Random Thoughts

i thought this was one of his better articles. and i really cant wait until his wifes recap of the upcoming donut trip.

Personally, I don't think he is far off, just wrong about the motivation. I kind of feel like, at this point, I can't celebrate just MAKING IT to the AFC Championship. I won't call anyone to brag, celebrate, or gloat until we win the Superbowl. It's not that we don't care, we just raised the bar on our expectations.

And outside of New England, I don't exactly remember anyone else rooting for us either.

"Being the big bully is a million times more fun than being the plucky underdog." Perfect.

It took a while, but Simmons is offically Left Coast, out-of-touch beautiful person. For sure he no longer speaks for me. Time to go back to 10,000 words about the Phoenix Suns.

Actually, I thought both of your arguments were pretty good, and I was actually coming to this page to post the article.

However, I do disagree with a couple points.

Honestly, I'm more of a fan of the underdog.
But I think that's still what the Patriots are. Statistically (we're underdogs by a Vinatieri FG this week) and mentally, (The Colts have beat us the past two times, people must be expecting us to lose.)

So even though I root for the underdog, I think the Patriots are the underdog.
And I didn't mind being the bully in 03-05 either.

But if we win this year, I think that puts us in the top 5 dynastys of all time, if we weren't already.

I thought his major theme was that people are bored with the Pats and Pats fans take it for granted. I couldn't disagree more.

He seemed like a 150lb cunny when he was in Boston, so I don't think LA has changed him that much. I do laugh how it's cool to hate him and yet everyone reads him. You sound like you're complaining about Howerd Stern.

Yeah I just read his article and he does not speak for me. I was almost pissing myself when Caldwell caught the deep bal from Brady. I was on the edge of my seat the whole game. Winning like that doesnt get old. Its hard to compare baseball and football playoffs. Single elimination makes every playoff game so important and so exciting. He has officially lost touch with Boston sports. He's no better a spokesman now than Ben Affleck is.

El-presisnte of the small hat franchise-

Simmons made good points about how outsiders view the PATS it has been liek that for a while- I think one of the main points he drove home was, Pats fans don't care- who gives a fuck about how they are viewed. Not a bad article- love his comment on david spades stupid dance on that commercial.

he is a sellout though!

I dont know about everyone else but I was on edge more in that game that I have been in a while. My father and I are season ticket holders and we spent some decent time on the phone during and after the game. I was definitely standing most of the game.

The david spade dance is a good point. I almost throw up everytime I see it.

i guess my reading skills suck i thought he said
1. new englanders still fucking love the patriots
2. we still think of the pats as underdogs and the class act of the league
3. non new englanders are bored with the pats, and he doesnt know why

all three are pretty accurate.

"I thought his major theme was that people are bored with the Pats and Pats fans take it for granted. I couldn't disagree more."

A lot of people are vocally bored about it but the whole thing with not calling? That wasn't about other fans. That was more in the way I called my friend who's a Bears fan after that game ended to share the "Holy shit, I didn't even care and Rex Grossman scared me half to death" vibe.....

No offense, but I'd be less than honest if I didn't say that I think history and past perception kindof influenced how you interpreted some of his point (namely the impression that New England fans were somehow apathetic about their team's success)

Cause it just isn't there.....and I think if you show that to anyone who didn't have a previous axe to grind with Simmons, they wouldn't read that out of it......

That's also one of the reasons I don't read him anymore. I've been meaning to blog about that forever and I don't want to be accused of stealing his thoughts

I think Simmons' main problem with this whole thing is giving a fuck what other people think of the Pats and Pats fans. Because he's writing for a national audience its like he has to apologize for the Pats dominating the league instead of doing the natural thing and laughing at the rest of those poor suckers. I honestly could not give a shit if some asshole from Phoenix or Iowa is "sick of the Patriots". Go fuck yourself and come back when you have a good team. The last thing I'm gonna do before the AFC Championship is worry about how the Pats are perceived around the country.

