Posted by Gwmayhem  4/25/2023 9:22 am | #1 |
It would have been very nice to hear that Ismael Massoud took one look at the GW campus and declared "sign me up." This could still end up being the case but it will not happen on Monday, April 24, 2023. On this day, there was enough to be pleased with:
1) So long Tucker Carlson: Once the legal settlement was reached between Fox News and Dominion, I was wondering how Fox could still possibly employ Tucker. Of course they could; this is, after all, Fox News. Yet this was Tucker Carlson who acknowledged, behind the scenes of course, that Fox News was lying to its audience. If credibility matters even a little, how could this man continue to represent this entity? Could he continue to pull off the company party line or had too much been revealed to make this even plausible? Fox News either came to their senses, realized that paying Dominion nearly $800 million should likely mean attempting to cut costs elsewhere, or both. As for Tucker, you would be hard pressed to find a more divisive white supremacist in the media. He consistently spewed hate speech. He is a racist and an anti-semite. Tragically, way too much of this country was drawn to him. He will undoubtedly resurface, but at least we'll be able to enjoy some time without him.
2) Farewell Don Lemon. As a gay black man, my sense is that Lemon believed that he and his career would be protected virtually no matter what. And to his credit, CNN was quite the enabler. There have reportedly been numerous complaints throughout his 17 years at CNN which went ignored for the most part. He is, and presumably always has been a misogynist. His Nikki Haley comment may have been the final straw but you can ask former co-workers such as Soledad O'Brien, Nancy Grace and Kaitlan Collins what they may have to say about Lemon's unprofessional behavior. All the while, Lemon would work the old boys network, maintaining strong relationships with the male CNN executives who mattered. Don thought he was a star. Thought he was untouchable. And in the end, very much got exactly what he deserved.
3) Hello Aaron Rodgers. As a Jet fan, I've been doing a lot of texting since the trade was formerly announced. This is how I see it:
a) Very glad to have him as a player. The team went from not having a suitable quarterback (at least for right now in Wilson's development) to having one of the alltime greats. This move puts them in the discussion of being a strong playoff contender.
b) Not mentioned a whole lot is that Z. Wilson will be able to learn a ton from Aaron. Not a guarantee that this turns around Zach's career but it certainly might help.
c) Am not terribly concerned about last year. Rodgers lost Davante Adams, the team did not adequately replace him (nor did they come close), and subsequently, Rodgers had a subpar season as he largely sulked. Bad attitude or declining skills given that his next birthday will be his 40th? Like the Jets, I'm willing to bet it's more the former.
d) Didn't they do this once with Brett Favre? Yes, I won't ignore the similarities. At the same time, Favre was mistake-prone throughout his career while Rodgers has always been pretty safe with the ball. I'll bet on a big year from Aaron but if he should throw 20+ picks, I'll be willing to say I lost that bet.
e) As for the trade, let me just say that part of the problem when you negotiate a trade through the press is that we are able to tell if either team got fleeced once the trade is announced. I am OK with the exchanges of picks with one exception. The Jets receive no protection should Aaron retire after one season. The problem, among others, is that the Jets publicly declared that this was vitally important to them. GB gets a 2024 1st round pick if Rodgers takes 65% or more of the team's snaps, otherwise a second round pick in 2024, but the Jets get nothing if Rodgers only plays for them for a single season. I can let this go with a Super Bowl victory next season but short of this and this looks bad for the Jets if he leaves after a single season.
f) A question I have been repeatedly been asked is whether I'll be able to root for him given what we know about him as a human being. I guess the answer is going to have to be yes. He's not a criminal, just a guy with radically different beliefs than my own. Since I don't anticipate our going out for drinks together anytime soon, he is now the Jets best hope and that makes him mine as well.
|
Posted by GW69 4/25/2023 11:19 am | #2 |
As to f)- your situational ethics are absolutely appalling!!How could you support this awful jerk just because
he is now on your favorite team.I would never do such a thing!……wait a second —as an Eagles fan did I look the other way when Michael Vick -the infamous dog abuser -joined the team.Of course I did.Never
mind!Loved your post-All of it!!
|
Posted by GWRising 4/25/2023 11:26 am | #3 |
Holy unconnected things Gwmayhem. But if you are on a media rampage, you forgot to add in NBC Universal CEO Jeff Shell. Seems like bad behavior in media crosses the political spectrum. Maybe it's the media business more than the individual that causes otherwise decent people to act like idiots. Or alternatively, maybe it disproportionately attracts idiots. There have been just too many incidents over the years involving media personalities and management.
