Superstar of the Week: Liam Neeson
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| Truth. |
Thanks to his “particular set of skills,” Liam Neeson’s portrayal of former CIA operative Bryan Mills in the Taken films has led him to another level of superstardom in a career already superstar in stature. Taken 2 opened this weekend to mixed reviews from critics but well received from fans and a $50 million haul at the box office. Liam Neeson has become one of the great action stars of this era with a calm demeanor and suave awesomeness that exudes from the scene in a manner that only makes fans want to see more. Congrats on the success and here’s to many more great films for Liam Neeson - the coolest cat in Hollywood today.
Jerk of the Week: Sports fans and the overreaction of the sports media
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| Trash on the field in Atlanta & trash on the field according to fans in Kansas City |
This weekend was loaded with great sporting events as the Major League Baseball playoffs joined a weekend full of NFL action, college football, and even a NASCAR event in Talladega. One thing overshadowed all of these sporting events though - fan behavior.
On Friday, the Atlanta Braves lost in the Wild Card Round of the MLB Playoffs (which I affectionately and accurately refer to as the 2011 Boston Red Sox Memorial Round) to the St. Louis Cardinals, 6-3. An incident occurred in the bottom of the eighth inning where umpire Sam Holbrook cited the infield fly rule and called Braves shortstop Andrelton Simmons out on what would have been a bases loading single. Braves fans littered the field with garbage in a display of anger resulting in a 19-minute delay.
On Sunday, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Matt Cassel suffered a hit late in the Chiefs’ 9-6 loss to the Baltimore Ravens that resulted in Cassel leaving the game with a concussion. Chiefs’ fans cheered as medics helped Cassel off the field. Meanwhile, in Talladega, Alabama, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. criticized race fans in the aftermath of a 25-car wreck at the end of the Good Sam 500 for their cheering and celebrating of the much-famed “big one.” When a media member said, “I know it sucks for you guys but for the fans it’s awesome to watch,” regarding restrictor-plate racing, Earnhardt, Jr. replied, “Really? It’s not safe. Wrecking like that is ridiculous. It’s bloodthirsty if that is what people want. It’s ridiculous.”
As much as I agree with the sports media chastising fans for their behavior at these respective events this weekend, I question if this is a story because of one thing: fans have always been jerks! WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN?!?
Fan is short for fanatic. The fan reactions causing an uproar this weekend are nothing compared to fan reactions we have witnessed before. Anybody remember Disco Demolition Night in Chicago? Ten-Cent Beer Night in Cleveland? How about when Philadelphia fans threw batteries at opposing players or pelted Santa Claus with snowballs? Philadelphia fans cheering as Cowboys wide receiver Michael Irvin laid injured on the turf at the Vet? What about the fan-instigated Palace Brawl for those who‘ll want to absolve the NBA? Riots after hockey games and soccer matches, anyone?
This weekend was absolutely NOTHING!!! Fans threw some trash and booed a bum off the field. Yes, fans can be sick, sick people. However, when you look at what they are capable of, you will see this weekend was NOTHING in comparison. This weekend’s tasteless fan reactions were more of a media creation than unruly behavior because, if not for the media questioning it all today, we would not have this as a story.
Babe of the Week: Kat Dennings and Beth Behrs
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| 2 Broke (and hot) Girls |
A Melancholy Happy Trails to…
- Bobby Jaggers, 64 - American professional wrestler (September 30th)
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