Tuesday, February 3, 2009

Awesomeness

For those of you who don't follow or care about sports, Matt Millen is the former president of the Detroit Lions football team. He was fired this year after holding the position for the past eight, during which time he took a team that missed the playoffs by a game the year before his hiring and shepherded them to a 31-97 record. For obvious reasons, people in Detroit are still not overly happy with Millen. After his firing this past season (During which the Lions became the first team ever to go 0-16), NBC, showing the type of foresight typically associated with intoxicated teenagers in movies who stop the car to pick up someone holding a bloody knife, hired Millen to comment on football for them. This decision is even more mystifying than the Lions employing him for eight years. But that is not the point. During the Super Bowl, NBC featured Millen in its pregame show. Throughout most of the country, this was broadcast normally. However, in Detroit any appearance of Millen's head on-screen was accompanied by the following disclaimer:

Matt Millen was president of the Lions for the worst eight-year run in the history of the NFL. Knowing his history with the team, is there a credibility issue as he now serves as an analyst for NBC Sports?

As Detroit often finds itself the butt of national jokes, it seems fair to give them credit when it's deserved. So: Well played, Detroit. Well played.

(Quote from the Detroit Free Press)

3 comments:

UncleRick said...

Isn't Matt Millen also the former Oakland Raider thug who, after a particularly painful Oakland-New England game, tried to bash in Patrick Sullivan's skull with a football helmet? Patrick Sullivan was, I believe, the business suited son and perhaps general manager of the Sullivan-owner of the Patriots at the time? As well, Patrick Sullivan probably weighed 150 lbs. soaking wet. So this 250 lb, fully uniformed (pads, helmet, etc) steriod freak assaults an executive from an opposing team. Just the fact that Millen once operated as a drooling, stench-ridden Oakland Raider should have convinced the Detroit Lions to stay away from him, I don't care how desperate they may have been for knowledgable football executives. Once a violent punk, always a violent punk when it comes to the NFL. I turned the channel as soon as I saw him on the TV.

UncleRick said...

So I'm reading today's dribblings from Dan Shaughnessy and he gives a shout-out to Joe Posnanski. I think to myself, "now, someone whose opinion I actually respect recently gave a thumb's up to that writer? Where did I see that?" Just another great reason to read "The Leprechauns..." I do say. Keep up the good work!

HOLLA(R) said...

And yet if Joe Posnanski somehow became a player for the Red Sox, Shaughnessy would instantly hate him. Not that I am trying to suggest that I am better than Dan Shaughnessy. Rather, just that I do not have a very clear agenda against a certain front office, and a desire to attack anything they do, rationally or ir-.