Althouse: "Like a modern-day Eddie Haskell, the Seahawks corner offered his hand to Crabtree. For some, it would have been a classy move of respect."

January 20, 2014

"Like a modern-day Eddie Haskell, the Seahawks corner offered his hand to Crabtree. For some, it would have been a classy move of respect."

"For Sherman, it was the ultimate in postgame taunting on the biggest stage in sports. Sherman promptly got shoved in the face, just like he deserved. Lest anyone doubt the motive behind Sherman’s handshake...."

Video at the link.

Somebody explain to me why the guy who got shoved is the villain. Yes, he was bizarre in the video, but who can imagine how Richard Sherman felt at that moment? Nothing like that will ever happen to you.

107 comments:

MadisonMan said...: What are people expecting? Of course, I didn't see the lead-up to the interview.

Props to the interviewer for not bursting out in laughter, or for rolling her eyes. That's what I probably would have done.; 1/20/14, 8:41 AM
TMink said...: I thought I saw video of him making a choking gesture prior to the offered handshake. But I am not sure about the time line. That is a very emotional moment and things happen. No biggie.

Trey; 1/20/14, 8:42 AM
Will said...: Richard Sherman: "I won"

Call me old school, but I remember when there were things called Sportsmanship and Class. Some of our current athletes and politicians should remember those behaviors.; 1/20/14, 8:47 AM
SomeoneHasToSayIt said...: No class.

Is anyone surprised?; 1/20/14, 8:48 AM
chickelit said...: I need more context, Althouse. The man acted like an asshole. Walk me through it like you did the diamond thing.; 1/20/14, 8:51 AM
James said...: Why is Richard Sherman the villain?

Because he was trolling. At that point he was all about Richard Sherman and just wanted to create an incident that went viral.

Did Sherman ever mention the teammate (Malcolm Smith) who actually intercepted the pass? No, and without that interception it would have only been an incomplete pass and San Francisco would still have two downs to score a touchdown to win.; 1/20/14, 8:54 AM
David said...: The handshake offer was a blatant taunt, especially given the talk that had been going on before the game. It's a man thing, Althouse. In a combat sport like football, psychological dominance is a powerful weapon. Sherman was setting up for the next game they play against each other. Crabtree pushed him to keep from acknowledging personal defeat.

The handshakes after the game are all about team defeat and victory. This was about personal, hand to hand combat.; 1/20/14, 9:03 AM
gspencer said...: Don't have any skin in the Super Bowl, but after seeing Sherman's antic and that interview rant, I'll go anti-Seahawks (though not necessarily pro-Broncos).; 1/20/14, 9:04 AM
MadisonMan said...: ARod is happy this happened. No one is talking about his suspension now.

It's hard to balance the anti-Sherman vibe in me with the pro-deaf guy & Russell Wilson angle. My cousin who lives in Seattle is going to be insufferable too.; 1/20/14, 9:07 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Yeah, what David said. It's a very rough sport that would seem to invite violence, yet you see classy behavior all over the NFL-- opposing players lending a hand to help up a guy, hugging after the game, talking admirably about their opponents, etc.

Sherman didn't do that.; 1/20/14, 9:07 AM
Michael said...: Thug game played by thugs. Was once a game played by gentlemen. See the difference.; 1/20/14, 9:11 AM
Bob Ellison said...: MadisonMan, props also to the interviewer for not dropping the microphone and running away. That man did not seem safe at that moment.; 1/20/14, 9:11 AM
virgil xenophon said...: Ever notice how trash-talking is is a "black thing" that has infected whites also? Having attended LSU in an era when the SEC was all white and having been a varsity athlete myself I can attest that such talk was minimal in those days--as well as boastful gyrations and chest-thumping after every "big hit" or touchdown. What has happened is that the street thug mannerisms of the black underclass have infected both college and pro Basketball and football to the detriment of fans and participants alike.; 1/20/14, 9:13 AM
madAsHell said...: Crabtree and Sherman had been taunting each other all week via Twitter like a couple of 14 year old girls proclaiming their love for the Bieber.

ahhhh.....the marvel of social media!!; 1/20/14, 9:15 AM
Michael K said...: Sherman is the best defensive back in football. The 49ers had been avoiding him all night. They had thrown to the other side and that d back had done a great job. When they finally threw to Sherman's side, he made a great play to save the game.

