Every week, more or less, we’ll be choosing one comment from the previous week that made our hearts swell with joy, pride, or love. Then we’ll be choosing another that made the rest of our organs swell with shame, hilarity, or disgust. All comments are printed as written.
Positive
In last week’s rivalry post, which sought to determine whether an argument could be made for Duke-UNC as the greatest American rivalry, Zeke brought up an excellent point:
While I love the rivalry, the only thing I will say it has going against it is that neither team has had any kind of meaningful post-season matchup in the NCAA tournament. Yes, the games have major implications with seeding and regular season titles, but what pushes other rivalries like Yankees-Sox, Celtics-Lakers or Real-Barca over the top is that they all have had moments that have literally ended the other team’s season and/or won them a championship in the process. That kind of defeat/victory surely pushes the intensity and quality of a rivalry to another level – it’s also another thing college football rivalries really have going for them, that a lot of times when Michigan and Ohio State played there actually was a spot in the national title game on the line. Can’t quite ever say that for Duke-UNC. Now, I’m not saying I think Duke-UNC is any kind of a lesser rivalry for the reasons listed above, but I do feel like it has to be taken into account. God help us all on that day when Carolina plays Dook in an NCAA tournament…
This is actually an excellent point. As far as I know, neither team has ever “ended” the other’s season. The only quirk here is that back in the day you couldn’t make the NCAA tournament unless you won the ACC Tournament, so it’s possible there was an elimination game of sorts between the teams during that era. I am too lazy to look it up then, but bonus comment points to anyone who can find out whether that scenario ever transpired. Either way, though, it never happens anymore, and I agree with Zeke that it diminishes the intensity, even just a little.
“Other”
I’m changing the ‘negative’ sub-head to ‘other,’ since it’s more all-encompassing. In the Duke-China live blog, I made a joke that of all Duke players, Austin Rivers probably gets laid the most, and any Plumlee gets laid the least. That led to this, from Tara:
I don’t know… I would probably exclude Miles from that “Any Plumlee gets the least sex” rule
Of all the comments in history where I’ve desperately wanted a follow-up response, this ranks at the top. What do you know, Tara? Is Miles a crazy womanizer? Does he have more charm than any other five Plumlees put together? Is that even very much charm at all?
If you’re reading this, Tara, get back to us. This mystery must be solved in lurid detail. (Or should it?)
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Hmmm. My only thought with regard to the “haven’t faced off when the season’s on the line” comment is that I tried to picture Duke and UNC playing in the Final Four and I immediately suffered a brain aneurysm.
I am honestly conflicted over whether I’d ever want Duke and UNC to play for a title (or Final 4, or whatever), because it would render the regular season matchups a little cheapened since the winner of the tourney game would have Ultimate Bragging Rights for All Time. Considering they haven’t met in the tournament yet, it could be a very long wait between contests if it ever does happen.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Nate, I posted this comment in the Erwin Rules post literally four minutes after you posted this (John was saying the 30-point bounty was too high if they ever met in the tourney):
“I’m going to pull rank on this one. Even if they met in the first round, which would never happen, the insanity of a Duke-UNC NCAA match-up would trump anything that happened all year. The winner of that game would have bragging rights until it happened again, which might be forever. 30 points is an accurate reflection of how important it would be. It’s honestly so huge that I would almost root against it happening. The relief from winning might not out-weigh the possible stress of losing.”
I promise I didn’t read yours first. Creepy.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Perhaps Tara was implying Miles Plumlee gets no sex and is thus mathematically eliminated from any official measurement of relative non-solo sexual activity by a Plumlee sibling.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
The combination of avatar, name, and comment probably makes this one of the funnier internet comments of the day. On any site.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Tara needs to spill it, sister.
As a girl, you’d be amazed at how little looks matter to you when it’s athletes that are involved. Do y’all REALLY think Randy Johnson would have a wife that looks like his does if he DIDN’T throw a baseball a hundred mph?
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
Yeah, I knew that athletes can attract despite their looks, but I thought the Plumlees transcended that rule. I mean, Miles isn’t even “bad” looking, really. I just…I don’t know. I don’t even know anymore. Totally agree about White Raven, by the way. I even mentioned that in the live blog the other day, I think. He looks less like a gawky kid and more like a badass Eastern European.
Warning: Use of undefined constant ckrating_display_karma - assumed 'ckrating_display_karma' (this will throw an Error in a future version of PHP) in /home/trb/tobaccoroadblues.com/public/wp-content/themes/TobaccoRoadBlues/functions.php on line 565
And I think The White Raven looks much better with a beard. It camouflages his lack of. . .chin.