[Spygate] Easterbrook routs Simmons, King, PFT, etc. --> UPDATE: PFT responds

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/070925&sportCat=nfl

A column written by someone who is intelligent enough to understand logic and to pursue a story past the wishful thinking of "the matter is closed."

And this is a guy who Simmons said went "Joe McCarthy" last week. Pathetic attempt, William.

As I noted in an email to Simmons, Joe McCarthy's trick was to attempt to taint those who were not Communists with being Communists.

Difference between Easterbrook and McCarthy?

Bill Belichick IS a cheater. A known cheater. A caught cheater.

Easterbrook's dissection of NFL spokesman Greg Aiello's parsing about what the now-destroyed (and why were they destroyed so quickly? I thought the NFL wanted to 'get to the bottom' of the cheating? Sounds a lot like those tapes contained some very damning stuff. That's the perception the league has now created) tapes did or did not show is first-rate stuff.

Here's what Easterbrook's piece does not contain: 1) Any "Karate Kid" references; 2) Screenwriter auditions masquerading as sports columns; 3) Discussions of his daughter's softball team; 4) Mocha vs cappucino; 5) References to Byron Leftwich as 'Fat Albert;' 6) Crude bathroom humor from John Clayton's body double who has a J.D.

Nope. None of that. Just good, sound thinking. This is what it looks like when an intelligent writer (vs a blogger - my apologies to Peter King) takes on a topic that others are trying to make 'disappear.'

And no, I am not Gregg Easterbrook. And I don't work for him, etc.

Gregg - if you or somebody you know reads this -- OUTSTANDING job. In a sea of inanity, thank goodness for the island of coherence your work has provided. By all means, keep up the good work. Simmons, King, Florio, ... -- all noted Patriots apologists with their own agendas to 'preserve' the 'sanctity' of the Pats' tainted Super Bowl wins and 'legacy' -- are working very hard to prevent persons such as yourself from looking to uncover what appears to be the rather sordid truth of the extent of Spygate. It now appears, through their most suspect action of quickly destroying all of the potential evidence, that the NFL has similarly become the Pats' patsy. Sad. Damn sad. But that just means there's more work out there available for the truth-seekers.

What most here don't seem to understand is that the NFL is a business. It's not about 'justice,' it's about business. If those tapes contained evidence which calls into question the validity of any or all of the Pats' Super Bowl wins, then it is in the NFL's interest to eliminate that evidence. Because that's sound business.

At least in the short term. Why do you think they freaked out on Jay Glazer? If someone has the means to expose the cheating you're seeking to mitigate or conceal, that's a problem.

As Easterbrook correctly wrote last week, everything the Pats have achieved -- and will achieve -- under Belichick is now tainted and suspect. Belicheat's unwillingness to come clean to the media only furthers the notion that he is hiding other questionable tactics.

Contrary to what Belicheat or the league seems to be trying to accomplish, Spygate is now growing in scope instead of receding.

And for that, the NFL and The Cheater have only themselves to blame. As was the case with Mike Vick, there can be no forgiveness without contrition, no moving-on without a full accounting.

The league's destruction of the evidence and Belicheat's refusal to substantively address the extent and depth of his malfeasance has precluded the ending of this scandal. And so it goes on, gaining steam by the day. A "New Urban Legend," apparently.

However, this legend is true. The extent of that truth? Stay tuned, it could take awhile to answer that question.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

I agree with the Speaker's post (though I didn't read his whole post). I like Easterbrook's work, it's consistently good.

Easterbrook's OT stuff is always thought-provoking... today's piece about parking spaces makes me think about something I hadn't thought about.

Easterbrook's OT> Karate Kid quotes

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

Can I vote None of the Above?

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

I can't follow Rok's posts when he doesn't bold the names for me.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

Easterbrook is great. Loved that column today. Love all his stuff.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spyga

Ditto on Easterbrook being great and as for Simmons, he wanted to fine Mangenius or ratting out Bellichick. This is what happens when you let fanboys run lose in the newsroom, even if they are only e-mailing from the couch.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

I will give Simmons credit; he was pretty good on the NBA ref scandal.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

I'm still wondering what Belichick did to Rok for all of this unnecessary and excessive venom...Tom Jackson, is that you?

