rocketman

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Posts by rocketman

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  25

  Big Dog celebrates 1 Year at JWD

  by Big Dog in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  logged in to see what was happening and just realized its been one year to the day since i registered here.

  kind of amazing.

  this was the first internet forum i had ever joined.

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  rocketman

  Great having you aboard for an entire year Big Dog.

  Btw, I think Big Dog is a cool username.
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  18

  be my valentine?

  by lucifer in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  yep tomorrow's valentines day, and i don't have a valentine, as soon as i get home i will be calling my good friend to ask him to be mine lol, what about you guys, have any special plans or old memories of valentines day you'd like to share

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  rocketman

  I once broke up with a girl on Valentine's Day, calling it off over the phone. A totally classless act if there ever was one.

  Oddly enough, about six months later, we got back together briefly. Hard to believe she overlooked the my V-Day stupidity.

  ~ A Bit Classier Now Class
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  26

  Superbowl XL - It's Pittsburgh all the way!

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm loving it.

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  rocketman

  
  Mulan, interesting article....and it confirms what I mentioned earlier in this thread :

  Interestingly, the Seahawks bettered them in every important statistical category - time of possession, total yards, and turnovers. Normally, the team that wins those battles wins the game.....normally.

  It should be noted that there is one pretty big factor that is being overlooked - the Seahawks lost three starting defensive players to injury during the course of the game. In my view, turnovers and injuries are the two biggest factors in football. And of course, penalties are a major factor as well.

  So if we include injuries and penalties, it's clear that Seattle lost those two battles within the game. But, as the article points out, their loss is still a big anomaly when it comes to norm in most games.

  Here's an article from Football Outsiders that breaks down all penalties in the game committed by offensive tackles from both teams:

  EPC: Sean Locklear and the 22 Uncalled Holds

  2/9/2006

  By Michael David Smith

  Hand(s) or arm(s) that encircle a defender — i.e., hook an opponent — are to be considered illegal and officials are to call a foul for holding. Blocker cannot use his hands or arms to push from behind, hang onto, or encircle an opponent in a manner that restricts his movement as the play develops.

  – Digest of rules, 2005 NFL Record & Fact Book, Page 770

  By the above definition of holding, Seattle Seahawks right tackle Sean Locklear committed holding on the controversial fifth play of the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XL. He hooked his right arm around the right shoulder of Pittsburgh linebacker Clark Haggans and restricted Haggans’ movement. The call negated a pass that would have given Seattle first-and-goal at the 1-yard line. By the letter of the rules, it was the right call.

  But if something is a penalty on one play, it should be a penalty on every play. And during the rest of the game, the officials didn’t enforce holding by the letter of the rules. To determine whether the holding call was justified, I studied the tape of Super Bowl XL, watching both offensive tackles on every passing play to see how often they committed the type of infraction for which Locklear was penalized. The results are bad news for the NFL: Using the standard that was applied to Locklear on the infamous play, the four offensive tackles committed 22 uncalled holding penalties on passing plays.

  By the letter of the rules, Locklear committed holding 10 times (he was flagged twice). Seattle left tackle Walter Jones should have been called six times. Pittsburgh tackles Marvel Smith and Max Starks should have been called four times each.

  Here we present each of the four tackles and the plays on which they should have been flagged for holding:

  Sean Locklear

  Third-and-9, 12:40, first quarter: As Haggans rushed to the inside, Locklear reached his left arm out and hooked Haggans’ left shoulder. Locklear was called for holding, and Haggans sacked Hasselbeck anyway.
  
  Third-and-16, 5:53, first quarter: As Haggans rushed to the outside, Locklear used his arm to hang onto Haggans.
  
  Third-and-23, 0:35, first quarter: At first Locklear engaged Haggans and seemed to get the better of the matchup, but as Haggans broke free and tried to rush to the outside, Locklear hooked him.
  
  Third-and-5, 14:11, second quarter: Locklear got an arm around Haggans as Hasselbeck completed a pass to Joe Jurevicius.
  
  Third-and-3, 8:47, second quarter: Haggans rushed to the inside and Locklear stuck his left arm out to restrict his rush.
  
  Third-and-4, 13:45, third quarter: Locklear hooked defensive end Brett Keisel.
  
  Third-and-15, 4:30, third quarter: Locklear wrapped his right arm around Haggans.
  
  Third-and-5, 14:17, fourth quarter: Locklear hooked Haggans.
  
  First-and-10, 12:35, fourth quarter: The infamous penalty call. Locklear’s hold was no more flagrant here than on any of the previous seven uncalled holds. After he was flagged a second time, Seattle adjusted its offense to keep Locklear from having to block Haggans’ outside rush, giving him outside help from Mack Strong for the rest of the game.
  
  Second-and-10, 0:34, fourth quarter: One last time, Locklear hooked Haggans.

  Walter Jones

  Third-and-9, 12:40, first quarter: This was the first time Locklear was called for holding, and using the strict standard, Jones also should have been called. He hooked his left arm around Joey Porter.
  
  Third-and-16, 5:53, first quarter: Smith again tried to get past Jones to the outside, and Jones hooked him.
  