These teams do not like each other. The coaches really do not like each other. Carroll and Harbaugh have a history going back to SC and Stanford, including Harbaugh going for a two point conversion when Stanford was easily winning a game.

It wasn't classy but it was understandable. You don't know what might have gone between them earlier. There is a lot of trash talk going on in these games.; 1/20/14, 9:16 AM
garage mahal said...: The feud goes back to college between Harbaugh, Sherman, and Carroll. Sherman feels Harbaugh screwed him in the draft, and Carroll remembers Harbaugh going for two points up by 35.

Nobody complains when Tom Brady throw stuff on the sidelines and yells at coaches and teammates.; 1/20/14, 9:18 AM
virgil xenophon said...: The British physician/author Theodore Dalyrmple has insightfully written about this phenomenon of the values of the underclass bubbling up to infect mainstream society in his work; "Life at the Bottom: The Worldview That Makes The Underclass; 1/20/14, 9:22 AM
Anonymous said...: As a Seahawks fan who watched the game, I just see this as an emotional moment in one of the most important games in which Richard Sherman will probably play.

It'd be nice if he had a little more composure, but hey.

He's just busted up the pass that brought his team to the Superbowl against a serious rival, after a lot of trash-talking no doubt and 60 minutes of intense activity.

The atmosphere in the stadium is electric and some lady reporter brings him aside to earn her pay.

Meh.; 1/20/14, 9:24 AM
traditionalguy said...: Sherman won. Crabtree lost. What to make out of that is the tug of war we witnessed.

Pete Carroll's style of an exhorter just beat Jim Harbaugh's style of a hardhearted vicious competitor.

Harbaugh did not draft Sherman who had played for him at Stanford. Pete Carroll did.

Then there is calm and lovable Russell Wilson who just has lucky accidents and keeps winning.; 1/20/14, 9:25 AM
Original Mike said...: "but who can imagine how Richard Sherman felt at that moment?"

Who cares how he felt? Is that an excuse for being an ass?

I am so tired of trash talk. Are these guys ever going to grow up?; 1/20/14, 9:26 AM
Anonymous said...: Underclass? Decline of America? A moral failure?

Jaysus, it's not as bad as all that.; 1/20/14, 9:27 AM
Michael said...: I wonder if Sherman's Stanford grades are in a vault with Obama's grades from Harvard, Columbia, etc.; 1/20/14, 9:28 AM
Tank said...: virgil xenophon said...
Ever notice how trash-talking is is a "black thing" that has infected whites also? Having attended LSU in an era when the SEC was all white and having been a varsity athlete myself I can attest that such talk was minimal in those days--as well as boastful gyrations and chest-thumping after every "big hit" or touchdown. What has happened is that the street thug mannerisms of the black underclass have infected both college and pro Basketball and football to the detriment of fans and participants alike.

Holy shit virgil, you're not allowed to say this.

Geez, you could lose your job, or worse.; 1/20/14, 9:32 AM
Real American said...: Sherman is a classless piece of shit.; 1/20/14, 9:32 AM
Bob Ellison said...: "Trash talk" is something you do on the field or on the court. Larry Bird is said to be one of the masters of the genre.

I actually like the idea of trash talk, and use it routinely in the sports that I play (mostly not very well). My opponents know it's part of the game, and they trash right back. Sometimes we say "that was a good one".

It's not something you do on live TV in a post-game interview. That wasn't trash talk. That was lack of self-awareness.; 1/20/14, 9:37 AM
tim maguire said...: The guy who got shoved is the villain when they guy who got shoved had it coming through boorish behavior.

Trash talking may be a "black thing" in the sense that mostly black people do it, but it's more a cultural thing. It just happens that the people in this culture are mostly black.

Trash talk is part of the game to some people. Most whites (me included) were raised to dismiss it as disrespectful, showing lack of class and poor sportsmanship. Many blacks (especially inner-city blacks) see it as part of the psychological aspect of the game. Messing with their opponents heads. Trash talk has a high risk factor--you want to shout about how great you are? Then you better be great. And if you don't perform, you look really stupid.

