The Zionist Conspiracy |
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A clandestine undertaking on behalf of Israel, the Jets and the Jews. 
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Jets vs. Bills - 1981 Wildcard This YouTube video brings back some very bad memories. I hadn't seen any highlights of this game in more than 28 years. Wednesday, January 27, 2010
New Comments System I had to switch to a new commenting system since I received an e-mail stating that unless I did so, all of the comments would be lost. Hopefully the new system won't be difficult to adjust to. If there are any particular issues or problems, please post them in the comments or e-mail me. Monday, January 25, 2010
Jets Thoughts From Bob Hope Airport My flight has been delayed for four hours and counting, a fun way to spend extra time with my kids, and also an opportunity to post a few thoughts: That the Jets made it to the AFC Championship has very little if any bearing on how they will perform in 2010 and beyond. However, some good things came as a result of the Colts resting their starters in week 16 that may bode well for the future. Mark Sanchez is no longer the guy who ruined the 2009 season. He goes into the offseason with the confidence of his teammates and coaches. Sanchez and Dustin Keller finally got on the same wavelength. Braylon Edwards and Sanchez had chances to connect on a number of deep balls. Shonn Greene emerged as a potential star RB. The improvement on offense is reason for cautious optimism.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Week 20 1. Just as the '82 and '98 Jets, the 2009 Jets could not win and advance to the Super Bowl. 2. Jay Feely really let the Jets down today. His misses came after strong drives on the Jets' 1st and 3rd quarter opening possessions. Feely's 3rd quarter miss gave the Colts excellent field position, leading to their go-ahead touchdown. While Feely's missed field goal attempts were hardly chip shots, in a dome in the AFC Championship against a powerful Colts offense, these are kicks he needed to make. 3. While Feely did kick a 47 yard FG late in the 2nd quarter, those points came after a Jets fumble recovery at the Indy 30. Had the Jets gotten a first down, they could have run out the half. Instead, their 3 and out allowed Peyton Manning to drive right down the field, making it a 17-13 score at halftime with momentum having shifted to the Colts. 4. The injury to Shonn Greene really hurt the Jets offense in the second half. Thomas Jones was not impressive today to say the least, nor in recent weeks. 5. Bad 12 men on the field penalty in the 2nd quarter with the Colts facing 3rd down and 5 from their own 25. I don't know if the penalty was the fault of Bart Scott or the coaching staff. 6. Mark Sanchez looked very good today and during the playoffs. In contrast to Richard Todd and Vinny Testaverde, veteran QBs who after career seasons imploded during the AFC Championships, Sanchez gave the Jets a chance to win. 7. The Jets defense simply was badly beaten today. The secondary was lousy all day, and during the 2nd half, the linebackers and defensive linemen got pushed around. 8. For most of the season, as the Jets lost numerous close games, I agreed with phan that the Jets were a mediocre team. But phan's arguments that the Jets are no more talented than the Bills and that this is the Jets' least talented playoff team, were proven wrong. A few days ago, phan appeared to expand his definition of mediocre, which, he said, includes the 2007 Giants and 2008 Cardinals. But those were good teams. Not great teams, but better than mediocre. 9. The Jets are not an elite team - the Colts are - but they do have some good young players on both sides of the ball. Will they make it back to the playoffs next year? Will they be back in the AFC Championship in the next decade? Will we ever see them in the Super Bowl? This will depend on Mike Tannenbaum's decisions, as well as luck. 10. I am typing this post on my Blackberry in my LA hotel room as the final two minutes of the Jets rollercoaster 2009 season wind down. Last Sunday, I had the privilege of being at Qualcomm Stadium for the Jets defeat of the Chargers. Everything went great that day. My flight was early, I had a ride to and from the game, and my wife and sons had a good time at the beach and boardwalk. I don't recall entering into any Faustian bargain, but within around two hours of last week's victory, the rain started. It rained for six days in a row, a huge rarity in southern CA. I can deal with the rain, but Californians can't. On Tuesday, after a flat tire on our way, we arrived at Sea World, where it rained heavily for 3 hours. Just as the rain stopped, the park was closed 3 hours early due to "inclement weather." Sea World and Legoland were closed after that. With the San Diego theme parks closed, I took my sons to an IMAX film about the sea - where around two minutes into the film, they both melted down upon witnessing small fish get gobbled by large fish. Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Two other comments in response to two of Elster's, now that I've set up blogging via e-mail: 1. While not among the most talented teams in the NFL, I agree with Elster that phan's frequent statements that the Jets are mediocre at best have been proven inaccurate. Certainly phan's recent statement that this is the Jets' least talented playoff team was wrong. Of course, phan is certainly pleased by the Jets' back to back playoff wins. 2. Elster expressed sympathy with the arrested Jets fan missing the game. That was indeed unfortunate, but is trivial compared with being arrested. He was in jail for around 20 hours. Who knows how this may affect his job prospects and otherwise impact his life. And he was one of many who were arrested. Some segments of society are anti-police. Frum people seem to instinctively support law enforcement. We are supposed to live in a free society, with constitutional rights. Jets fans have a right to assemble at Qualcomm Stadium and participate in J-E-T-S chants. Any cop who thinks otherwise belongs in the Tehran PD. I've been unable to post comments today. Following are some thoughts and responses: 1. The person arrested on the widely circulated video is not the person who I saw get arrested. According to the person who took that video, during the missing portion, the arrested Jets fan was punched and had a beer bottle thrown at him. Cops were called and arrested him. 2. In my section, there was a skirmish at halftime when two Chargers fans insulted a woman wearing a Jets jersey. The man she was with asked the Chargers fans to step outside and fight. There was pushing and shoving, but before things got out of hand, a big guy in a Mangold jersey pulled the angry Jets fan away and made peace. 3. Before the game, I briefly met "Mangold." He seemed like a good guy. 4. During the 3rd quarter, Mangold was arrested. As far as I could tell, his crime was that he was in middle of whatever back and forth trash talking took place. He was cursed as he was led away; the cops ignored those verbally abusing him. He looked really shocked and sad about what was happening. 5. Overall, the cops did little if anything to calm things. Instead they just arrested people. 6. I would be more worried about being arrested for rooting loudly for an opposing team than being attacked by a fan of the home team. 7. When the Jets went up 10-7 early in the 4th and I was jumping up and down, a guy in front of me angrily said: "Shut the f*** up. Your team sucks. What have they ever done." "Exactly man, you think I don't know that," I responded. "The Jets have sucked forever. You guys will probably beat us today. I'm just cheering for my team, not trying to show you guys up, okay?" "You know what, I love you, man. I hate your guts right now but I really respect a Jets fan coming here today. I once went to a game in Arizona but never to a Chargers road game," he responded. 8. San Diego this week is, I'd imagine, like Brooklyn was after the end of another heartbreaking Dodgers season. 9. I don't get the sense that the Chargers overlooked the Jets. Rather, the Jets adjusted well at halftime, and the Chargers choked under pressure late in the game. 10. I won't provide legal services, but will write a legal letter to the appropriate parties about the SDPD abuses. Sunday, January 17, 2010
Week 19 1. Today's Jets victory was their biggest upset win since Super Bowl III. 2. Shonn Greene is displaying an ability to hit holes fast, break tackles and run for long touchdowns. 3. There was a feeling of elation when Greene scored with 7:17 left, but from then until the Jets put the game away by converting on 4th and 1 with 1:09 left, Jets fans in the crowd were extremely anxious. 4. I could think only about the Jets loss to the Browns in the second round of the '86 playoffs (I heard the shabbos game on the radio in a Brooklyn park) and their second round loss to Pittsburgh 5 years ago. 5. Chargers fans were shocked and devastated. This was a terrible loss for their franchise. 6. The go-ahead TD pass to Dustin Keller looked great (though I have not yet seen a replay). It looked like a broken play but Mark Sanchez stayed patient. 7. I thought the Jets were too conservative on offense in the 1st quarter and also late in the 4th. 8. The defense made a number of really nice one-on-one tackles. 