You represent your name with every post and I give you credit for that. Honestly. Some people tip-toe around and straddle the fence whereas you simply hate just about everything Ted does and let it be known. I assume if someone gave you a winning lottery ticket the first thing that would come to your mind were the taxes, no?
I assume from the smiley that this isn't as serious as the words would indicate, just as mine had one for the same reason. If so, a few points. I carry the Half Empty label on all the forums so that folks don't need to point out that I'm never satisfied. In this case, I don't hate what Ted did, just want to present a possible alternative for discussion. I'm sure you realize that the flip side of describing a Negative Nellie is describe another group as simply loving everything Ted does and letting it be known, and I doubt if that's really the case.
I understand that folks like me are a minority, but I have never quite grasped why it bothers the half full crowd so much. In things over which I have absolutely no control, such as the Packers' fortunes, I assume the "hope for the best, expect the worst" mantra and am therefore less upset by the 2011 and 2014 seasons; perhaps somewhat less pleased with 2010.
You're pretty close on the lottery ticket. The first thought would be 'why is he giving me a winning ticket?'. The tax thing would come to mind, but primarily as a choice between lump sum and yearly payout. The biggest concern would be "how do I handle this, how do I fend off the leaches, and how do I avoid ending up like all those folks on 'the lottery ruined my life' documentaries?". However, if you do have a winning ticket, I'd be happy to give it a try.
Lets not be so harsh on the TT complainers. They need to disagree in order to make themselves feel smart. But can you imagine if they weren't football fans?
As noted above, the contrarian view is not intended to demonstrate intelligence (since, in most cases, there cannot be a right or wrong to discussing sports), but mostly to present the 'yes, however' option to a discussion. I've always been envious of folks who are hard over on any topic, whether important (e.g., gun control, abortion, immigration) or frivolous (e.g., sports). That way, no thought process is involved - if anyone questions my point, they're wrong. Along the same lines, what little hair I have left stands on end when someone concludes a post with "game over", "end of discussion", "game, set, match" or a similar statement that implies there can't possibly be a counter to their argument.
I understand why folks get tired of seeing nothing but my type of comment. I've been banned from one forum and asked not to post to another. However, remember that there are plenty of people who agree with the positive side of almost anything posted, so what does piling on contribute?
The cartoon is cute, but it actually addresses another pet peeve of mine on sports boards. Contrary opinions are often accompanied by the "game over" position that, because someone isn't now a GM, their thoughts aren't as valid. Nobody in this forum is a GM, but certainly not because we all tried and failed; we all just headed in a different direction. Put many of us in TT's position, give us the staff and resources he's got, and a little time, and I'll bet there'd be a number who could be just as successful. Heck, Matt Millen was GM for how long, despite running that franchise into th ground. I didn't choose to become a surgeon, and maybe I wouldn't have made it, but I would still feel confident in pointing out that "hey, you forgot to stop that bleeder before you closed", sort of like "hey, we've got no reliable ILB".
Anyhow, if anyone stuck with it long enough to get here, I'm done. Should you want to jump on the pile, feel free. Just want to make sure that the Half-to-Completely-Full folks had an explanation.