Look at Patrick Ewing, he was one of the best NBA players for most of the 1990's, but what is he remembered most for, when he is remembered at all? Choking. Never winning the big one. He actually predicted victory, and then lost. Lots of great players never win championships, but his failure to deliver is remembered far more vividly than his great play because he didn't back up the talk.; 1/20/14, 9:38 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "The handshake offer was a blatant taunt, especially given the talk that had been going on before the game. It's a man thing, Althouse. In a combat sport like football, psychological dominance is a powerful weapon. Sherman was setting up for the next game they play against each other. Crabtree pushed him to keep from acknowledging personal defeat."

So then it's part of the game and Sherman is a master of the psychological element. I think that's a manly analysis. I think characterizing Sherman as a villain seems more like chickification than entertaining the idea, as I am, that Sherman was so full of himself at what was a fantastic moment that it's all completely understandable.; 1/20/14, 9:38 AM
Tank said...: My father, and all of the coaches I ever had, taught me that the way Sherman acts is not the way a man acts when he wins a sporting event.

Then again, I'm a dinosaur.

Bad sportsmanship is now the normal for many, many professional athletes.; 1/20/14, 9:38 AM
Original Mike said...: "So then it's part of the game and Sherman is a master of the psychological element. I think that's a manly analysis. I think characterizing Sherman as a villain seems more like chickification than entertaining the idea, as I am, that Sherman was so full of himself at what was a fantastic moment that it's all completely understandable."

Sometimes an ass is just an ass.; 1/20/14, 9:40 AM
Michael said...: I would think that Sherman will be the recipient of some very interesting trash talk at the SB.; 1/20/14, 9:41 AM
Original Mike said...: Well, I now know who I'm rooting for in the Super Bowl (even though their costumes are painful to look at).; 1/20/14, 9:43 AM
garage mahal said...: wonder if Sherman's Stanford grades are in a vault with Obama's grades from Harvard, Columbia, etc.

Sherman was 2nd in his high school graduating class to go with a 4.2 gpa at Stanford. The "illiterate black thug" doesn't work with Sherman. He's no dummy.

It's laughable to suggest that players 30-40 years ago were angels on or off the field.; 1/20/14, 9:43 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Strangely, I find myself going to the Superbowl in two weeks. Don't look for me on the sidelines; I'll be up high in the stands. I'll be trash-talking. Haven't selected a target yet. Maybe the Arizona Cardinals.; 1/20/14, 9:44 AM
Blue Ox said...: Sherman's got a lot of hair in him. And on him.; 1/20/14, 9:46 AM
Blue Ox said...: Sherman was 2nd in his high school graduating class to go with a 4.2 gpa at Stanford. The "illiterate black thug" doesn't work with Sherman. He's no dummy.

Correct.

He's a wannabe thug. A poseur.; 1/20/14, 9:49 AM
virgil xenophon said...: "Trash Talking" is in many ways counterproductive for both reasons of physical energy conservation, focus and the psychology it has on one's opponents. Every opponent who ever trash-talked me on the football field only made me want to hit him harder the next play, not cow me. And it causes one to lose focus. After every play--offensive or defensive--one should be contemplating what went wrong or how one might vary ones blocking technique, route-running, etc., on the way back to the huddle. Time is precious and trash talking interferes/degrades this on-the-field-mental adjustment. And it takes physical energy, too. Ever notice in over-time BB games, etc., one sees the players bent over, grabbing their shorts, grasping for breath? EVERY LITTLE BIT of physical energy is important and trash-talking expends needless very real physical energy--that little extra that might make the difference in close games..; 1/20/14, 9:49 AM
Tank said...: @Bob

From what I hear (I live very close to the stadium), you're in for a lot of BS before you get to the game, what with (no) parking, buses, pat downs (multiple), etc. Stadium is OK though.

Everyone I know is praying for COLD and snow. If you're gonna play in NJ, gotta go with the NJ February weather, no?; 1/20/14, 9:49 AM
Bob Ellison said...: garage mahal, I contend that is that it is impossible to collect a championship-worthy sports team with nothing but top-notch scholars.

