I can't believe..........

[3Jack]

I really don't get this thread. We're talking about extremely highly paid professional football players here, the majority of whom wouldn't know what sportsmanship was if it was presented to them on a silver platter. Most of these primadonnas prance around like dingdongs after making routine 12 yard out pattern receptions and then proceed to fervently indicate their glorious first down accomplishment with their right arm, while others wave personalized touchdown towels in the direction of the nearest high-def camera lens.

If Patriot opponents don't like being blown out, then they should either play better, or hop in their Bentley's and console their broken egos with six or seven glasses of Cristal.

[Indio]

I really don't get this thread. We're talking about extremely highly paid professional football players here, the majority of whom wouldn't know what sportsmanship was if it was presented to them on a silver platter. Most of these primadonnas prance around like dingdongs after making routine 12 yard out pattern receptions and then proceed to fervently indicate their glorious first down accomplishment with their right arm, while others wave personalized touchdown towels in the direction of the nearest high-def camera lens.

If Patriot opponents don't like being blown out, then they should either play better, or hop in their Bentley's and console their broken egos with six or seven glasses of Cristal.

[sillywilly]

I'm not sure when the unwritten rules tell you to ease up or yank your starters You'd have to ask a coash but if you are up over 40 points with 10 min left and your QB is still in throwing passes... big no no. IF your back up is in and you are still throwing deep routes... bit no no. I'm not sure when you get to the point when you ease up.

Let me just ask you guys a simple quesiton.

Does anyone disagree with me that there is an unwritten rule in football that you don't run up the score? Regardless of if you think its fair, not fair, is there anyone here who is actually saying this unwritten rule doesn't exist??

[Hacker]

I'm not sure when you get to the point when you ease up.

You ease up when there is no time left on the clock.......I think that you'd be hard pressed to find any professional athlete that would disagree with that statement.

As for unwritten rules I am only aware of 4 of them.........

1. You don't tug on Superman's cape
2. You don't spit into the wind
3. You don't pull the mask off the old Lone Ranger
4. You don't mess around with Jim

All of the other "Unwritten Rules" are just excuses that people use when they have their butts handed to them

[3Jack]

Does anyone disagree with me that there is an unwritten rule in football that you don't run up the score? Regardless of if you think its fair, not fair, is there anyone here who is actually saying this unwritten rule doesn't exist??

It exists, yet it does not.

I accept this 'unwritten' rule for children's sport to shelter youth from permanent emotional scarring.

However, this 'unwritten' rule simply does not apply in professional sport. If a rule is unwritten, it's not really a rule. I mean, if they really wanted it to be a real rule, they'd write it down, as they do in most guidelines for any children's sport that I have either coached or officiated.

Simply because you refuse to compete at nothing less than your best does not imply that you are less than a true sportsman.

[sillywilly]

don't pee in the wind... isn't it?

[Hacker]

don't pee in the wind... isn't it?

[sillywilly]

into the wind?

[Hacker]

Dude - That is the chorus from a classic song...........

[sillywilly]

classic song?? what song? Maybe that is why it sounds so familiar.

5. Don't eat yellow snow

[Hacker]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You_Don't_Mess_Around_with_Jim

[mpare]

I disagree with you. That no one seems able to provide a concrete response to my earlier questions suggests to me that there is no such unwritten rule and, even if there is, it is poorly understood. I also disagree with your characterization of what you see as a problem.

You talk about "running up" the score. That is a qualitative description intended to ensure a denunciation of the purported offending conduct. Framing the question that way misses the real problem. It's not getting beat by a wide margin that competitors find objectionable. It's getting dissed in the process. That's why, in baseball for example, no one blinks an eye if one team beats the other by 10 runs. That sport does not have a culture of rubbing the opposing players' noses in it. Football, for reasons that I don't quite understand, has developed a culture that, at least for some, supports histrionics calculated to belittle and irritate the opposing team. If you're looking for the real problem, that's where you should be looking.

No athlete likes to lose, but the last thing any real competitor wants to see is pity directed his way. If you get beat by 30 or 40 points, so be it. Play better the next time. But if the other player is figuratively giving you the finger in the process, then that is another matter.

.. Does anyone disagree with me that there is an unwritten rule in football that you don't run up the score? Regardless of if you think its fair, not fair, is there anyone here who is actually saying this unwritten rule doesn't exist??