Mark,

I totally disagree with his pt #3 which we agree on that non new englanders are bored with the pats. Pats have been the best matchup every round of the playoffs because it's the pats.

He's confusing bordem and hatred.

Also, he made it sound like his buddies are bored with the pats because they always win.

wow. didnt i just post this same sentiment a couple of days ago. im a fuckin genious.
it truly is ironic that somehow the pats became the yankees of football, when most all pat fans are sox fans and for so many years they played underdog, now they are top dog.

side note, is it true the pats only let up 10 passing TDs? if so im damn impressed.

One difference between the Yankees and the Pats is that the Yankees tried to buy championships the past 5 or so years and the Pats have had to do it within a salary cap structure. The NFL is far more competitive. And also the Pats have 3 rings this century and the Yankees have none...

i agree with mark. i didnt get the same impression you got el pres.

though, i will agree, i was on pins and needles and texting/calling everyone after the game.

from a structure standpoint i fully agree with mcm. however, from a fan standpoint its either you like the pats or you hate em. They have achieved people disliking them even if they don't like the other team. I.e. yankee syndrom. "i root for the sox and anyone who beats the yankees"

elpres -

Love your point about the value of dynasties being rooted in the hatred of them. I've always felt that an up and coming team should feel better a bout challenging a dynasty than ending up on top by default in a mediocre league. I think it's great that in an age of "Parity" that there are still franchises that are near the top every year for many years in a row. The Pats have clearly been the class of that group based solely on the only statistic that matters - championships. teams like Indy and Philly (my personal rooting interest) have been hanging near the top consistently but have never managed to get over that hump. But in the process, even those also-rans have built up some negative fan bases over the years among the fans of "the rest of the pack". To be the best you have to beat the best. Punking Seattle just doesn't feel quite the same.

I think the idea of non new englanders being bored with the Pats is technically true if you take what people say at face value.

That editorial on MSNBC.com a few days ago? Every analyst/writer you'll see? Peopled on pretty much any nationally based message board? They're all expressing this same sorta frustration of boredom/anger in that "success breeds contempt" way....

I'm not sure I buy all of it as true, since some of the criticism seems forced, but seriously, in the National media, who outside of Peter King still seems to express the same sense of awe and excitement for this team as they probably should be?

Right now, a lot of America just wants fresh meat even more than they really wanna see Manning win one.....

I agree with Mark El Pres.

Your hatred for Simmons is skewing your perception

He could write about anything and you would hate it

Maybe you're just jealous because he once wrote an online boston sports blog and is now on ESPN while you're still living in Swapscott or where ever the fuck you're from

pats fans sound amazingly similar to yanks fans on all these posts, arrogant pricks.

I'm sorry but I think you completely misread the article...

At no point did Simmons' ariticle say "that we (Pats fans) yawned as the the Pats went for the two pt conversion and fell asleep as Brady connected with Reche Caldwell to put us in field goal position."

In fact, he was saying the exact opposite. In his third to last paragraph, Simmons writes "Just know that rooting for the Patriots isn't like rooting for the house in blackjack. See, we never feel safe. We never feel like we're going to crush everyone else. We're constantly astounded by what's happening, and we never fail to appreciate the significance of it"..."Much like Private Ryan, we earned this."

I love the Stool and read it everyday. But, Simmons' article was pretty good and I had butterflies in my stomach after reading it so I felt obligated to defend him.

I don't like Simmons for personal reasons. I've never hidden that. I've also said he's my favorite writer of all time. So Uncle Suck you got to wake up and do your research. Clearly you are new here by the fact you think I live in Swampscott.