Yet Stanford always has one of the best baseball teams, and one of the best football teams, playing.

And Stanford is considered a top-notch school.

These facts would seem to disprove my contention, but I suggest that they are yet more evidence for Glenn Reynolds's recent arguments about the decline of education in general.

Also, why does UC Berkeley lack a great football team?; 1/20/14, 9:51 AM
Gahrie said...: Nothing like that will ever happen to you.

Something like this happened to me in high school quite a lot.

Granted this is a huge difference between the NFL and high school sports....but I expoerienced enough to understand what he was feeling.; 1/20/14, 9:55 AM
Michael said...: Garage: A 4.2 at a Compton Calif. high school may not mean what you think it means. Stanford is not UNC but they are not immune to treating their athletes with softer standards. Especially "communication" majors.; 1/20/14, 9:57 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Tank, thanks for the advice. We still have two weeks of global warming, so maybe it'll be OK.

RE: security-- I stand ready to be patted down naked. That's not going to be easy on 80,000 people.; 1/20/14, 9:57 AM
Gahrie said...: The context is:

Sherman is an elite defensive back for Seattle. Crabtree is a very skilled wide receiver for San Francisco.

Crabtree had been talking crap about Sherman all week. Sherman covered Crabtree, and made the game winning play against him. Then he reacted the way we saw in the clip.; 1/20/14, 9:57 AM
Original Mike said...: "The "illiterate black thug" doesn't work with Sherman. He's no dummy."

That's too bad. Stupidity would have been an excuse.; 1/20/14, 9:58 AM
traditionalguy said...: Sherman is pushing the envelope on TV to get interviews and guest spots needed by the Cable TV plethora of sports talk shows.

Many of those shows now have a hard nosed female Personality asking the questions. Sherman is all cute and nice with them flashing a grin and a wink.

The over the top anger in Sherman's voice in front of the lady sideline interviewer was the jolting visual.; 1/20/14, 9:59 AM
MadisonMan said...: Thought experiment: If Michael Crabtree had caught the ball, and SF had won, would his after-game commentary have been any less self-centered?; 1/20/14, 10:06 AM
Wince said...: Football is so big, hard and hairy.; 1/20/14, 10:06 AM
MadisonMan said...: a 4.2 gpa

On a scale of what?

I've never been a fan of gpas that exceed 4. Around here, Waunakee does this *(sorry titus)*. It's all part of the You're so special bringing up of children movement that makes me retch.

An A is an A -- regardless of the difficulty of the class. Awarding more than a 4.0 for an A is stupid.; 1/20/14, 10:10 AM
garage mahal said...: Sherman has been upset with Crabtree since last summer. Both attended Arizona star receiver Larry Fitzgerald's charity event. While there, Sherman went to shake Crabtree's hand, and Crabtree tried to start a fight, according to Sherman's older brother, Branton.

"I'm going to make a play and embarrass him," Richard Sherman vowed that day.; 1/20/14, 10:10 AM
James said...: Sherman is pushing the envelope on TV to get interviews and guest spots needed by the Cable TV plethora of sports talk shows.

Many of those shows now have a hard nosed female Personality asking the questions. Sherman is all cute and nice with them flashing a grin and a wink.

The over the top anger in Sherman's voice in front of the lady sideline interviewer was the jolting visual.

Correct. The casual football fan usually doesn't know the names of defensive backs. Sherman was just making sure that his name is mentioned when the game is discussed around water coolers (going viral as it were)... just like the time he went up against Skip Bayless: I'm better at life than you; 1/20/14, 10:15 AM
Humperdink said...: Once you vanquish your foe, you lift them up, shake their hand and say good game.

Look at what at happens when the Stanley Cup finals are over. Bloody and bruised, sometimes going toe to toe (literally), they still shake hands at the end.

One of the many reasons why I like ice hockey over any major sport.; 1/20/14, 10:16 AM
Michael said...: Madison Man: Agree completely. Understand that the 4.2 allows for the D students to get Cs, the Cs to get Bs and so on. We have a situation here in Georgia where many rural school kids get 4.5s and thus get admitted to UGA. They are often functionally illiterate. They flunk out after a year. They blame….; 1/20/14, 10:17 AM
Ann Althouse said...: "An A is an A -- regardless of the difficulty of the class. Awarding more than a 4.0 for an A is stupid."

