland as my husband. A very good friend of ours, another great athelete BTW, has met him twice while he was visiting his family in the area.

When I pointed out to our friend that Jim Kelly is a Repuke, I couldn't say Republican, because the friend would have picked it up the wrong way, he was totally shocked.

This is a man whose family fled their home in Ireland because of bigotry and oppression. He's a prime example of a second generation Irish American that forgot what their family had to endure.

Flame me if you want, I have absolutely no time for people like Mr. Kelly and his ilk. He's just another hypocritical Repuke.

[Bleacher Creature]

12. No flames from me.

I think a lot of it has to do with ignorance. These guys guys get full scholarships at school, but few ever take advantage of it to really learn about the world. They make millions of dollars, and someone tells them that if they support the GOP, they get to keep a little more of it.
And all of the overly macho locker room crap doesn't help.

I'm not sure how that relates to your post about second generation Irish Americans, but it ALWAYS sickens me to see people forget about all real values the moment they hit it big.

[mohinoaklawnillinois]

13. I just used the term "second generation Irish Americans" to try

and point out what you so succinctly stated: "always sickens me to see people forget about all real values the moment they hit it big".

I see it in my own family everyday and it "sickens" me as well.

[StopTheMorans]

34. Jim Kelly is a huge piece of shit

when I went to college, my work study assignment was with the grounds crew for the first year, and my college (SUNY Fredonia) hosted the Bills training camp then (it was before it moved to Rochester in the last few years). A few of my coworkers told me (this is all according to my coworkers, most of whom had worked there for 10+ years as they were full-time employees of the college)the story of a special roped-off area that they had made for a group of mentally-challenged students to ask for autographs (we had to put up the fencing to make areas where the players could walk, and to delineate the are where the fans could stand). Jim Kelly walked past the area, and the teacher (or whomever was leading the group of mentally-challenged students) asked if he would sign free autographs for the kids (as he reportedly charged for autographs on some days of training camp). He responded "retards have to pay just like everyone else" and walked away.

My coworkers were all bills fans, so i have no reason to believe that they would lie about that. and, in addition to that story, some of the stories that friends of mine (girls) who were bartenders downtown told me about what Jim Kelly would say to them was enough to color my opinion of him. It's only fitting that he's a republican (btw, i grew up a huge Bills fan and was 11 <and cried> when Norwood missed his field goal in super bowl XXV).

[Bleacher Creature]

48. I was 17 and walked home 2 miles in the snow . .

when Norwood missed that kick.

All I can say about your story is that it doesn't seem to out of character. Early in his career he was sued by a woman for allegedly throwing her to the ground in a bar after she criticized his play on the field. A few years later he got sued again by a woman who claimed that he threw a beer-filled water balloon at her face at a bar.

He's always been fairly low-class -- so it all fits with him being an insensitive prick -- i.e. a Republican. I guess I never really saw the signs.

At least Drew Bledsoe is a truly good guy -- even though his play leaves a bit to be desired.

[StopTheMorans]

50. i agree with everything you said, and loved bledsoe when he played

here in NE.

[autorank]

14. The cure for your ailment.

If confine your sport's heros to the best of the Oakland Raiders, you greatly reduce the probablity of having a sports heor that is a Repuke.

It's a probabability approaching zero.

Besides, kelly sucks. Get a new hero.

[Bleacher Creature]

16. Like who??

And do they have to have been Raiders when they were in Oakland, or are you referring to people from the 80s??

[autorank]

20. OK, now were talking.

'80's is good: Plunkett, the Tooz
'70's is heaven: Kenny Stabler (a real QB), Otis Sistrunk, Matt Millen, George "The Enforcer" Atkinson, Dave Casper, Fred Belitnikoff, Jack "Dr. Death" Tatum and much much more. And of course Coach Madden.

The definitive book on this is "Snake" by Kenny Stabler (before he calmed down) which documents what we all suspected...they drank, screwed, and abused various substances before, during and after games.

They are truly America's team.

http://www.raiders.com/history/gm1.js

They may be losing but, just think of it, you're a fan of a team that everyone hates, particularly Repukes. When Oakland went to San Diego for the Super Bowl, the San Diego folks were all upset that "those people" form Oakland (aka, working class people) were coming to town. Of course, our fans did go down there and cause a lot of trouble but, hey, they didn't invade Iraq or anything. Whiney SoCal beach twits.

Come to the dark side, support the team everyone hates, get totally f'ing depressed whenever they fall out of contention or lose to a rival, have an excuse for all of your bad behavior. Become part of


http://www.raiders.com/default.jsp

[Bleacher Creature]

22. LOL

Thanks for the info. I definitely see how a group of guys like that can endear you to your team. We've got a few characters like that as well -- putting aside my revelation about Jim Kelly today and of course that whole O.J. thing.

I don't think I'll come over to the dark side just yet, but I will keep your post in mind whenever I watch the Silver and Black again on Sundays.

[autorank]

26. You trumped me...geez, OJ. That's a bit much for even the Raiders.

Can you trade alumni? I do like the Bills and their superbowl with the Giants was one of the best games ever, certainly the best super bowl.

Hey, if you like Kelly, just think of him as a 'progressive Republican', you know, a secret Javits supporter.

[Bleacher Creature]

41. Thanks, but no . . .

Jacob Javits was a well-educated, articulate, compassionate and progressive Republican from NYC. I loved Jim Kelly on the football field, but he's a dumb hick from rural Pennsylvania. Before I found out that he was a Repug, I saw that as an endearing quality. Obviously not so much anymore.

But I do appreciate the sentiment.