As for Rodgers, this is a boom or bust move. If it works, Jets ownership, Joe Douglas, and Robert Saleh will be heroes in NY. If it fails, Douglas and Saleh will be employed elsewhere in 2024. The question will be everyone knows what clear success looks like (SB) or clear failure looks like (miss playoffs again). Harder will be a wild card or divisional round exit. Will that be good enough for Woody Johnson? From DC viewpoint, the Jets are always an interesting team to observe.
Last edited by GWRising (4/25/2023 11:28 am)
|
Posted by Gwmayhem 4/25/2023 12:13 pm | #4 |
GWRising, am I really supposed to group very recognizable names like Carlson and Lemon with Jeff Shell? Carlson and Lemon have been complete assholes throughout their careers. Not at all a blue and red thing; I don't even know which party Lemon gravitates towards (I never watched him but have read enough about his behavior). Shell cheated on his wife for years, in a consensual relationship with this reporter. It's decided that the reporter's contract will not be renewed. Thus, the whistle has been blown on Shell. I agree that a lot of males in the media tend to think from below their belts. A disproportionate number? Probably so.
To be clear, I have no problem with red. I have huge problems with racists. And anti-semites. And white supremacy. And those who make concerted efforts to divide this country with hate speech. That wasn't John McCain. Or W. Or countless numbers of others who think differently than I do politically.
One month from now, hardly anyone will remember the name Jeff Shell. Not exactly the same for these two other low-lifes, is it?
|
Posted by GW Alum Abroad 4/25/2023 1:37 pm | #5 |
If you do have lunch with the Jets´ new QB, be sure not to forget the roast beef on the backseat of the limo.
|
Posted by Longing For Oscar-Real1 4/25/2023 1:45 pm | #6 |
Gwmayhem, this is a good thread for me to try to reintegrate myself with the board.
As you know, I have many connections with the Jets, and I'm not thrilled about the move. IMO, Rodgers is on the downside of his career. He's done many weird and controversial things over the past few years. And, my feeling is that Rodgers has proven himself to be untrustworthy because of his misleading statements about the COVID-19 vaccine. I believe it's simply a matter of time before he loses the trust/faith of his teammates and Jets fans. I know several former Jets players and staff that feel the same way I do. I'd love to see the NYJ compete for a championship again. We've been waiting too long, so I hope I'm wrong.
|
Posted by FredD 4/25/2023 2:29 pm | #7 |
Great to hear from you LFO! As a Bills fan I see the Jets being a tough spot. They are positioned to win big NOW and Rodgers on the field clearly does that. Trouble is his ego makes Louis XIV Buddha. Plus the New York press is going to bat shit if so much as puts butter on a bagel and they will press him especially if he gets salty
|
Posted by Gwmayhem 4/25/2023 3:17 pm | #8 |
Longing For Oscar-Real1 wrote:
Gwmayhem, this is a good thread for me to try to reintegrate myself with the board.
As you know, I have many connections with the Jets, and I'm not thrilled about the move. IMO, Rodgers is on the downside of his career. He's done many weird and controversial things over the past few years. And, my feeling is that Rodgers has proven himself to be untrustworthy because of his misleading statements about the COVID-19 vaccine. I believe it's simply a matter of time before he loses the trust/faith of his teammates and Jets fans. I know several former Jets players and staff that feel the same way I do. I'd love to see the NYJ compete for a championship again. We've been waiting too long, so I hope I'm wrong.
Great to read this LFO. Welcome back!!!
Only in America does one of the country's foremost anti-vaccers joins a team owned by the co-founder of one ot he country's three top Covid vaccines. Am fairly certain that this was all Woody; he was getting this done no matter what. Andrew Brandt (who used to work for GB) pointed out that the Jets caved because they have a single owner who grew impatient while GB is publicly owned without a single owner (to grow impatient). Interesting interpretation.
|
Posted by Longing For Oscar-Real1 4/25/2023 4:08 pm | #9 |
Gwmayhem, this is a good thread for me to try to reintegrate myself with the board.