You guys are fucking hysterical. Each and everyone of your bloggers rips on Simmons whenever you get the chance. I find this to be rather comical because you wouldn't even be writing your feeble blogs if it weren't for Simmons. Come on, admit it. While Simmons might have lost his fastball, his material is 10x more funny, witty, insiteful and more well written than anything that appears on this site. Think I'm wrong? Who was the assclown who wrote his little running diary of his Thursday night? That blog was the skim-milk of Simmons' running diaries. Come on, you guys are all watered down versions of Simmons yet you all dump on the guy whenever you get the chance. You should be writing him thank-you emails everyday because none of you witless fucks would be writing anything other than TPS reports during your workdays if it weren't for Simmons hitting it big blogging on his website. Fuck you. That is all.

EP you opened up a big can of worms with this one, and while I don't agree with your depiction of bill's most recent I do back and all these guys posting should be happy YOU put this site together for all of us to Bullshit on all day, keep it up

Frank Costanza nailed it; the fact that Simmons is writing for a national audience forces him to address the pats on a national level. He tries to capture what the rest of the country is thinking about our success, which naturally may offend or dishearten our fan base (which is strond as ever by the way). Put it this way; if he had told us that the rest of the country loved the pats and was happy we were on the verge of the greatest dynasty in NFL history, would anyone beleive him? I sure wouldn't...

"Who was the assclown who wrote his little running diary of his Thursday night?"

Answer: Justin Rebullo, he's a tool.

TPS reports. ha

Big Windy you have no clue what you're talking about. I haven't written about Simmons in months. If I had to take a rough guess I'd say maybe even a full year.

And this blog has zero to do with him. He was not a blogger, never was. The Deadspins, Sportsbybrooks etc have way more influence on the blog than him.

You are truly clueless.

Personal Reasons?

Like what?

He wouldn't sign your copy of Now I Can Die in Peace?

All joking aside where does your hate for Simmons come from?

His football colums are the only reason I make it back to the office after Friday lunch

I gotta side with Mark Scal and US here. I thought the article was great. The media definately don't want the Pats invovled so that they can find new story lines. Although I dissagree that the average fan outside of Boston can't appreciate the Pats. I think they absolutely do. If anything I think Simmons fell into the trap of thinking that the national media represents the mindset of the average fan, which they clearly do not since all the arguments on these sports-talk shows he mentioned are staged anyway. Also Prez, I loved the Niners and Cowboys growing up. Sorry, but after a season full of watching rooting for and ultimately being hugely dissappointed by the Pats, I was looking for a winner in the NFC to hook up with come playoff time.

Just don't let the fact that you have an axe to grind with this guy affect they way you read/comment on him. That's what it's sounding like.

I don't think the nation really hates on the Pats, but the national media sure does. And by national media I mean ESPN, which thrives on attention-grabbing spectacle, highlights and individual achievement, three things the Patriots have more or less eschewed.
Nationally, a LOT of people hate Peyton Manning. You think anybody in Wisconsin or Minnesota is pulling against the Pats if the Bears win the NFC? The only team that's more or less Teflon is the Saints.
The Patriots may have won three Super Bowls since 2001, but I can really think of only one time we were an unstoppable juggernaut, going into SB 39, and even then much of the attention was showered on TO and that idiot Freddie Mitchell. The Pats were underdogs all through the 01 playoffs, many had the Colts favored to destroy them in 03 and 04, and everyone liked the Chargers last week.
Meanwhile, the Yankees are picked to win every year because "they're the Yankees." I'll tell you what, if the Pats roll to about 23 more Super Bowls in the next three-quarters of a century we can make this comparison, although I'll probably be dead. Whatever.

Billy,

That's fine. I had buddies who loved the 49ers and Cowboys too. That's the point though. You either love or hate a dynasty.

Simmons is saying on a national level people are bored with the pats and that Pats fans take winning for granted.

Totally disagree.

Big Windy, I kill people for a living. So fuck you.

Bill Simmons isn't and never was a blogger. Okay El Presidente, ooookay. I'd beg to differ, but who am I to disagree with the man who created the Barstool Sports empire. I'll take the under on a year by the way.

Justin Rebello

You are skim milk

hahahaha

I'm two percent, bitch. Don't mess with the talent.