  First-and-10, 2:08, first quarter: This was the Darrell Jackson touchdown that was called back for offensive pass interference. If the officials had used the strict definition of holding all game, it also would have been called back for Jones getting his left arm around Porter as Porter rushed upfield.
  
  Second-and-6, 1:13, second quarter: Porter tried to beat Jones to the inside, and Jones stuck his right arm around Porter’s midsection.
  
  Third-and-4, 13:45, third quarter: Jones used his left arm around Porter on an outside rush.
  
  Third-and-15, 4:30, third quarter: Jones hooked Kimo von Oelhoffen with his left arm on an outside pass rush.

  Max Starks

  Third-and-19, 10:32, first quarter: Starks blatantly hooked Bryce Fisher — a much more egregious hold than the one for which Locklear was flagged.
  
  First-and-10, 4:53, second quarter: Craig Terrill looped to the outside and Starks hooked him with his right arm.
  
  Second-and-10, 4:47, second quarter: Fisher rushed to the outside and Starks hooked him.
  
  Third-and-4, 10:27, third quarter: Starks encircled Fisher with his right arm.

  Marvel Smith

  Third-and-19, 10:32, first quarter: Smith held Grant Wistrom.
  
  First-and-10, 0:17, first quarter: Smith hooked Wistrom, then encircled him with both arms.
  
  Second-and-20, 4:21, second quarter: Smith held Wistrom, Wistrom beat him for a sack anyway.
  
  Third-and-2, 2:58, third quarter: Smith hooked Wistrom.

  That’s 16 uncalled holding penalties on Seattle and eight on Pittsburgh. Because Seattle passed more than twice as often as Pittsburgh did, Pittsburgh’s tackles actually committed holding at a higher rate than Seattle’s, although the Steelers were never flagged.

  If the officials had called holding on two inconsequential plays and ignored it the rest of the time, no one would much care. But Locklear’s penalty negated an 18-yard Jerramy Stevens catch that would have given the Seahawks first-and-goal from the one-yard line, where they very likely would have scored and taken a 17-14 lead with less than 12 minutes remaining in the game. Instead they faced first-and-20 from the 29-yard line, Matt Hasselbeck threw an interception three plays later, and Pittsburgh’s subsequent touchdown effectively ended the game.

  These are my opinions. Someone else watching the same plays might come to different conclusions, thinking there were more or fewer than 22 uncalled holds on the offensive tackles. But no fair observer can say that given the way the rest of the game was called, Locklear should have been assessed that game-changing penalty. Just as in boxing, two judges can watch the same fights and see different things, but when a judge goes beyond the pale, impartial analysts need to call him on it.

  And if the NFL doesn’t like having its officials compared to boxing judges, a good way to start would be to improve the way it defines penalties. The NFL needs tighten the definition of holding. Change the rules so that the actions described above, which happen on every play, are legal. Then, whatever is contained within the new, more narrow definition, needs to be called consistently and always". - end of article, though more, including reader's comments, can be found here:

  http://www.footballoutsiders.com/2006/02/09/ramblings/every-play-counts/3640/

  It should noted that there may have been certain factors at play - since Locklear held so often, were the refs starting to look for it, perhaps in response to complaints by the Steelers? Since refs can't see everything on every play, was it simply a matter of which angle the official had on the holding call in question? Whatever the case, both teams got away with holding, as all teams do in every game.

  It should also be noted that even though Locklear's hold as called was a blow to Seattle, it was what happened on the next two plays that doomed that drive. A sack and an interception followed. Seattle still could have salvaged at least a Field Goal and thus could have drawn to within 14-13, had they not committed two errors of their own subsequent to the holding call. Great teams overcome adversity, and my argument all along has been that Seattle failed to play well in several important moments in this game, and that, in addition to some questionable officiating and a good opponent, is what what beat them.
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  40

  Anybody still buy vinyl records?

  by DanTheMan in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i haven't had a turntable in years, and i'm starting to feel all romantic about getting one and restricting my new music purchases to vinyl exclusively.. some reasons why:.

  longevity - cd's get to be pretty skippy after about 10 years, and after 15 or 20, they are pretty much useless.

  a vinyl record can last 100 years if taken proper care of.

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  rocketman

  One great thing about LPs was the album art. CDs can never duplicate that (well, maybe, but it's so darned small that it just isn't the same).

  I kept a few albums even though I've never bought a new turntable, just for old times sake and to preserve the artwork.
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  40

  Anybody still buy vinyl records?

  by DanTheMan in

  1. social
  2. entertainment

  i haven't had a turntable in years, and i'm starting to feel all romantic about getting one and restricting my new music purchases to vinyl exclusively.. some reasons why:.

  longevity - cd's get to be pretty skippy after about 10 years, and after 15 or 20, they are pretty much useless.

  a vinyl record can last 100 years if taken proper care of.

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  rocketman

  
  Dan, I wonder if you've been reading Audio magazine lately. They are generally advocates of analog playback, and still run ads and test reports on turntables.