[PEI Golfing]

IThat's why, in baseball for example, no one blinks an eye if one team beats the other by 10 runs. That sport does not have a culture of rubbing the opposing players' noses in it.

In baseball if you do steal a base when your team is leading by 10 runs in the 8th inning, you better "pray" that you do not have another at bat..............cause we all know where the first pitch will be headed....................

[mpare]

I don't recall that ever happening when I played baseball at the Little League, Babe Ruth or American Legion levels. Nor do I recall it ever happening when I played fastball in New Brunswick. Those unwritten rules seem to have passed me by.

In baseball if you do steal a base when your team is leading by 10 runs in the 8th inning, you better "pray" that you do not have another at bat..............cause we all know where the first pitch will be headed....................

[PEI Golfing]

I don't recall that ever happening when I played baseball at the Little League, Babe Ruth or American Legion levels. Nor do I recall it ever happening when I played fastball in New Brunswick. Those unwritten rules seem to have passed me by.

I played many years ago with Canadian Senior National team players, Div 1 U.S. College players, former minor league players, future minor/major league players and believe me it happened on many occasions............

Two things would guarantee a high hard one your next at bat.
(i) Stealing a base late in the game when up by a large score
(ii) Flipping your bat and posing on a homerun

I highly doubt these "unwritten" codes have changed.........

[Indio]

I highly doubt these "unwritten" codes have changed.........

Oh good lord, now we have another set of unwritten rules (code). Anyone know of any in hockey, baketball, maybe lacross or tic-tac-toe?

I'm kidding, I'm kidding! there appear to be more unwritten rules than there are rules (well, except for golf of course)

[jonf]

I'm not sure when the unwritten rules tell you to ease up or yank your starters You'd have to ask a coash but if you are up over 40 points with 10 min left and your QB is still in throwing passes... big no no. IF your back up is in and you are still throwing deep routes... bit no no. I'm not sure when you get to the point when you ease up.

Let me just ask you guys a simple quesiton.

Does anyone disagree with me that there is an unwritten rule in football that you don't run up the score? Regardless of if you think its fair, not fair, is there anyone here who is actually saying this unwritten rule doesn't exist??

Yes, I am saying that.

This isn't kids sports. This is professional. The only people to be angry at if you're getting blown out is yourself. Go hard from the opening whistle until the final whistle. That is the first rule, written or otherwise, of any sport.

[jonf]

I played many years ago with Canadian Senior National team players, Div 1 U.S. College players, former minor league players, future minor/major league players and believe me it happened on many occasions............

Two things would guarantee a high hard one your next at bat.
(i) Stealing a base late in the game when up by a large score
(ii) Flipping your bat and posing on a homerun

I highly doubt these "unwritten" codes have changed.........

There's a big difference between playing hard until the end of a game, and taunting the other team when you're blowing them out. BIG difference.

[PEI Golfing]

Yes, I am saying that.

This isn't kids sports. This is professional. The only people to be angry at if you're getting blown out is yourself. Go hard from the opening whistle until the final whistle. That is the first rule, written or otherwise, of any sport.

Jonf, I do not know about football or some other sports. However, if you stole a base when leading by a large score late in the game (I am talking Major League, Minor League and College level), I can almost guarantee you that the next time you came to the plate, the first pitch would be coming right at you.........

[jonf]

Jonf, I do not know about football or some other sports. However, if you stole a base when leading by a large score late in the game (I am talking Major League, Minor League and College level), I can almost guarantee you that the next time you came to the plate, the first pitch would be coming right at you.........

Well, to me, that is just plain stupid. If the base is there to be stolen, it should be stolen. We have all seen big 9th inning comebacks before. All it takes in baseball is one inning to turn a game around. A team who is serious about winning should never let up, ever. I guess that's the issue here. The Pats are serious about winning, and they are good at it....people seem to be upset by that. I'm a Bills fan...which means I hate the Pats. But I don't hate the way they play...I just hate the fact that they beat my team all the time. We'll change that in two weeks though, and ruin this unbeaten season.

[PEI Golfing]

Well, to me, that is just plain stupid. If the base is there to be stolen, it should be stolen. We have all seen big 9th inning comebacks before. All it takes in baseball is one inning to turn a game around.