My 2 cents:

Simmons has always struck me as a super-dork who could smash anyone to bits in a sports arguement quoting useless stats, but whom you could annihilate in any physical sport.

Barstool Sports, on the other hand, provides me with daily witty banter, and white parties with lots of sluts.

Advantage: Barstool

absoluke, you trying to get people fired up again?

The thing that makes the Patriots dynasty so unique is that they usually do not have the most talented team (on paper) and do not dominate games. Yes, they have BB and Brady and the experience to pull out those type of games but in each of the SB years (2001 especially) they got breaks and clutch performances at critical times to win certain games. While it is assuring that we have that experience it by no means gurantees victory. Because we've had so many close postseason games, fans around here appreciate that and savor every victory.

Feeling fortunate when the Pats win the Super Bowl is a lot different than feeling entitled when the Yanks win the series.

"Being the big bully is a million times more fun than being the plucky underdog."
- I couldn't disagree more.

That being said, I don't think of the patriots as being a dominant team. They are far from the most talented, and although they are probably the best coached, they are still never considered clear cut favorites. btw, Colts are 3 point favorites this weekend... Go Pats!

U-Suck, since you're obviously new, the basic story is that El P loved Simmons, especially when he was in Boston. I believe Dunkenstein asked Simmons to throw a bone to a local boston guy trying to make a paper and give an interview. Simmons replied that he was trying not to overexpose himself, or limit his appearances or some crap. The problem is, he then made a cartoon of his life on ESPN.com, which sucked and was pulled, and did some other crap, and was all over the place. Pres didn't mind the turndown as much as the bullshit reasons which he did a 180 on. However, I remember El P blogging that he made some piece with Simmons a while back, maybe around the time when he broke the John Dennis drunken rant tape? There was an april fool's simmons make-up post once also, so I have mashed some Simmons/Pres history together. Bottom line- Pres loved his writing, his dealing with him have made him feel Simmons is a full-of-himself-douche, "duplicitous pond scum" if you will.

"Still, if the Pats really have turned into the football Yankees, then everyone outside of New England believes that ...

A.Rooting for the Patriots is like rooting for the house in blackjack.

B. An entire generation of fledgling NFL fans is being raised to root against them as we speak.

Just writing those last two sentences gave me the Manning Face. How could this be? How did we get here?"

This really sums up my entire arguement. I think this is a great thing. The pinnacle of being a sports fan really. Simmons thinks it stinks.

I think a lot of people question Simmons because he doesn't do the normal sportswriter routine and he's VERY opinionated. My bosses at the Globe hated him, they'd flip out on any co-op who even dared have the yellow background up on his or her computer.

To each his own, I think he's terrific (though he needs to cut back on the 10,000 word NBA columns), and let's face it...none of us are here without him.

If the Patriots are expected to win then why are we 3 point dogs? This just adds to the hypocracy that is the national media.

I find the 2006-07 Patriots to be a very exciting team. We invole so many different players that we become to a certain extent unpredictable.

As a side note the thing I love is when people say I write things because I have an ax to grind or an agenda. I've never done that. NEVER. When I'm writing with an ax to grind I always preface it. Even when I used to kill Simmons on a daily basis I would briefly explain why I hated him first.

But this has nothing to do with that. I just thought the article sucked. It was the main article on ESPN.com and was emailed to me 5 times today. Just like how I killed Borges yesterday, I killed Simmons today. Thought it was a bad article, that's all.

Also, I made it to the second round in his Intern Contest and his wife's pretty hot, so I'll defend him to the death.

Harry Colon

Thanks for the update and awesome name

it's a fairly accurate description of what happened without getting too involved. But I've explained it in detail many times. If you google us and simmons you can probably find the back story.

If anything, Barstool needs to life the "Brushes with Greatness" schtick he used to have on his digital city website. Nothing better than hearing about Randy from the Real World doing coke in the bathroom of the Cask. Love that shit.