Do you think A+ is a bogus grade. If you get a 4 for an A...; 1/20/14, 10:19 AM
Bob Ellison said...: The Professor said, "I think characterizing Sherman as a villain seems more like chickification than entertaining the idea, as I am, that Sherman was so full of himself at what was a fantastic moment that it's all completely understandable."

This is the feminist delusion. To a real man, it's not OK to be full of oneself. "Full of oneself" is a trait that seems way on the rise among young girls and women.

Real men get it done and may enjoy the difficulty and rejoice in victory, but they objectively assess their opponents' efforts.

Feminists tend to think that it's all about the one, whether it's the female making 77%, the pregnant woman getting an abortion, the Obama, the Hillary, whatever.; 1/20/14, 10:19 AM
damikesc said...: Somebody explain to me why the guy who got shoved is the villain.

Was Sherman the villain? Nah, not really. He was being an ass, but the 49'ers receivers are known for being massive trash talkers. Crabtree, no doubt, was instigating crap all game and Sherman ended the game and called him out.

Was it professional? No. But I have zero doubt Crabtree was being an asshole for most of the game. "Sit down son!" is a lovely thing to say to an asshole when you beat them.

There is a simple rule in sports: If you can't back it up, you really should avoid talking trash.; 1/20/14, 10:20 AM
Tank said...: Humperdink said...

Once you vanquish your foe, you lift them up, shake their hand and say good game.

Look at what at happens when the Stanley Cup finals are over. Bloody and bruised, sometimes going toe to toe (literally), they still shake hands at the end.

One of the many reasons why I like ice hockey over any major sport.

Demographics.

Also, you properly characterize how a man acts when he wins a game.; 1/20/14, 10:22 AM
chickelit said...: Somebody explain to me why the guy who got shoved is the villain. Yes, he was bizarre in the video, but who can imagine how Richard Sherman felt at that moment? Nothing like that will ever happen to you.

Doesn't something like that happen to other players on any given Sunday? And yet we don't see that sort of behavior justified. What's wrong with mocking poor sportsmanship, Althouse?; 1/20/14, 10:23 AM
Humperdink said...: Forbes had an article "22 briefs thoughts on the Richard Sherman interview"

Number 4:
"4. Sherman graduated second in his class in high school and also graduated from Stanford. So not only is he not a fool, odds are he’s smarter than you and me."

Being "smart" doesn't translate into wisdom. Don't believe me? Take a look at the Ivy League types running the US into the ground in DC. The writer should be embarrassed along with Sherman.; 1/20/14, 10:25 AM
Original Mike said...: "Look at what at happens when the Stanley Cup finals are over. Bloody and bruised, sometimes going toe to toe (literally), they still shake hands at the end.

One of the many reasons why I like ice hockey over any major sport."

Amen.; 1/20/14, 10:25 AM
Ann Althouse said...: At the law school, we have the grade A+, and here's the rule showing how that's converted to a numerical grade point. It counts as 4.3. The reasoning is that A is 4.0. That's fixed, right? Then, does an A+ count as something or not? How else can you do it? We rarely give A+. We grade on a curve. Each teacher is required to follow the curve, and A+ is really a grade you give to a curve-bustingly high grade. It doesn't happen in every class. So, if you have some students clustered at that top of the raw scores, you give As but no A+. If one score is a few steps above everyone else, you might give that person A+ and then the next set can still have As. That can be a way to keep one student from having too much of an effect on everyone else's grades.; 1/20/14, 10:26 AM
Original Mike said...: "4. Sherman graduated second in his class in high school and also graduated from Stanford. So not only is he not a fool, odds are he’s smarter than you and me."

I'll take that bet.; 1/20/14, 10:26 AM
Bob Ellison said...: My senior-year advanced English teacher in high school informed his class that his class of two years before (my sister's) was much better, the best he had ever taught, and he didn't think we were up to that level. What a great teacher!; 1/20/14, 10:28 AM
Kelly said...: The game was on, but I wasn't paying much attention until I became aware of a guy shouting. I looked up and caught the Sherman interview. I thought he was mad at the reporter and I thought he seemed threatening toward her. She seemed flabbergasted as well because she said I wasn't talking about you before she threw it back to the studio.