Yes, I can certainly understand the logic as in baseball there is no time clock to deal with and heck a team could potenially score 10 + runs in one inning. I certainly was involved in games where that happend.
However, these "unwritten" codes in baseball go back to the late 1800s early 1900s and have been always part of the game and are very ingrained. Players take it "very personal" when you break one of these codes.........

I guess if you wanted to make a comparison in a match play golf tournament. Where you give your opponent the 3 ft putt. Yes, he could potentially miss the putt, but its part of the sportsmanship in the game.

[jonf]

Well, as I said earlier, I think this "taking it personally" stuff is a crock. When I'm competing, the one thing that will piss me off the most is a team letting off the gas. I want to beat you at your best. I don't want pity points, I don't want a mercy rule. If I'm playing badly, I deserve to get my ass handed to me. And I don't get paid. If it hurts these guys feelings to get embarrassed on the field, then maybe they should find a new job. Man up and play the friggin game.

[jonf]

And no, I wouldn't give someone a three foot putt if I thought they might miss it.

[sillywilly]

Yes, I am saying that.

This isn't kids sports. This is professional. The only people to be angry at if you're getting blown out is yourself. Go hard from the opening whistle until the final whistle. That is the first rule, written or otherwise, of any sport.

you are wrong, unwritten rules do exist. You don't jack up 3's when you are up 40 points in basketball, you don't steal bases when you are killing the other team in baseball, you don't go crazy when you score an empty net goal.. the list goes on. Google it, the rules exist... its not a myth or urban legend. They are real, all the pros no them. All the coaches know them as well.

[sillywilly]

And no, I wouldn't give someone a three foot putt if I thought they might miss it.

Even if you shot an 8 and they are putting for a 6??? Of course you would. Sure he might miss, then miss again... but whatever. If thats the way you play then so be it. I'd be shocked if someone didn't give me a 3 footer in the above scenerio. I'd be a little annoyed if I gave someone a putt and they putt it anyway. I'd be annoyed if someone went to go look for my first ball in the trees without me asking them to if I drove my provisional onto the green... There are just certain things you don't do in sports. You know a lot about hockey, what would happen if chara dropped to gloves with crosby... nothing, it would never happen. The fighters don't go after the skilled players. It happens so rarely because.... unwritten rule

[jonf]

you are wrong, unwritten rules do exist. You don't jack up 3's when you are up 40 points in basketball, you don't steal bases when you are killing the other team in baseball, you don't go crazy when you score an empty net goal.. the list goes on. Google it, the rules exist... its not a myth or urban legend. They are real, all the pros no them. All the coaches know them as well.

My apologies. I didn't realize that the only standard of proof we have is to say "you're wrong." How can I argue with logic like that?


Going crazy when you score an empty net goal is different. I have never condoned taunting. No celebrating when you're destroying another team is an unwritten rule..i will agree with that. Celebrating a goal when you're already up 5 is the biggest dick move you can make. That is the type of behaviour that will get someone hurt.

I've seen plenty of 3s taken with a big lead. You take an open shot, period. You can't just pass it around and then turn it over when the 24 runs out. You have a shot, you take it. Stealing bases? I already pointed out to PEI that baseball sees some huge single inning comebacks, and that any coach/player would be foolish not to go all out for a full game (which includes stealing bases when the opportunity arises). When a team can score 10 runs in an inning, a game is never out of reach. (I may be wrong, but PEI didn't seem to disagree with my analysis on this matter). If there is a "no stealing" rule, its a damn stupid one given the nature of baseball.

[jonf]

Even if you shot an 8 and they are putting for a 6??? Of course you would. Sure he might miss, then miss again... but whatever. If thats the way you play then so be it. I'd be shocked if someone didn't give me a 3 footer in the above scenerio. I'd be a little annoyed if I gave someone a putt and they putt it anyway. I'd be annoyed if someone went to go look for my first ball in the trees without me asking them to if I drove my provisional onto the green... There are just certain things you don't do in sports. You know a lot about hockey, what would happen if chara dropped to gloves with crosby... nothing, it would never happen. The fighters don't go after the skilled players. It happens so rarely because.... unwritten rule

You're putting words in my mouth. That's not the scenario I was given, was it? I was simply asked if I would give someone a 3 footer. Well, I'm not going to unconditionally give someone a three footer. If they have two putts to win the hole from 3 feet, of course I'll give them the putt. I'm an asshole, but not that much of an asshole. I won't, however, give them a 3 footer to halve or win the hole. Not on your life. Putt for dough. You gotta earn the win. If that pisses someone off, or throws them off their game, that isn't my fault. Earn the victory.

