FanNation - The Republic of Sport

Welcome to the 35th installment of Love it ? or Hate it ?..as usual we take a subject and tell you whether we love it or hate it.

We want you to feel free to throw in your 2-cents.

Humor us..tell us which subjects you love and which ones you hate.

The panel this week consists of Harry Callahan, i B4 e, Curly (who is back from his "vacation" in Bora Bora), KPKahder, rstowe

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We're going a little old school this week. Just let us know if you hate the subject or love it.

First up is the number of championship rings a player has being included for HOF consideration.

Love it or hate it

  Kp

 Champ rings as a criteria for the Hall of Fame. I think thats bogus in any sport. If John Elway was playing on last years Lions, they may have won a game but not be considered for the Hall ? Thats a crock. Your HOF vote should be based on the player you were. If Mike Jordan had payed for Isiah Thomas on the Knicks, he would still score 60 points a game. That would be all the Knicks would score and they would still get a beatdown, but is that Jordan's fault?

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  Stowe

Using Rings for HOF Consideration - Hate it. No individual wins Championship rings (at least not in MLB, NFL, or the NBA). Some sports 1 player has more influence (NBA, MLB), but in others, the Ring is the total effort of the team. Don't count rings, otherwise Trent Dilfer has a case for the HOF and Dan Marino doesn't.

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  Harry

 Using Rings for HOF Consideration - Hate it.
Yeah that would be pretty stupid..there are a lot of mediocre footbal players that have rings on their fingers..i mean crap..just go back and look at the Superbowl rosters of past Cowboys teams. (just kidding)

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  Curly

Championship rings considered for HoF: Love it. Like Magic Johnson said, "Champions win championships." Now, it's not the only consideration, obviously, but some players know how to win. Some guys step it up when they have to and grab that title. That's worth something.

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  Ib

Hate it. The HOF is not a team sport, it's supposed to be for the greatest players to ever play their position consistently (not be a good player for 3 years) and do their level best for the team regardless of if they win or not. Period.  Comma. Exclamation point. Question mark. Colon.

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Next up is moving the Popularity Bowl, ooops, I mean the Pro Bowl to before the Superbowl.

Love it or hate it

  Kp

Pro Bowl.. Hate it. I would absolutely hate the Prow Bowl before the SuperBowl. And it would be a stupid thing to do. Do we want to risk injury to players that made it to the SB ? Its not like they can be exempted. Fans voted them in for a reason. We'd end up with a bunch of scrubs like that whiny pissant crybaby-binky-sucking Cutler. No. Leave the Pro Bowl where and when it is. If it aint broke, don't fix it.

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  Stowe

Pro Bowl before Super Bowl - Love it (as much as you can love a game that means nothing). Will give us something to watch the week before the Super Bowl, when football itslelf still matters. The Pro Bowl, doesn't matter and showing it after the season is over, makes it matter even less. I don't care if 2 teams' players won't be in it because they'll be playing in the Super Bowl instead.

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  Harry

Pro Bowl before Super Bowl - Hate it.
In fact i hate the Pro Bowl itself..it's worthless and just reminds me the season is over.
I have never watched one all the way through..and if i did i would question my sanity.

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 Curly 

Probowl before the Superbowl? Pretty sure I love it. Those two weeks after the championships and before the SB have gotten so stupid. This'll give the writers something to write about instead of articles telling us that "this game is a homecoming for Jeff Feagles." It'll also give the players who go to the Probowl something to talk about other than all of them telling each other "y'know, a guy as awesome as you should really be getting paid more" so that they hold out of camp the next year. And, yes, Nick Collins, I'm looking at you. One Probowl and suddenly he can't play the last year of his deal for 3.5 mil. A Probowl season: $5 million. Holding out of training camp to get a new deal: $700,000 in fines. The hamstring tear he'll get his first week back: priceless.

I mean, has a player ever held out and NOT gotten injured immediately upon returning to the field? What's that, Harry? I'm rambling again? Oh, okay. ...sorry.

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  Ib

 Hate it. The Pro Bowl was awesome and actually meant something and was a lot of fun to watch until it became a popularity contest. If it gets played before the Super Bowl, even fewer players will make the trip. Until fan voting has less weight in the "selection", it will never mean anything ever again. I would rather watch Heidi than the Pro Bowl now.

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Let's see, how about corporate sponsorship for stadiums.

Love it or hate it

  Kp

umm.. what were the other ones?
Oh yeah, stadium sponsorship. Eh, I have no problem with it. The price of tickets are high enough. Without the sponsorship, they would be through the roof to pay players like JAY "Whiny, CryBaby, I don't wanna talk to you, Temper Tantrum-binky sucking" Cutler. Actually, now that I consider it, Fenway Park has no sponsor. Oldest park in the league and still called Fenway Park.. I love that. There's even a hot dog named after our park, How many other teams can say that ? Yeah. None. Thats right. I went there.