9. I don't know if the CBS crew liked the onside kick call. I think it was the right move. Had the Chargers recovered, they probably would have driven for the winning TD. 10. Steve Weatherford was one great punt but too terrible punts. 11. Some of the kickoffs were intentionally very short. I can understand trying to contain Sproles, but giving the Chargers the ball near midfield is not good strategy. 12. Terrible waste of a timeout before the 3rd quarter field goal. 13. My Blackberry is partially broken so I cannot post comments. Thanks to Bob Miller for his welcoming invite to Indy. 14. I will be in LA next Sunday. I promised I'd take my boys to the LA Zoo and the Travel Town train museum, and feel bad about reneging - but the AFC Championship starts at noon here. Hopefully my wife will agree to brave the LA freeways alone for our final day in CA. 15. I don't think the Jets will win. 16. Five guys wearing Jets jerseys and caps got onto the airplane; it was immediately obvious that they are frum. 17. One was an old friend of mine, who took the morning flight out of JFK, is flying back on the red eye tonight, and will be in his office tomorrow morning. That's a hard core fan. 18. The flight landed early, the luggage came out quickly, I got a taxi right away for my wife and children, my friend was waiting for me at the airport, we took a longer route I got from another friend who's a Chargers season ticket holder, and as planned found parking around a mile from Qualcomm. 19. As I entered Qualcomm an hour before kickoff, and the lyrics, 'I Got A Feeling That Tonight's Gonna Be A Good Night' played outside the stadium, I wondered for a fleeting moment if something special would happen. But I never expected the Jets to win - not until Greene's TD - and even then I felt really anxious. 20. There were a very large number of Jets fans in my section (View 9) and early on there was some harmless banter. 21. I met some really cool Jets and Chargers fans. Unfortunately, things started getting ugly at halftime, likely the result of alcohol. 22. One Jets fan - a leader of the large group in our section - and a big guy with a Mangold jersey - acted as a peacemaker to avoid some skirmishes for getting out of control. 23. I don't know exactly what happened, but in the 3rd quarter, he and a Chargers fan were both handcuffed and led away by police. 24. It made me sad - still does a few hours later - that a big Jets fan flew to San Diego and ended in a jail cell instead of enjoying this win. 25. I cheered wildly, participated in J-E-T-S chants, but didn't provoke anybody or trash talk. I tried to act like a guest in someone else's house. And some Chargers fans seemed to appreciate that as we schmoozed about football and about our teams' painful histories. 26. Qualcomm's bathroom situation is horrible. The lines are enormous. 27. Thanks to Chad Pennington I who led the Jets to a 2004 playoff victory and Qualcomm - in honor of which today I wore his jersey. 28. The sounds of "J-E-T-S Jets Jets Jets" were just heard here on Pacific Beach. My wife reports that hours ago, the bars here were full of boisterous Chargers fans. Friday, January 15, 2010
Vacation I'm off on Sunday morning to San Diego and then LA, so my usual posts about world events will stop for a little while. I will try, via my Blackberry, to post on Monday about the Jets season finale in San Diego. Monday, January 11, 2010
The New Qualcomm Plan  I just acquired a pair of Jets vs. Chargers upper deck tickets at the 15-20 yard line for the bargain price of $160 each. The seller erroneously listed the game as being on January 16, reducing the number of searches that found his post. I'll be going with an old friend, Steve, with whom I worked at my first full-time job out of law school. In fact, his office was right next to mine. He now lives in San Diego, and generously offered to pick me up at the airport before the game and park at a trolley station, from where we could catch a trolley to the stadium. Then he'll drive me to Pacific Beach after the game. My wife and children will take a taxi from the airport to Pacific Beach, from where we'll rent a car on Monday. While I'm at the game, my wife and sons will be at a beachfront condo (picture from the living room above). Now that I've spent $320, my wife will surely acquiesce. Sunday, January 10, 2010
See You In San Diego!  I have no idea how I'm going to pull this off, but I'm planning to buy a ticket to next Sunday's game and hope for the best. My flight is scheduled to land at noon. Then, along with two small children, I'll have to wait for our luggage, get a shuttle to the car rental location, rent the car, put in the car seats, and drive to Qualcomm Stadium - or as close as I can get to the stadium. My wife will then have to drive the rest of the way with my boys. I'll let her in on this as the flight starts its descent. Kickoff is at 1:40 PST. I am going to really regret this after the game. No idea at all how to get - without a car - from Qualcomm to condo we're staying at in Pacific Beach. I was going to fly out this Friday, but decided it was too risky on erev shabbos. The Jets were 4-5 then. Saturday, January 09, 2010