[RagingInMiami]

38. Let's not forget the Mad Stork

Ted Hendricks, my favorite all-time raider.

[WindRavenX]

15. The day I find out...

...that Derek Jeter is a Republican is the day I never watch baseball again.

[Guaranteed]

17. Well, JOE MONTANA would NEVER be a Repuke.

NEVER!!!

[strategery blunder]

18. Well, Chris Pronger is a repug, but not as bad as I feared

$1500 total to Kit Bond. At least he didn't give anything to Bu$h.

http://www.opensecrets.org/indivs/search.asp?NumOfThou=0&txtZip=&txt2004=y&txtState=%28all+states%29&txtEmploy=&txtCand=&C1=ON&R1=name&txtName=pronger&submit=Go%21

[RagingInMiami]

19. That's suck

I remember Kelly when he played down here for the Canes. He was a huge partier.

[andino]

21. Mario Lemieux (R) & Canadian

WTF!!!!

:puke:

[Norbert]

23. Grant Hill

He quietly does a superb job on the court, goesn't punch fans out, not self-centered in the least and leads a good life off the court. Oh yeah! He's on our side too.

[dazeconf]

24. Tom Brady

He's a Michigan QB and I watched him all 4 years in college, so I was rooting for him all the way in the pros... that is until I found out that he was pro chimp. He even got himself invited to the state of the union address. Now I can't stand the guy, but he unfortunately continues to play well.

[realisticphish]

29. thats what you get

for supporting the U of M :evilgrin:


:hippie: The Incorrigible Democrat

[Arkana]

30. Tom Brady's a Chimpbot?

NOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Meh, as long as he keeps winning games I don't have to hate him, and he makes a shitload of money-voting Puke helps him.

[Kathy in Cambridge]

44. That's debatable, since he was seen at a Kerry fundraiser in Feb.

If you are the quarterback of the Superbowl champions and was invited to the SOTU, would you say no?

[dazeconf]

51. From an old Drudge Report...

"He has switched his preference from Kerry to Bush," a well-placed source close to Brady said Tuesday night from Boston. "He thinks President Bush has demonstrated leadership, he was proud, no, he was thrilled to go to Washington to be the president's guest and to hear his speech. He's been talking about it for weeks."

[St. Jarvitude]

53. God knows Drudge is an accurate source

Ya, whatever :eyes:

[RevCheesehead]

25. Bart Starr

During the campaign this summer, he toured WI with Cheney!

OMG! The Dark Lord and Bart!

I'll never see him the same way again. He was my hero in the 1960's.

Now, DON'T tell me anything about Brett! Don't want to know!!!

[H3Dakota]

31. LOL...

I hear ya on Favre!!

*fingers in ears, singing 'la-la-la, I can't hear you'*

[Roon]

27. John Elway sent a recorded message over the phones

urging everyone to vote for Bush. My Grandfather and I were really upset.

[RUDUing2]

28. hard to understand how he can support the Repubs considering his

sons illness....

[Bleacher Creature]

37. Yes and no.

He's been an amazing advocate for his son's disease. He fundraises, lobbies, etc.

However, this is kind of a typical Republican thing to do. He gave money to charity and had a foundation and all that before his son was born, but you never saw him really advocate for anything. It was almost as if it was a pure PR stunt. But the MOMENT it hit home with him --bam! He was all over it.

Last year I saw Rep. Dan Burton from Indiana on CNN advocating for more Federal money for autism research. Burton is one of the most conservative guys out there, and he has never met a social program that he didn't want to cut. Before he said anything I told my wife that he probably has someone in his family with autism -- and lo and behold, it was his grandson.

[slackmaster]

33. We pay professional athletes to play games, not to think

:dunce:

Same principle applies to actors, comedians, prostitutes, and other kinds of entertainers.

[fudge stripe cookays]

35. Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman.

Both assholes. Surprised?

I hate football, and these guys and their values are still worshipped here.

Oh, and Nolan Ryan.
FSC

[DeposeTheBoyKing]

43. I love football, but HATE the Cowboys

Ironically, our new house in Texas is in Valley Ranch and is one of the "Cowboy" plans (home plans called the "Meredith," the "Staubach," the "Lilly," etc.). Ours is the "Hayes" plan.

[fudge stripe cookays]

45. Barf.

Next time we have a local meetup you'll have to come out and introduce yourself!

I'm thinking after Christmas/New Years is over.

FSC

[FeelinGarfunkelly]

46. okay but Troy Aikman Football is one of the coolest sports games on Sega.

in my opinion...but of course, nothing beats the old Tecmo Bowl on NES.

[winston61]

36. look at the background

Most of the successful white jocks come from middle class families with a solid foundation in being Republicans. For some reason that I cannot understand people admire pro jocks and see them as role models. That's scary. For me the term 'sports hero' is a contradiction in terms. These are grown men being paid large sums of money to play a child's game. What contribution do they really make? I suppose it may have something to do with group identity. You ever notice how some sport fans will say things like 'we beat the crap out of old so and so last night?' We? We didn't have anything to do with it. The jocks on the team played the game, not you. The parties recruiting jock to run for office is nothing new. It shows just a little of the contempt that the parties have for the voters.

[bearfan454]

40. I know my lifetime hero was not a repuke. No way.

[Bleacher Creature]

42. I'm not a Bears fan -- though I don't dislike them.

That said, I would lose all faith in humanity if I ever found out that Sweetness was a Repug. No way, no how!

[bearfan454]

47. Right on abernste ! n/t

[Iris]

52. Why would you even be surprised? n/t