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  Stowe

Corporate Sponsorship - HATE IT, HATE IT, HATE IT. I want to see teams play games in Yankee Stadium, Giants Staidum, Ebbets Field etc, not Minute Maid Park brought to you by Enron or having stadiums change their names every 3 years. Where's the history? Do the SF Giants play in Candlestick, Pac Bell or AT&T Park? How about the Cleveland Indians? Do they play at Jacobs' Field? Or is it Jacobs' Field brought to you by whichever company paid us the dough for the next 3 years?

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  Harry

Corporate Sponsorship - Love it.
In fact i can think of some good ones myself.

Kotex Field for the Lions.
B&M Baked Beans Park for the Cowboys.
Preparation-H Field for the Jets.
Vagisil Stadium for the Chargers.

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 Curly 

Corporate naming rights for stadiums: To say I hate it is not strong enough. This issue represents all that is soul-less and evil about sports. What happened to Candlestick was the worst. Like, didn't the name end in ".com" at one point? My goodness! Jerry Jones almost named his after a bank. ...a BANK! I mean, if it's the Lions and Ford, that's one thing, but a bank? ...an effin' BANK?! Now the Dolphins are going to be playing at Landshark Stadium. I mean, you can't even parody this stuff.

I gotta' say, I'm distressed to see 2 out of the four other panelists here aren't outraged. And you're Patriots fans. You should know better than anybody. Foxborough was a cool name. ...very New Englandy. But, Gillette is... not. ...although it is the best a man can get, I'll grant you, but still.

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  Ib

Hate it. Man I miss the old names. Mile High, Candlestick, The Vet, RFK, Joseph not Joe Wood, Sharkface McFinn, Stu Stewspoons. I can understand it on the surface for team owners trying to save money. But the "savings" doesn't get pass on to the fans, or taxpayers. The greedy owners get a butt load of money from greedy CEOs and they bot continue to stick it to the working man.

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Finally, athletes going to their own private doctors for injury treatment rather than team doctors.

Love it or hate it

  Kp

ok, next ? ahh yes, Athletes seeing personal physicians vs the "team" doctor. I'm all for it. The reason I say that is the "team" doctor has the teams best interest at heart. Example? A certain Patriots player who shall not be named, came forward and said he was ordered to play ball regardless of a concussion. As much as I hate unions, Im with the players on this. I would rather my own doctor who isn't being paid by the "team" to tell me what's up and what my risks are etc.

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  Stowe

Doctors - HATE IT. Players should only go to team doctor if for the only reason, if the team doctor gives you something to take, they should know whether you'll pop positive on a steroids/drug test. Some random doctor wouldn't. The only real reason to go to a non-team doctor (not counting a specialist or surgeon) is if you're "trying to get pregnant" because your team doctor won't prescribe you women's fertility drugs right Manny? For those who can't read between the lines, "trying to get pregnant" means, needing a masking agent for the steroids I've been taking.

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  Harry

Doctors - Love it.
Hey..if they trust their doctor more than they trust the team doctor..so be it.
Would you like to have major surgery done on you..from a doctor that was hand picked by Daniel Snyder ?

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 Curly 

Players seeing their own doctors: I love it very, very much. Except that, when I say that I "love it," I mean "hate it." Yes, I hate it. ...by loving it a little TOO much, if you know what I mean. ...and I think you do. ...know what I mean, that is. You know, don't'cha? You know that I actually hate it. No... The truth is that I hate that I love it so damned much.

Nah, what do I care who goes to see which doctor? ...until somebody pulls a Javon Walker on the Packers and gets his knee operated on without so much as telling the team about it. I mean... wow.

Tom Caple: Hey, Javon, welcome back! All excited to start the new season of Raider football?
Javon: Oh, absolutely coach, you bet! ...although...
Tom Caple: Although what?
Javon: Well, uh... I mean I'm excited to start just as soon as my knee heals up.
Tom Caple: What? What knee?
Javon: Oh, I didn't tell you? Yeah, I had a little bit of knee surgery a while back.
Tom Caple: You did WHAT??
Javon: Yeah, it was no big deal or anything, but... uh, yeah. And could you be a lamb and tell Mr. Davis about it for me?

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  Ib

Players seeing their own doctors? Love it. If players are seeking treatment for injuries then they should definitely be able to see their own doctor. Not some doctor the owner hires who will only be looking out for the owner and head coach rather than the player. One caveat I would add is that all medication should be approved by the team doctor, but players should have full right to see their own doctors for their physicals, treatment, and health issues. Unless of course ther doctors are named Dr. Howard, Dr. Fine, or Dr. Howard.

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Just as soon as we can work out the details with her agent, we might have a special guest back with us.

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Well that's it folks..we hope you liked it..if not..as always..we could give a crap.

                                    This has been an Asylum-3 production.

                                                       Est. 5/ 5/ 09

             All panel members were at least 18 years old at the time of production.

                 Any panel member resembling a real person is merely coincidental.