Week 18 1. Mark Sanchez was outstanding and should not have been shackled the way he was. Indeed, the Herm style ultra-conservative offense unnecessarily allowed the Bengals to stay in the game. If not for Shayne Graham, the Jets might have found a way to lose. 2. Shonn Greene, Jerricho Cotchery and Dustin Keller were excellent. 3. The announcing on NBC was possibly the worst I've ever heard. It was a pathetic performance by a major network covering a playoff game. 4. The defensive line and linebackers missed a number of tackles. On Cedric Benson's long TD run, you could see a big play coming the way the defense was setting up to aggressively overplay a 2nd and 1 run. 5. Terrible penalties on the Jets opening drive of the 3rd quarter to blow a field goal. It had already been bad enough that Sanchez was not allowed to throw on that drive, with the Jets settling for three. 6. Kickoff coverage continues to be poor. 7. The Bengals stink (Carson Palmer really looked shaky), so tonight's win should not make anybody think the Jets are a serious contender. Nevertheless, Jets playoff wins are rare - tonight's is the ninth in their tortured history - and must be enjoyed. 8. I didn't see Braylon Edwards' dropped TD pass, which I believe occurred in the 1st quarter. If the Jets have any chance to win any more games, Edwards can't drop any more touchdown passes. 9. This will probably be my final postgame Jets post of the season, as I'm scheduled to fly to San Diego next Sunday morning. I will then be in LA the following weekend for the conference championship games. 10. I was originally planning to fly out early Friday morning, but then decided (because of shabbos starting at around 4:30) that it isn't a good idea to fly cross country in the winter on a Friday. If the Pats lose and I am landing in San Diego just before kickoff of Jets vs. Chargers, I won't be happy. If the flight is delayed, I will be even less happy. If New England loses, I will immediately try to formulate a plan to be at Qualcomm Stadium next Sunday. Tuesday, January 05, 2010
A Tale Of Two Coaches 2006 - Eric Mangini takes over as Jets head coach. Jets improve from 4-12 to 10-6 and make the playoffs. 2008 - Mangini's Jets falter down the stretch, finishing 9-7. Mangini is fired the morning after the season finale. 2009 - Rex Ryan takes over as Jets head coach. Jets again finish at 9-7, and make the playoffs. Ryan is feted as a much needed change from Mangini - a tender tough guy who will soon lead the Jets to the Super Bowl. Monday, January 04, 2010
The Day I Became A Jets Fan Originally posted on November 23, 2005 and reposted in honor of the Jets' playoff berth. On December 27, 1981, I became a Jets fan. Please don't misunderstand. By then, three weeks before my ninth birthday, I already was an avid - okay, an obsessive - fan of the New York Jets. I had gone with my father to two Jets games in the 1981 season, the second of which was on a schoolday, with my father coming to pick me up at school and brazenly telling the rabbi that he was taking me to a football game. On December 27, 1981, the Jets hosted the Buffalo Bills in their first playoff game during my lifetime. The first game I went to that season was against the Bills. The Jets won 33-14. In my parents' living room, there is a family portrait. The time on my brother's digital watch says 11:58. The picture was taken in a studio around eight blocks from my house, on none other than December 27, 1981. Game time was noon. I remember my brother assuring me that I wouldn't miss a thing, that since it was a playoff game, there would be player introductions before the game that would delay kickoff. I ran home as fast as I could. I arrived home at 12:03. It was 7-0 Bills. Bruce Harper had fumbled the opening kickoff, and the Bills returned it for a touchdown. Later in the 1st quarter, Wesley Walker was wide open but dropped a sure TD pass. Early in the 2nd quarter, Mark Gastineau sacked Joe Ferguson, but instead of falling on the ball, kicked it around again and again, with the Bills recovering after a loss of something like 35 yards. Before long, it was 24-0 Bills in the second quarter. The Jets got to within 24-13, but a 4th quarter Bills touchdown made it 31-13 with ten minutes left. I understood that the Jets would fall short. Over the next half-hour, I would learn that nothing is so simple and painless when it comes to the New York Jets. Led by QB