Axiom Home Page Forums General Discussion The Water Cooler SUPERB OWL

Yeah, Tom; happy for you. I didn't have any significant personal preference, although I thought that Seattle would narrowly win(despite Denver being favored by a couple points), but obviously by nothing like what the final result was.

I figured that the Seattle corners would cover well, but was a bit surprised that the line would get as much pressure on Manning.

As an aside, I was pleased to see that they actually had someone who could sing do the Star Spangled Banner, in contrast to the so-called "artists" they trot out to attempt entertainment.

I thought that the game wouldn't be close due to Seattles defense. I didn't think Denver would be able to get anything going since they were having problems against the Patriots mediocre defense, that is until Welker took out Talib. Then they were able to get some points on the board. Up here I get 2 parts of the US for TV broadcasts. Boston and Seattle so it was interesting watching the postgame show from Seattle.
Congrats to Seattle for an awesome win.
Tom, are you going to the parade tomorrow?
Take pics or it didn't happen if you do go.

If the "artists" would sing the song as written, their performance would be far more memorable than the ones that "interpret". I'll cite Whitney Houston as evidence of an unforgettable rendition. Then....there are the ones that either can't read or can't memorize the words ala Christine.

Since it couldn't be us, we were with you and Pete Carrol all the way, Tom. The fans and the press here really liked him. We had just come off the total jerkiness of Bill Parcels and were about to enter the "leave me alone, I'm dead" of Bill Bellichik.

Hope it was fun and exciting for you, you inconsiderate bastard.

[rant]Yes, I am weary of the vocal gymnastics many artists exhibit to show how WONDERFUL is their singing ability. I would respectfully remind them that the Anthem is NOT about them; it is about our country (side note: to me, "country" is not synonymous with "government"). Just sing the doggone thing as it is written. IMHO, to dive up and around the melody is disrespectful.

Personally, I would rather America the Beautiful were the National Anthem, preferably sung in English for the same reason as above: respect for a national icon. I find it a more positive message and a more beautiful piece of music.

For the record, I welcome and embrace ethnic and cultural diversity in our country. I feel it is one of our great strengths. But, I am bothered but what I consider to be disrespect for our musical national icons. I feel it's the same thing as if someone ran the flag up with yellow and green stripes, and purple stars on an orange background.

Also, for the record, I am NOT in favor of making it illegal to burn the flag (just my opinion. If yours differs, I'm fine with that). Obviously it bothers me. It is another desecration of a national icon. But I don't want them to know it bothers me. Essentially it is an act of impotence. NOTHING is accomplished: nothing changes. The only thing they have to gain is the pleasure of seeing us get our panties in a knot.

My solution to the whole thing is to hand them another flag, and another, and another, and another, and keep it up until the idiot realizes that we don't care: that he is gaining nothing. The only thing they can gain is to piss us off. If we deny them that, they get zero, zip, nada.[/rant]

Jack, thanks for taking the time to compose a thoughtful/thought provoking post. There used to be a lot more of that around here.

I guess I agree with you on every idea you put forth. Even when I was a part of those "hippie protests," if I saw that happen (and it was very rare) it always made me cringe. My thought then, as now was/is, "Yeah, like that's really gonna help the cause, idiots."

(Side note: Any of you ever see Maya Rudolph spoof those interpretive renderings of our anthem? She throws in rap, jazz, scat, doo wop, spoken word. Very funny.)

The big note here is who's doin' da burnin'? When it's done by nationals, it is intended (misguidedly) to foment change. When it is done to your country's flag by foreigners, that means they want change, too, it's just that they want the kind where all of you have to die. I'm pretty good with the former, if I had a choice.

Not interested in Earth Sports.

I want to thank you guys for the kind posts. It really does increase my joy to have your salutations.

I will resist the urge to write a long and ultimately self-serving post about my personal history as a Seattle sports fan. I vividly remember being enthusiastic about the NFL and MLB BEFORE we had hometown teams, so I've been waiting my whole life for this kind of event. It is - literally - really something.

There are a couple ways in which the team's success seems especially meaningful. There were very high expectations this year, and so the social climate has been charged since last summer. People have come together to share in positive experiences. It's been a fun vibe wherever you go. Every fan base of a championship team feels like they've been "part of it", and I'm generally proud of the volume, travel and conduct of Seahawks fans. The quality-of-life for hundreds of thousands of people was meaningfully improved.

More importantly, the organizational culture of the team celebrates diversity. Pete Carroll said something to the effect of "we don't just LET them be themselves, we CELEBRATE them being themselves". That this level of inclusiveness should be so successful is groundbreaking. By recognizing each person's unique, human gifts, the team enables these talented athletes to give all of themselves. The players seem to be legitimately happy, cohesive and supportive. They've told their stories, and found acceptance and love among the community. It was frustrating but ultimately laughable to see national media try to reduce the dimension and complexity of these men over the last couple weeks.

From a football perspective, the 2013-14 Seahawks defense was historically good. They deserve to be mentioned with the 1985 Bears or anyone else. Marshawn Lynch is fun to watch.

Mostly, I finally feel satisfied as a sports fan. Seattleites have a championship to celebrate, and those of us who shared this journey will never forget this moment or this team.

This thread is nothing without an actual superb owl.

What, the WNBA titles don't count?!