  Analog does have its advantages, but when my turntable started to give me problems circa 1990, I gave up on analog audio, basically because of the headache of cleaning albums each time I played them, and always feeling like I had to make a copy on audiocassette right away to avoid excess wear on the grooved playing surface.

  I do agree that many early CDs sounded pretty lousy, but with remastering techniques applied over the past few years, many now sound great, to my ears anyway. I have never done an A/B listening comparison though, pitting a good analog setup against a good digital one.
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  26

  Superbowl XL - It's Pittsburgh all the way!

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm loving it.

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  rocketman

  
  I'm not a conspiracy theorist (I think Lee Harvey Oswald acted alone), but I do at times throw stuff out there when it comes to sports, without actually saying there's some way the outcomes of games are manipulated.

  As for the Colts-Steelers game, I think that Joey Porter may have had a point when he said that 'everybody wanted the Colts to win'. The Colts were being touted as Super Bowl entrants ever since they beat the Patriots on that Monday Night game earlier in the season. People in general wanted to see Peyton Manning get to the big show.

  Once the Steelers managed to win that game and get to the Super Bowl, they then became everyman's choice to win. The storyline of Jerome Bettis going home to Detroit, winning, and then retiring is like a movie script. What could go wrong? - oh, that's right, the Seahawks were in the way, and almost ruined the script.

  I'm just throwing that out there as a possibilty; I'm not totally sold on games being manipulated. But I do wonder sometimes. I've watched football a long time, and this isn't the first postseason that's had me doubting my faith in the NFL. Almost every season, there's something that makes me wince - the Tom Brady fumble...oh, I mean "Tuck Rule" call. The phantom pass interference call against the 49ers when the Redskins won the NFC title game in 1983. The phantom blow to the head by Sugar Bear Hamilton to the helmet of Ken Satbler in 1976. The list goes on and on, and I just wonder sometimes.
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  26

  Superbowl XL - It's Pittsburgh all the way!

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm loving it.

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  rocketman

  I've been listening to talk radio for the past two days, plus watching ESPN. Most commentators are somewhere in between Colin Cowherd (he's not recognizing the Steelers as champs) and Peter King from SI.com (he had a problem with only one call, the 'low block' call against Hasslebeck after he threw the INT). Most seem to agree that the officiating was poor, and that there were a couple of calls that were missed (Jeremy Stevens appeared to fumble after a reception; the officials should reviewed the out-of-bounds call on Jackson's reception near the goal-line pylon), but most aren't going so far as to say that the refs won the game for the Steelers or lost it for the Seahawks.

  Here's something I wrote on January 17th at my blog: (http://www.blogtext.org/rocketman/article/3446.html) "It seems to me that the playoffs each year are marred by some gaffe(s) on the part of the refs. The NFL had better start getting very concerned about it." I wrote that after the Divisional Playoff round, when Pittsburgh was the victim of that very poor call against Indy, the Polomalu INT that was ruled an incompletion. That weekend was marred by several instances of poor officiating.

  I won't go as far to say that games are "fixed", but everybody likes a happy ending, and the Super Bowl went according to script. It does make me wonder.
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  26

  Superbowl XL - It's Pittsburgh all the way!

  by drew sagan in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  i'm loving it.

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  rocketman

  I was pretty much an impartial observer for this game, though I did pick Pittsburgh to win (by a margin of 10...just missed). The officiating was definitely a problem, and one that the NFL had better address. But did it determine the outcome? No. Influence, possibly, but the refs did not win the game for the Steelers.

  It could be argued that Seattle lost this game as much as Pittsburgh won it. But the Steelers did make big plays when they had to. Interestingly, the Seahawks bettered them in every important statistical category - time of possession, total yards, and turnovers. Normally, the team that wins those battles wins the game.....normally.
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  155

  Which avatars are your favorites?

  by AlmostAtheist in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  some people's avatars make me smile, others make me think.

  there are some that i just love to look at.

  here are some of my favorites off the top of my head.

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  rocketman

  
  A few of my faves:

  Sirona's....I just want those fangs sunk into my neck.

  Gumby's - How can you not like that green rubbery guy?

  Kyrstal's - How can a guy (and many women) not love this?

  Then there's almost too many avatars of attractive females to name or post....and then there's mine, of course....

  The Rocket Man himself from the cover of Rock Of The Westies. My selection of this picture has a lot to do with a key teaching of Jehovah's Witnesses. This album was released in October 1975 - yes, the time when, according to Fred Franz, it was "the appropriate time for God to act!" Hey Fred, we're still waiting....
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  41

  Elders sting operation on myspace

  by troubled mind in

  1. jw
  2. friends

  a certain young person told me last night a jw friend of his from n.y. received an elder visit .

  the suspect was told that the elders had been lurking about on myspace and had caught several young ones with accounts there .

  they told this person's account was benign yet was counseled it was bad association to be on myspace.

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  rocketman

  Since there have recently been stories on various news progarms dealing with the possible dangers of posting personal information at web sites such as myspace.com, I can see justification for perhaps some general counsel, to be careful about posting such information. However, for elders to log onto such sites for the purpose of checking on young jws is way out of line.