And I'm not saying there are no unwritten rules. I haven't said that anywhere. I have just said that there is no unwritten rule about embarrassing the other team. I have said it a number of times. If you're a professional, and you get blown out, it's your own fault. You're embarrassing yourself. The number one rule in any sport is to go hard for the duration of the competition.

[sillywilly]

And I'm not saying there are no unwritten rules. I haven't said that anywhere.

Does anyone disagree with me that there is an unwritten rule in football that you don't run up the score? Regardless of if you think its fair, not fair, is there anyone here who is actually saying this unwritten rule doesn't exist??

Yes, I am saying that.

so what you are saying is, even though people who actually played football are telling you there is this unwritten rule, you maintain that it does not exist. Show me it doesn't exist. You are saying unwritten rules exist but not about stealing bases in blow outs and leaving your starters in and going for big plays in football games. The rules exist, its fact... so yes, you are wrong. 100% wrong

[sillywilly]

"I have just said that there is no unwritten rule about embarrassing the other team. I have said it a number of times. If you're a professional, and you get blown out, it's your own fault. You're embarrassing yourself. "

I'll save you the trip....

he unwritten rules of sports --

Sports, like life, has rules of etiquette that are largely unwritten -- until now.


Baseball

1.0. Don't embarrass yourself, your teammates or your opponent.
1.2. Never steal a base when leading by a bunch of runs.
2.35. Never swing at a 3-0 pitch when your team has a comfortable lead.Vladimir Guerrero swung at a 3-0 offering in a 2001 game against the Mets with his team leading 10-0, and pitcher Turk Wendell promptly drilled him.



Basketball

1.0. Don't embarrass yourself, your teammates or your opponent.
1.1. Don't make a display out of padding your stats.
1.2. Don't dunk -- or attempt any shot -- in the final seconds when the opposing team has conceded defeat, nor hoist a 3-pointer with a 20-point lead in the final minute. Last season in Houston, the Sonics' Richie Frahm drove for a layup after the Rockets had conceded defeat. A Houston player fouled him, and Steve Francis and Mark Jackson screamed at Frahm as he was shooting free throws. Ray Allen met Frahm at the free-throw line and said, "Don't do that. Don't ever do that."
1.3. Don't use a full-court press when your lead is ridiculously large.



Football

1.0. Don't embarrass yourself, your teammates or your opponent.
1.1. Never call for an onside kick when leading by a lot of points. Rick Neuheisel, then a first-year coach at Colorado, did this against Oregon in the 1996 Cotton Bowl, starting a smoldering feud with Ducks coach Mike Bellotti. Leading 32-6 late in the game, the Buffs completed a long pass out of punt formation and went on to score a touchdown. "Those things tend to come around on you," Bellotti said.
1.2. Always take a knee in the final moments when the game has been decided.
1.3. Always remove your starters when you have a big lead in the fourth quarter.

Here are just some of the unwritten rules about running up the score on teams in these sports. They have these in every sport... you still think they don't exist???


As for your #1 rule in sports....

"Go hard for the duration of the competition."

You should make t-shirts with that on them and sell them at the market on carp rd.

[jonf]

so what you are saying is, even though people who actually played football are telling you there is this unwritten rule, you maintain that it does not exist. Show me it doesn't exist. You are saying unwritten rules exist but not about stealing bases in blow outs and leaving your starters in and going for big plays in football games. The rules exist, its fact... so yes, you are wrong. 100% wrong

Elementary logic, my friend. Not proving something doesn't exist doesn't mean that it does in fact exist. I would much prefer you show me that it does exist. Show me a bunch of NFL players who say they are outraged that the Pats are so much better than them. If there is this unwritten rule, then every player in the league should be *ing and moaning about the Pats. Show me some evidence this unwritten rule exists. Or, even better, give me some good reasons why it's mean for a team to score to many points. I haven't heard a logical explanation for this yet. I have heard some good explanations for why it may be a good idea to pull one or two starters to avoid injury, but nothing to show me that scoring too much is unacceptable.

No self respecting athlete wants the other team to let up, no matter how badly they're being beaten. There's my unwritten rule.