"none of us are here without him." Couldn't be more true about you guys, Prez you can't deny that. It's ok to kill Borges because he is essentially the Shaughnessy of Patriots coverage - which makes him a grade A suckpot. If we strung you up the way you are stringing up Simmons for every bad article you wrote Prez, we'd have lynched you a long time ago.

hahaha Skim Milk

didn't the yankees overpay free agents in order to build their dynasty? whereas the Pats did the exact opposite. To me that makes a big difference.

re the yankee analogy. always better to be the hammer than the nail

I used to love Simmons but I feel like I read the samething from him over and over. Always referring to movies etc. Its old. It was a great analogy the first 100x he did it but he needs to try something new. Also hes a joke around the rest of sports media. He is constantly laughed upon and on sports talk radio people often bring him up but the hosts of the show always say how hes a joke and has no real knowledge. Now Im sure a lot of that is from jealously that he got big on page 2...But with all that being said I dont even read him anymore bc I felt its all the samething so I could be so wrong and he might have changed up...Ive been a few months Simmons free just like Ive been almost a week Rebello free!

Big Windy,

Again you have no idea what you're talking about. I havne't talked about Simmons in ages. The guy is the #1 writer on ESPN.com. If I write a negative commentary on an article he wrote once a year, that's out of bounds?

You're freaking crazy.

Elpresidente...I'm in agreement with you that a dynasty (or even a team that isn't necessarily a dynasty but is a For-or-Against team -- like the '01/'02 Lakers) makes sports and specific match-ups more interesting.

But for your two other main arguments:
1. Opposition to his friends' response to the victory versus your experience
and 2. the difference (or in your case, the preference) between routing for a underdog/favorite

...I just don't agree with...

In regards to the former, I don't think his point is that the winning ways of the Patriots have created boredom. I think he's saying that it's less of a surprise, and therefore, less of a commotion that they pull off a win like last week (than it would have 4 years ago). For me, the best I can explain it is that I didn't EXPECT the Pats to win at any point in the game, but I ALSO didn't fear them losing at any point. And that perspective HAS CHANGED since 2002/2003...

And as for the latter. A MILLION times better rooting for them now? No way. Nope. When the Patriots won their first Super Bowl, I was crammed on the B line ripping of "P-A-T-S PATS PATS PATS" from the Jets the entire way on my way to Govt Center where THOUSANDS flooded the streets. Granted, some of that had to do with the fact that it was their first championship. But why was it that crazy? Why was it THAT MUCH MORE intense than either of their next two? They were the underdog. 14-point underdogs. "THERE WAS NO WAY THEY CAN STOP THE RAMS." -Everyone

But they did it.

Rooting for a dynasty isn't better, more fun, or more enjoyable than rooting for an underdog. And vice versa. It's a different experience; the emotions are different.

But I tell you what...it's great to be able to experience both sides. I think his point is that Sunday's game made him realize he's moving from one to the other...

I must admit though, I cringe whenever people pick the Pats solely because of Brady and Belichick...shades of Tino Martinez picking the Yanks to come back in the ALDS, down 2-1, because "the ghosts were coming out". Let's try and be tangible.

Then again, a majority of the people picking Indy are doing so because "it's Peyton's time."

"Still, if the Pats really have turned into the football Yankees, then everyone outside of New England believes that ...

A.Rooting for the Patriots is like rooting for the house in blackjack.

B. An entire generation of fledgling NFL fans is being raised to root against them as we speak.

Just writing those last two sentences gave me the Manning Face. How could this be? How did we get here?"

That's a big IF at the beginning. He then goes on to explain why the Pats aren't the Yankees of the NFL. I think you read it wrong Prez.

Regardless of whether it's an "if" he's saying he wouldn't want the Pats to be perceived that way. I would. I think that's the best you can hope for. I want to root for the team that nobody thinks can lose.

