I was going to keep this blog just for the power rankings, and for the most part I will do, however occasionally there will be something I need to get off my chest.
Here's the first not very scientific football-related rant:
First of all, let me start by saying some of the vitriol directed at Jennifer Gish was out of order. The instant you resort to name calling and sexist insults you will automatically lose any argument you make, especially if you do it to a journalist who will then act like a martyr for all female sports journalists everywhere and use every contact she has in order to turn what was a local squabble in a backwater newspaper into a national issue.
However, Jennifer Gish is not the innocent, injured party that she claims to be. Her piece the week before was one of the nastiest pieces of character assassination that has been carried out anywhere in a long time, but rather than attack an individual she decided to attack the people of Buffalo and Bills fans throughout New York State and beyond. She mocked an 82-year old Bills fan who had written to the Albany Times Union to complain about the fact that the New Jersey Jets lucking into a win received more prominent coverage than the Bills destroying the previous year's AFC West Champions on the road. She had called Bills fans "deluded" for thinking their team might be good after it was 2-0, and had just beaten the Raiders (remind me, who took the Jets behind the woodshed and schooled them the following week?). She was patronising in the extreme towards Bills fans, especially the "Awwww" part after the second paragraph. I mean, who in their right mind thinks that that is an acceptable way to treat any part of your newspaper's customer base?
The worst part though, was that she basically disowned Buffalo as a part of New York State, describing the city as being "practically in Canada" and raising the issue once again of the Toronto Series. We understand that Buffalo is a bit further north and west than some sections of the New York media like to go, but it is still in New York State, and IS still the only professional football team to play their home games in NYS. If the East Rutherford Giants or Jersey Jets ever move back across the river let me know.
Her last sentence was designed to rile every Bills fan who remembers wide right, and who still love the team no matter what.
At the end of the day though, we gave her what she wanted. The only reason that piece was written was to gain exposure for a talentless hack who couldn't get her name mentioned on the national scene on her own merits, so instead she runs off crying to the national media about the big bad Bills fans dishing out sexist abuse. The thing is though we only needed to wait until last Sunday for he words to be proven wrong. The Bills proved that they are a good football team by spotting the team that everyone was previous claiming were the best in the league 21 points and still coming back to win. Her comment about how Fitzpatrick and Brady "won't be taking the GREs on Sunday. They'll be playing football." should have been shoved right back down her throat on Monday morning, with a large slice of crow to help it slip down there, instead we fed her meat and potatoes for a female sports journalist. The excuse to cry about sexism in a male dominated environment.
I'd hate to see what she'd do if I sent her some of the e-mails I've sent Sully over the years.
To paraphrase Kevin Keegan:
I had no idea who Jennifer Gish was before last week, but if I had known, and I had had any respect for her, I would have lost it after what she said. To say a thing like that about a town like Buffalo, about a team like the Bills, well I'm sorry, but she'd have dropped a mile in my estimation after she said that. And the Bills aren't done. They're in this until the end of the season, and when we play the Jets, let me tell you, I would love it, love it if we beat them.
GO BILLS!
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