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spyga

Another entry for Post of the Year. Bravo, SportsDude! *applauds*


Easterbrook's column has begun making ripples, even in the minds of Pats fanboys:

http://www.patsfans.com/kevin/display_story.php?story_id=3141

To his credit, however, Kevin Rousseau does take a moment to give Easterbrook's column the credit it deserves, even though he is an admitted Pats fanboy who is hoping like crazy that Spygate just kind of vanishes into thin air.

Listening Peter King? Bill Simmons? Mike Florio?

That's what's known as responsible journalism. Or responsible blogging, as the case may be.

Watergate had Woodward and Bernstein. So long as Spygate has its Easterbrooks to carry the water for the "Wax on, wax off" crowd, I feel a lot more secure that the truth -- the whole truth -- will see the light of day in this sad, sordid, don't-tell-the-children tale which has managed to diminish Belicheat, the Pats' "dynasty," Robert Kraft and the heretofore lauded Roger Goodell all in one fell swoop.

And where's the reprieve for Mangini, who supposedly wasn't even the guy who turned in the rules-breaking cameraman? He's still catching hell from Daniel-san and the rest of the hacks. On that score, Florio and PFT deserve credit. At least PFT ran the rumor that it wasn't Mangini's call.

The league has -- needlessly in my opinion -- ensured the continuation of this scandal with their ill-advised destruction of the potentially-damning evidence. They have called more attention to something which might have died down had they merely preserved the evidence.

But though I fault the league office, make no mistake whose lap the responsibility for this fiasco ultimately falls onto: The Cheat himself. Hoodie. Quasimodo. The Homewrecker. Bonnie Bernstein's boy-toy. Whatever you want to refer to him as.

Because he's the one who put Roger Goodell and Robert Kraft in such awkward positions. He's the one who made the NFL leak-out that he's supposedly receiving an extension so that it looks like the league's penalties have 'teeth' in this instance (because, as the argument goes, Belicheat will have to 'live with' losing the Pats' probable first-round pick [and thus be 'forced' to have just one next year -- the Niners', I believe -- like most teams. Wow, can't you feel the 'punitivity' from here? ] if he remains the coach of The Cheatriots). He's the one who is making his image-conscious owner look like just another 'win-at-all-costs' moral relativist. He's the one who has people questioning his star quarterback's actual ability.

Remember all those who longed for the moment when Bud Selig would have to stand and 'own' the allegedly cheating Barry Bonds' capturing of the all-time home run record? You remember, right? Remember the 'just ate lemon' expression and the hands in the pockets.

Well, now imagine Roger Goodell having to hand the Lombardi Trophy over to a known and caught-red-handed cheater and to the cheater's current 'character guy,' Randy Moss.

How's that image strike you?

I'm sure I'm not the first one to ask that question of the commissioner, a commissioner busting his tail to make a name for himself as a law-and-order guy, a guy who would have made his politician father proud. A guy who would make his Fox News Channel wife proud. I'm sure that the commissioner has asked himself that same question.

The guy who threatens to derail Goodell's legacy before it even begins? The guy who is bringing the new commissioner the first bad publicity of his tenure? The guy who defied the commissioner's memo sent last September, the memo sent because the commissioner caught wind of the previous allegations against the Pats for cheating? The guy who could end all of this any day he chooses, but instead, selfishly, goes on saying nothing and thus increases the pressure on Goodell and his owner Kraft?

Hoodie. Quasimodo. Belicheat*

Because Belicheat* has refused to own this, refused to elaborate on this, refused to stop this cheating even after he was warned directly, he has jeopardized the legacy of both himself and his team. And more importantly, he has threatened the legacies of two men who have the power to decisively cease his cheating.

Goodell and Kraft.

That's dangerous territory, even for the "Cheating Genius."

So Spygate goes on, thanks to Belicheat*

It's all about him.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

Wait until Kobe or Reggie Bush fail at something. Rok will move on to his other obsessions.

And good to see the bolding is back. :

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

The SJ store needs to start selling the spark notes version of Rok and JDV posts.

 

Re: THIS is why Gregg Easterbrook is miles ahead of Simmons, King, PFT... (Spygate)

Someone would buy that?