R Deez: Justin Rebello how tall are you
JR: 5'2"
R Deez: Jesus H Christ I didn't know they stacked shit that high
R Deez: From now on you're Skim Milk

sorry it's just too funny you had an internship for the globe, made it to 2nd round of the Simmons internship thing (la de freakin da)and now you will be forever know as Skim Milk

Oh and you brag about drinking a six pack of Sam Adams Pale Ale

give me a break

oh man good stuff

R Deez: hahaha skim milk
JR: Who are you talking to?

I didn't drink the whole six-pack (I'm 5'11'' btw, which means I'm taller than your bun buddy Kiefer Sutherland).

It's amazing how jealous and petty you readers are...I've been to the mountaintop of Boston sports and y'all are in queue for the EEI Whiner Line. Something to think about.

The weird thing about his basketball articles is that I don't watch the Suns so I have no idea whether he's right on on the money or way off... But its clearly the sport he knows the most about and so the NBA material ends up making his best collumns, that I could care less about reading.

Further, I only weight 150 lbs, so yes I'm a lightweight. That's cool, with the money I save on beer I can put toward the NHL package.

Advantage: Rebello!

"I've been to the mountaintop of Boston sports"

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha

"I didn't drink the whole six-pack "

hahahahahahaha

2 beers followed by a tall glass of skim milk

Rebello I dont even bother reading ur blogs anymore. And sorry to say I can pretty much guarentee ur gonna lose readers more and more every week. Its a shame bc a hockey/bruins blog had so mch potential but they picked the wrong writer. But keep on insulting ur readers, in the long run it should pay off...

And Billy ur 100% right. When I was always reading Simmons he def. knew his basketball more than any other sport.

Bill Simmons is the Luke Perry of sports writing.

He was really cool once but he's getting a little long in the tooth lately with a face for radio and a voice a drag queen would die for.

I think him and Greg Dickerson are the only NBA fans I know.

Will people please stop giving him credit for creating the idea of posting a column online, but if it wasn't for Simmons just think we wouldn't have the great Eric Wilbur to read. Whatever happened to that guy, does he still write?

Spazz, you know you read me every week...and if you're going to insult the blogger publically, the blogger should be able to insult you. Take it like a man, don't boycott the talent.

I'm having a great time with this repartee, and so should you.

Example: Bones' "little engine" comment was great...I'm stealing that!

70 comments and counting....evidently Simmons hasn't completely lost his fastball. He's still a skinny little douche, though.

I'm getting a lot of positive feedback here this afternoon, all right.

Simmons is a lightening rod for controversy. Always has been. If he didn't ask me to stop writing about him he probably would be in more often.

pres, i just never got the impression reading that article that Simmons felt like Pats fans were bored with winning. I thought his comparison to the Yankees was off base (Pats don't buy championships), and I think you both said some of the same things: Being a champion and being the team that everyone wants to be is far better than being the underdog. I felt like Simmons conveyed that also....

I don't know, I feel like you're making an argument against Simmons, but a lot of what you are saying is sort of what he said too. The only thing is Simmons said that he didnt get any phone calls after the game, but that could be because his friends don't like him, or some other reason.

If he didn't ask me to stop writing about him he probably would be in more often.
— elpresidente, Jan 19 2007, 4:12 pm

Is that true?

Justim, actually I havent read u since that last time u and I went back and forth...I personally have no problem if u insult me. I can take it...I just have issue with u really not knowing much about hockey thats all...So there is no point to read ur blog bc basically its all nonsense...No offense to u but anyone who watches one Bruins game once in a while and looks at stats and standings can do what u do...Thats the only problem I have with u...Other may not like the insulting tho thats all I was saying...Ur prob. a good guy and all that, but I dont even bother with ur blogs anymore bc again I just feel like u are talking thro ur ass...Good luck with it tho Im sure other readers disagree with me and like ur blog and think u have some hockey knowledge

As far as his main post goes no, teh Pats are not the Yankees.