Shermans major at Stanford was communications. Go figure. Also, he was starting his masters.; 1/20/14, 10:35 AM
Andy Freeman said...: > Sherman was 2nd in his high school graduating class to go with a 4.2 gpa at Stanford.

http://studentaffairs.stanford.edu/registrar/students/gpa says:

Note that the GPA (grade point average) and rank in class are not officially computed under the general University grading system. The GPA does not appear on the official transcript, and it is not released outside the University. Stanford University does not calculate a rank in class.; 1/20/14, 10:35 AM
Humperdink said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/20/14, 10:38 AM
Andy Freeman said...: > Yet Stanford always has one of the best baseball teams,

Yes, but the best baseball players of that age aren't in college, they're in the pro system. (Fun fact - Elway didn't play college baseball but played in the Yankee system while an undergrad, which gave him leverage in the NFL draft.)

The NFL and NBA don't have much of a farm system and most of the players come from college, almost always after graduating. Professional baseball is the opposite.

> and one of the best football teams, playing.

That's relatively recent. The teams during the Elway era, for example, weren't very good. (Yes, Stanford did have some good years, but didn't sustain them.); 1/20/14, 10:45 AM
MadisonMan said...: Do you think A+ is a bogus grade. If you get a 4 for an A...

Yes I do.

If you want to differentiate between As, why not just give the percentage? Then the person with a 94% -- a nice solid A -- can be distinguished from the overachieving 100%.

Maybe 4.0 should be reserved for complete perfection *and more!!* in a class, and everyone else should get 3.8 or 3.9 -- depending on their percentages, down to a 3.1 for just barely an A. (Let's just ignore all those pseudo grades like AB and BC). Oh, but no. That would mean grades would drop for the special people who get into law school to acquire debt.

That reminds me, I got an email about grades that I have to take care of.; 1/20/14, 10:50 AM
virgil xenophon said...: Its been hinted at here, but almost every "academic" school I've ever known anything about--Rice, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Northwestern, to name a few--had/have special programs/majors for their athletes separate from the standard curriculum so I would view almost any football or basketball player's reported CPA/class standing from those such institutions with a jaundiced eye--Stanford included..; 1/20/14, 10:54 AM
Bob Ellison said...: Andy Freeman, no.; 1/20/14, 10:55 AM
avwh said...: Nobody has commented about the unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Sherman got right after he tipped the end zone pass.

He got in Crabtree's face and taunted him with a choke signal. Pathetic, classless behavior, much worse than the post game interview everyone seems to be referencing.; 1/20/14, 10:59 AM
paul a'barge said...: Sigh.

@Althouse: Somebody explain to me why the guy who got shoved is the villain

No. Because not enough time in the day.

Time for a clue transplant. Srsly.; 1/20/14, 11:01 AM
garage mahal said...: An A is an A -- regardless of the difficulty of the class. Awarding more than a 4.0 for an A is stupid.

I've read that California allows honors and AP classes to be graded on a 4.6 and 5.0 scale, so Sherman apparently took a bunch of honors classes and did well in them.; 1/20/14, 11:03 AM
Original Mike said...: Althouse: "Do you think A+ is a bogus grade. If you get a 4 for an A..."

MM: "Yes I do."

So do I. What's better than A+? A++?; 1/20/14, 11:04 AM
Michael said...: The 4.2 gpa was for high school. Dont think Stanford ranks or gives gpa

Not to put too fine a point on this but a Compton Ca highschool is likely not noted for its rigor.; 1/20/14, 11:14 AM
jacksonjay said...: Madonna tweets the N-word!
Lena bare her itty-bitty ugly titty!
Sherman howls at the moon!

Self-promotion 101!

Shame on us!; 1/20/14, 11:14 AM
jacksonjay said...: As regards trash-talkin, BadAss Barry calls Al-Qaeda the "JV" and no-one seems phased!; 1/20/14, 11:18 AM
Original Mike said...: "An A is an A -- regardless of the difficulty of the class. Awarding more than a 4.0 for an A is stupid."