As you know, I have many connections with the Jets, and I'm not thrilled about the move. IMO, Rodgers is on the downside of his career. He's done many weird and controversial things over the past few years. And, my feeling is that Rodgers has proven himself to be untrustworthy because of his misleading statements about the COVID-19 vaccine. I believe it's simply a matter of time before he loses the trust/faith of his teammates and Jets fans. I know several former Jets players and staff that feel the same way I do. I'd love to see the NYJ compete for a championship again. We've been waiting too long, so I hope I'm wrong.Great to read this LFO. Welcome back!!!
Only in America does one of the country's foremost anti-vaccers joins a team owned by the co-founder of one ot he country's three top Covid vaccines. Am fairly certain that this was all Woody; he was getting this done no matter what. Andrew Brandt (who used to work for GB) pointed out that the Jets caved because they have a single owner who grew impatient while GB is publicly owned without a single owner (to grow impatient). Interesting interpretation.
Gwmayhem, I hope it's good to be back. Time will tell.
You are mostly right about WJ but Joe Douglas and a few of his people also pushed for this deal. JD has been a big Rodgers fan going back to his days with the Bears and Eagles and isn't at all put-off by the things that concern some of us. Woody wants to fix things and doesn't see any other way to do it in the near-term. Let's hope they're all right, otherwise, it'll likely end up being a giant step backwards.
Regarding GW basketball, it's nice to see a serious coach taking control of things. Thanks always for your write-ups and also to others, including GWRising, who contribute so much here. I've been reading the site for a while now and it's nice to see people mostly getting along, focusing on the team and what could be, as opposed to looking at what happened after Lonergan and before CC. While I think the name change thing is a joke, I'm choosing to focus on how the team is shaping up. My two concerns are that we keep the Caputo here for a while and the school supports his vision. Here's an idea.... Why don't we extend his contract now?
Last edited by Longing For Oscar-Real1 (4/25/2023 4:13 pm)
|
Posted by Thomas 4/25/2023 4:55 pm | #10 |
On Tucker Carlson, I'm interested to see if they replace him with someone who will double-down and be an even more divisive white supremacist! I'm sure most people didn't think Fox could find a more divisive white supremacist than Bill O'Reilly when he was fired, but Tucker came along and proved us wrong! Before Tucker decided to steal Bill O'Reilly's shtick, didn't he spend the previous 15-20 years being a somewhat moderate Republican on CNN and MSNBC?
On Don Lemon, I thought his main problem was being put in a position to host a show with other people, when he'd been a solo host for a long period of time, I wasn't aware of his run-ins with Soledad O'Brien and Nancy Grace. Maybe he can do some sort of show with Chris Cuomo. I heard that the hand-offs they did between their CNN prime time shows was very popular. I know Cuomo has a YouTube channel where he interviews guests and interacts with viewers.
On Aaron Rodgers, the Jets are in a rare position of being "Just A QB Away" from being elite. Last season, they appeared to be strong in every facet of the game except QB (they were one of the few franchises in NFL history to have the Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2022), I'm not a huge Jets fan but I follow the NFL closely and can't think of many times that the Jets were considered a Super Bowl contender before the season starts, like they will be this season.
Gwmayhem, the issue of athletes and their political stances was brought up in the thread on 'The Last Dance' and I think we both agreed that once the game starts and the team is playing well nobody will care about the politics of an individual player, in most cases
|
Posted by GW Alum Abroad 1/12/2024 5:33 pm | #11 |
3) Hello Aaron Rodgers. As a Jet fan, I've been doing a lot of texting since the trade was formerly announced. This is how I see it:
a) Very glad to have him as a player. The team went from not having a suitable quarterback (at least for right now in Wilson's development) to having one of the alltime greats. This move puts them in the discussion of being a strong playoff contender.
b) Not mentioned a whole lot is that Z. Wilson will be able to learn a ton from Aaron. Not a guarantee that this turns around Zach's career but it certainly might help.
So, how'd that Rodgers-with-Wilson-learning thing work out for you?
I am not concerned my Niners will have to face a Jets Juggernaut in Vegas next month...