1. The national media drools over Jeter and company, Fox's color comentator during their playoff experience break's down the twinkle in Jeter's eye, and they hire the 3rd basman's brother as their in booth annalyst. The national media and the NFL desperatly wich the Pats would start losing.

2. The other main difference is that the fans outside of New England would derive a perverse sense of joy in watching the pats lose. Don't confues the opinion of the national media with the fans. If anything they're polar opposites. If anything I'd say the Colts are way more like the Yankees than the Pats are. They just haven't won yet, or ever.

Maybe I'm an idiot because that's not the vibe I got. I got that he doesn't like being a fan of the team everybody just expects to win on a national level and is sick and tired off.

I disagree with that philosophy and I disagree that people are bored with the pats which I definitly thought was one of his main pts.

Shouldn't we be directing our anger toward the true disgrace of Page 2, namely Scoop Jackson?

Also I wouldn't want the Pats to be compared to the Yankees or myself to a Yankees fan ever. Ever. I know, everything you said makes perfect sense Prez, but I still want no part of it. I hate those guys that much.

Eric Wilbur kicks ass!!

"And if the Patriots can pull off another beauty on Sunday night, maybe my phone won't be ringing off the hook, and maybe we're headed for two weeks of "just shoot me, I'm so freaking tired of the Patriots" stories, and maybe we'd be as popular as the Russian hockey team in Lake Placid if the Saints make it to Miami. But you know what? Patriots fans have had it both ways, and it's much more fun being Michael Corleone than Fredo. Actually, it's much, much, much, much MUCH more fun. So keep ragging on us all you want. You'd trade places with us in a heartbeat and you know it."

Sounds as if he likes being a Pats fan.

Dirt Dog sucks, too.

Rebello, youre 5'11'' and 150lbs? Did you play hockey or any sport for that matter?

I played soccer, baseball and your mother.

5'11" 150 is 10 pounds away from an Ox-Fam commercial.

Comon Justin youre better than that. Someone who has been to the mountaintop should bring better stuff.

JR, I think what Gillis is trying to say, is that you shouldn't be doing a lights out dance all over his mom's bush.

"Act like you've been there."

Wow. I'm agreeing with JR. Ever since he went to boston.com he has sucked. That website is worthless.

I agree Simmons is getting old, and he is almost becomeing a self-parody. Being and NBA fan, I think he should stick to that full time. He has become disconnected from Boston, obviously, but he still knows his shit when it comes to basketball.

Yes, he asked me to stop writing about him and I did. At least on a personal level which is what I used to do rather than criticize his writing since I love his writing. Didn't like this article though.

Rumor round the stool is JR was the skim milk boy for the basketball team

Soccer and Baseball Justin...Not bad at all...What college did u play for?

Classic - TB Lip Md.

BTW I dip a ton, I may need a consult in the future.

i dont write very often. but i'd like to jump on the 'rebello is a tool bandwagon'

Mike I agree...Simmons doesnt even live in Boston anymore...I said it earlier but Ill say it again...At first I love Simmons with all his movie analogies but after the 1000x he did it, its just like, alright we get it, do something different now...Thats why he doesnt post as much as he used to, bc he has no new ideas!

Yeah, and that Henry David Thoreau sucked ever since he moved out of Walden Pond..

Simmmons is just another example of how you can't write about something unless you live in it...

So you've been to the fucking mountain top!?! What- interning at the Globe?!? BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! More like the muffin top, shithead.

that oxfam line killed me

With Rebello we are definitely dealing with a long time sufferer of the "Napolean complex" Its funny cause Jr as a nickname works perfectly.

Too bad he peaked in 05, its all downhill after you reach the mountaintop! But at least he played my mom....

ElPres, it just seems like your snatch is a little sandy from your alleged interactions with Simmons. Alright well I'm going to head to Deadspin so I can see what will be on Barstool later today.

you're just jealous that he's doing what you're TRYING to do on a larger, national level and is wealthy because of it.