I've always wanted to grade my graduate school class on the "NIH-grant" scale. Top person gets an "A" (i.e. funded). Everybody else gets an "F" (i.e. not funded).; 1/20/14, 11:19 AM
Steve said...: Forbes Link:

http://www.forbes.com/sites/tommytomlinson/2014/01/19/22-brief-thoughts-about-that-richard-sherman-interview/; 1/20/14, 11:22 AM
Steve said...: Sherman is my hero:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rt-WarABaJs; 1/20/14, 11:23 AM
Eric Jablow said...: Humperdink,

As Dino Ciccarelli said about Claude Lemieux after the 1996 Western Conference final, "I can't believe I shook this guy's friggin' hand after the game. That pisses me right off." Lemieux had been suspended for two games after checking Kris Draper into the boards, forcing his hospitalization.; 1/20/14, 11:25 AM
Steve said...: He sat down with in a post-game interview and was very impressive. When he retires he will host NFL Sunday.; 1/20/14, 11:27 AM
PB said...: Stanford must be proud to call him an alum.; 1/20/14, 11:29 AM
Howard said...: Thank Gawd we aren't talking about Kaperdink. The Whiners wouldn't be in the game at all if either of the Packers or Panthers caught the pic-six he threw right to them.

It was poetic justice to see the player Coach Jim *momjeans* Harbaugh slandered single-handedly destroy the perpetual hysterical complainer's chance at a Superbowl ring.

You Shelia's (cough virgil cough d'barge cough) wouldn't last five seconds in Compton.; 1/20/14, 11:31 AM
Steve said...: The best football based commercial ever?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HESJgpYYUyM; 1/20/14, 11:33 AM
Tank said...: Current SB forecast:

35 with snow and rain mixing in.

YES !!!!!

Perfect.; 1/20/14, 11:37 AM
Original Mike said...: A 13-day weather forecast? Might as well read chicken entrails.; 1/20/14, 11:45 AM
Tank said...: @Original

Some folks seem to think they can predict the next hundred years !

OKOK, I concede - two week forecasts are crap. But I can hope.; 1/20/14, 11:54 AM
Rocco said...: Original Mike said:
What's better than an A+ ? An A++ ?
I took a programming course. Got a C++.; 1/20/14, 12:10 PM
Humperdink said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 1/20/14, 12:20 PM
Humperdink said...: Eric Jablow said "As Dino Ciccarelli said about Claude Lemieux after the 1996 Western Conference final, "I can't believe I shook this guy's friggin' hand after the game. That pisses me right off." Lemieux had been suspended for two games after checking Kris Draper into the boards, forcing his hospitalization."

But he did shake his hand and I think that's the point here. Win with class, lose with grace.

I do remember Lemieux smashing Draper's face into the boards. I think for the rest of his career, Lemieux was looking in his rearview mirror. That hit forever ID'd him as a gutless wonder.; 1/20/14, 12:22 PM
Michael K said...: "Harbaugh did not draft Sherman who had played for him at Stanford. Pete Carroll did."

Carroll has a great eye for talent. My favorite Carroll story is about Ken Norton Jr. Norton was an all-pro and UCLA alumnus. He talked to the UCLA coach (black by the way) about starting as a graduate assistant to learn coaching. The UCLA coach told him "We have enough coaches."

He talked to Carroll who said, "Sure. Come on." He began as a graduate assistant and ended as the linebacker coach. Then UCLA tried to recruit him as a coach. He said, "No thanks." He went to Seattle with Carroll when SC dumped him. All Carroll's coaches went with him except Kiffin and Sark who had already left.

Someday Norton may be a head coach thanks to Carroll.; 1/20/14, 12:56 PM
donald said...: It's pretty easy to tell who has played and who hasn't on this post.; 1/20/14, 1:09 PM
MayBee said...: Excited, competitive man said excited, competitive thing. I do not get the uproar about this.; 1/20/14, 1:28 PM
David said...: "4. Sherman graduated second in his class in high school and also graduated from Stanford. So not only is he not a fool, odds are he’s smarter than you and me."