Richard Todd, the Jets mounted a furious comeback. First, Todd completed a touchdown pass to Bobby Jones. The Jets stopped Buffalo in three plays, and the Jets scored another touchdown with a little more than 3 minutes to go. And then the defense again stopped Buffalo in three plays. The Jets had the ball at their own 20 yard line with 2 1/2 minutes left to play. They drove right down the field. A 29 yard pass to Mickey Shuler. On 3rd and 20, Todd completed a 26 yard pass to Derrick Gaffney. But then on 3rd and 15, Todd was intercepted. The game was over. But a holding penalty was called, giving the Jets an automatic first down! The Jets had first down at the Bills 11. The Shea Stadium scoreboard displayed, in huge capital letters: "WE CAN DO IT!" Todd passed to Derrick Gaffney, who looked to be open right at the end zone. Seemingly out of nowhere, Bill Simpson intercepted the pass at the 1 yard line. There had to be another penalty. The Jets couldn't lose. The game couldn't be over. It was. For the first time in my life, on December 27, 1981, I experienced the pain of being a fan of the New York Jets. Week 17 1. I've often been down on Brad Smith, but he came up huge again last night. 2. I was right about the Jets using Shonn Greene early. He was great on the very long drive that should have resulted in a TD but stalled at the Bengals two. 3. Thomas Jones, in contrast, may be starting to slow down. 4. Kerry Rhodes seemed to be in on a number of plays. He should have had a TD return on his fumble recovery. 5. Mark Sanchez was much better than his stat line indicates. 6. The Jets need David Harris to recover quickly from his ankle injury. 7. The only downside from last night's game was the special teams coverage, which allowed several long returns. 8. Actually, there was another downside to the Jets rout for me: With the Jets up 27-0 at the half, my ride to Manhattan (where I parked my car) decided to leave early! I wasn't going anywhere. Fortunately, I was able to catch a post-game bus to the Port Authority bus terminal. In the meantime, I watched the rest of the game from the ride's vacated seat on the 45 yard line. 9. During the course of the game, Jets Meadowlands highlights were shown on the big screen. Alas, there really aren't (weren't?) very many such highlights. 10. Since Bill Parcells joined the Jets, they have gone to the playoffs six times in 13 seasons. During those 13 seasons, the Jets have had nine winning seasons, three losing seasons, and one 8-8 season. Unfortunately, except for Parcells' 1998 team, the Jets still have not been real Super Bowl contenders. 11. The Bengals are clearly the weakest of the four AFC division winners, and the best possible first round draw for the Jets. That said, I expect the Bengals to play much better on Saturday. 12. After the Jets lost to Jacksonville and fell to 4-5, I decided it was safe to make vacation plans and fly out to San Diego on January 17. Hopefully, the Jets will make me regret doing that. It will drive me nuts, though, if the Jets are at the Chargers on the 17th (as will happen if they win and Baltimore beats the Patriots) and I have to watch on TV a few miles from the stadium. 13. At halftime, a lot of old Jets appeared. But where was Keyshawn Johnson - the star of Parcells' teams? Saturday, January 02, 2010
The End Of An Era After 16 seasons in section 119, tomorrow night will be my last game - not only in Giants Stadium - but, at least for now, as a Jets season ticket holder. I'm excited about going to tomorrow night's game, even though it will be around 20 degrees and very windy, and I'll probably arrive home close to 2 a.m. And even though my gut tells me that unless the Bengals rest their starters - not just Carson Palmer, but most of their starters - the Jets will lose. Though I think it's a great place for watch a football game, even after all these years, Giants Stadium doesn't have much sentimental value to me - in sharp contrast to the way I feel about Shea Stadium. But I will miss the season tickets, the habit of going to just about every home game. I'm glad that my last game will be a meaningful one - even if it's just to make or miss the playoffs. Tomorrow night will be memorable. Over the years, there have been more bad memories than good ones, like Dan Marino's fake spike in '94 right near my seats. A loss tomorrow will be talked about years for now by those who will freeze for hours and scamper exhausted into work on Monday. Hopefully tomorrow will join my good memories of Giants Stadium - like the Jets vs. Jacksonville playoff game 11 years ago, the Jets vs. Packers game in 2002, the Monday Night Miracle win over the Dolphins in 2000, and the victory over the Raiders on the 10th of Teves fast day in 2006. | "
