I don't know what the adjective to describe this statement should be
2005-12-17 23:47
by Bob Timmermann
Sorry that this is a non-baseball related matter, but it was a slow news night in baseball. But I was briefly watching the NFL game between Tampa Bay and New England. FOX announcer Dick Stockton said at one point, "New England, this is a team that could be dangerous in the playoffs."
Now, I may have been asleep, but hasn't New England won two straight Super Bowls? And three of the last four? And nine straight playoff games overall?
The last New England Patriots coach who lost a playoff game was Pete Carroll.
I think of Stockton as one of the better football announcers, so I'd be surprised if he said that without contextualizing it in terms of how the Pats have struggled all year by the lofty standards they'd set the past few seasons.
I don't think Stockton provided context and I don't think he was being facetious. I think he failed to provide the storyline.
The Fox guys this past Sunday (Terry, Howie, Jimmy and James) were all saying that while Indianapolis has been playing lights out, people are forgetting about how well New England is playing; easy to do because they were getting beat earlier this season by some ordinary teams. So I think Stockton was commenting on that.
Notice how often I use the phrase "I think"? It's because it can be awfully hard to find out what Stockton is addressing during a game. I've been listening to him for over twenty years, partly because he is almost by acclamation the nicest guy in the business (ask anyone... seriously).
I don't think Stockton provided context and I don't think he was being facetious. I think he failed to provide the storyline.
The Fox guys this past Sunday (Terry, Howie, Jimmy and James) were all saying that while Indianapolis has been playing lights out, people are forgetting about how well New England is playing; easy to do because they were getting beat earlier this season by some ordinary teams. So I think Stockton was commenting on that.
Notice how often I use the phrase "I think"? It's because it can be awfully hard to find out what Stockton is addressing during a game. I've been listening to him for over twenty years, partly because he is almost by acclamation the nicest guy in the business (ask anyone... seriously).
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