Being "smart" doesn't translate into wisdom. Don't believe me? Take a look at the Ivy League types running the US into the ground in DC. The writer should be embarrassed along with Sherman."

He's 23 years old, and just did something fabulous in front to 30 million people to a rival he wants to dominate and will meet again.

In my opinion, it was part calculation, part victory dance and part old fashioned chemical flow.

The notion that Sherman is not an intelligent guy is ridiculous. Listen to the interviews he gives when is is more calm.

I'm a Packers fan. But never underestimate your opponents. Bad medicine.; 1/20/14, 1:37 PM
James said...: Its been hinted at here, but almost every "academic" school I've ever known anything about--Rice, Vanderbilt, Tulane, Northwestern, to name a few--had/have special programs/majors for their athletes separate from the standard curriculum so I would view almost any football or basketball player's reported CPA/class standing from those such institutions with a jaundiced eye--Stanford included..

I suppose that means Jonathan Martin isn't genuinely a Classics scholar.; 1/20/14, 1:49 PM
Original Mike said...: "It's pretty easy to tell who has played and who hasn't on this post."

Oh, bullshit.

How do you explain all the players who don't act like buffoons?; 1/20/14, 1:59 PM
Humperdink said...: "The notion that Sherman is not an intelligent guy is ridiculous. Listen to the interviews he gives when is is more calm."

Yeah, I get it. The guy went to Stanford, how could he stupid?

You apparently didn't read my comment to this claim. I never said he wasn't smart. There are quite a few intelligent people who think stupid thoughts, who execute stupid ideas. At times, being intelligent and lacking sound judgement seem go hand in hand.

How many football fans became Bronco fans after this rant? I suspect quite a few.; 1/20/14, 2:06 PM
chickelit said...: Original Mike wrote: How do you explain all the players who don't act like buffoons?

From what I'm reading here, we're supposed to believe the other players aren't as smart.; 1/20/14, 2:20 PM
MadisonMan said...: It's pretty easy to tell who has played and who hasn't on this post.

Yes, the Althouse Commentariat is just littered with former pro ballers.; 1/20/14, 2:41 PM
heyboom said...: Richard Sherman has a reputation as a taunter and he and Crabtree have history.; 1/20/14, 3:59 PM
heyboom said...: I should point out that Sherman was the salutatorian of his class at Compton Dominguez HS.; 1/20/14, 4:01 PM
heyboom said...: And I see upthread that someone already pointed that out.; 1/20/14, 4:02 PM
mccullough said...: Crabtree and Harbaugh are assholes. Sherman ate their lunch and let them know it. Payback is awesome. Sherman said nothing bad about the Broncos. But you dig at him and he'll fire back. He's going to the Super Bowl and Harbaugh's going home with Crabtree.

Let's face it, the 49ers are assholes. They talk a lot and are poor sports. Harbaugh is the worst.

Sherman made the play and then gave them a big fuck you. Good for him.; 1/20/14, 5:13 PM
Humperdink said...: I stated in another venue that I am sure glad there are only two Harbaugh brothers (in the NFL).; 1/20/14, 5:39 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: Gosh I don't think Peyton has ever seen anything like Richard Sherman.

I cancel my preseason prediction and now predict the broncos concede. This means Elway will not run for Senate and further on down the road POTUS. That prediction was based on at least one Super Bowl for the Peyton-led broncos with Elway the man behind the man in the box.

Damn.

You heard it here first: There will be no Super Bowl in 2014.

Nice job Seahawks.; 1/20/14, 7:27 PM
Guildofcannonballs said...: The broncos champ bailey is overrated and just plain over compared to Mr. Richard Sherman.; 1/20/14, 7:34 PM
Trashhauler said...: garage majal wrote: "It's laughable to suggest that players 30-40 years ago were angels on or off the field."

No one is saying that. However, the standard for on-field behavior was self-control and public good sportsmanship, no matter what one thought. I recall being taught that by my father and every coach through college.

Perhaps it's a father thing.; 1/21/14, 12:29 AM
Meade said...: Real American said...
"Sherman is a classless piece of shit."

That might be the most compact and elegant expression of racism I have ever read. I imagine you are quite proud of it.; 1/23/14, 8:38 AM