"Now here's where a slight dose of hypocrisy comes in. We spend so much time complaining about underachieving superstars, overpaid and overhyped players, incompetent GMs, rookie flops, dreadful officiating, troublemakers, thugs, players and coaches doing/saying dumb things, bad trades and signings, annoying announcers and writers, and overrated teams getting too much credit -- by the way, I do as much complaining and mocking as anyone, I'm not absolving myself here -- that I'm starting to wonder if we'll ever fully embrace a special team anymore. Are we too cynical? Are we too desperate to poke fun at everything? Has being a "fan" morphed into something else? Has the fan-sports dynamic started to become a little unhealthy?"

Ironic since thats what seems to have happened to him in that he was once considered fresh and one of the best writers and is now is consistently being accused of losing his fastball

"It's becoming a formula -- nobody thinks the Pats can pull it off, the odds are impossible, MY GOD THEY DID IT AGAIN! -- which is unfortunate because formulas become boring pretty quickly."

Strange admission since thats probably one of his biggest criticisms... his articles have become a formula

You know Simmons is posting here under a pseudonym, I wonder which one of you he is?

I'd say the Simmons pseudonym is Rubello

I really enjoy Simmons' articles and I think his movie/pop culture references are phenemonal. I am parapharsing but lines like "I think Curt Schilling may have killed someone" crack me up. I don't think he has lost touch. His Boston sensibilities permeate everything he writes. I think sometimes success, whether its a sports teams'(Pats) or an individuals'(Simmons), invites criticism, sometimes warranted but often not, and often jealousy. I think this may be the case with Simmons.

"It's amazing how jealous and petty you readers are...I've been to the mountaintop of Boston sports and y'all are in queue for the EEI Whiner Line. Something to think about."

— Justin Rebello, Jan 19 2007, 4:02 pm

"Don't take your frustration out on a talented writer who's going to leave you all in the dust."

— Justin Rebello, Jan 19 2007, 10:23 am

I'm going to give you the benefit of the doubt and assume you're just winding people up, here.

I can't believe I missed this. Out for much of the afternoon.

Simmmons is better than anyone on this site. How can this even be a question? I love Chisholm's writing, and several others are good (not JR), but you guys are not close. I thought the column was good, even if he repeats at time. I bet no one called him because they were all watching 24!!

I can't believe how many people are coming out of the woodwork on Skim Milk. I am free of him, though it looks like I missed something with the Pale Ale episode. Prez, aren't you embarrassed yet? Even free is a bad deal sometimes. On the other hand, maybe you should keep him so we will have someone to abuse after the SB until spring training starts.

Is Bill Simmons and Todd McShay twins????

Hey fuckface R Deez,
Double and triple spacing between your hateful fucking comments is pathetic. See if you can bring the heat using the amount of space your piss takes up in a single space environment. Go fuck yourself. If you have any fucking balls, you'll let me know when you will be at Trivia Night. Otherwise, keep it to your fucking self.

simmons is a faggot used to be a must read now is borges if i ever had a chance to write for espn would never sell out like this piece of shit i hate simmons in other words dont move to la if u want to be a representation of boston sports go follow the clippers and the pats on the nfl package or watch every game like a real fan in boston simmons is a fuckin fake boston fan from la faggot he would get his ass kicked in gillette excelpt i would bet he woiuld act like a boston fan if he came back here if anyone sees him around here kick his fuckin ass

oh and by the way if this faggot is still readable elton brand agrees o used to wait for simmons articles now we just make fun of this la faggot

HAHAHA I love it spazz!!! That "what college did you play for" comment is priceless. You KNOW he never played sports in college. He was probably a gym class superstar or something. I like the idea of a Bruins blog as well. I am a f'n die hard. But JR lost his credibility long ago. By the way IF the pats win this year especially gainst the saints I think everybody outside of New England may hate the Pats. Who cares though. We have to enjoy this while we can cuz eventually it will come to an end.