The Purging of HBI (Hate-Based Interest)

[swissvale72]

Swiss, I am almost where you are at. Most of my family are Patriots fans. So are my friends, co-workers, acquaintances, etc. I don't hate them. In fact, truth be told, many of them of a certain age all tell me they loved the old Super Steelers. Many gave me condolences when the Emperor passed last year. Same with many of the old Steelers who have passed away. Many congratulated me after XL and XLIII. I've even had some since the Pats SB win tell me it is the Steelers who they fear most next season. Go figure.

If this sounds soft then so be it. I did want Seattle to win because nothing is better than Boston sports radio angst after a huge Patriots loss. The schadenfreude always warms my heart. However, I can't help but be happy for Malcolm Butler who, as you say Swiss, made the greatest play in New England Patriots history. Brady? I don't hate him. Belichick? I don't hate him either, but he is an asshole in a Nixonian way as you say. I love the way he treats the media and how the media bitches. Now if you want to hate someone, the media is a fine target, sports and otherwise.

Here's the thing. We're most likely going to be playing the Patsies in Foxboro on that first Thursday night of the season. I'll be there. I want more than anything for the Steelers to shit all over their banner raising ceremony with a win. If the Steelers lay an egg, I'll have more hate for them that night for not being able to beat them yet again regardless of what lifelong says above. Just win the fucking game!

Right on point, '58. It really does come down to the talk radio douchebags, and it least the Felger-Maz duo weren't Pats ballwashers pre-Super Bowl. As for the primary actors:
*Always said that I don't hate Tom Brady, I respect Tom Brady...and the highest sign of that respect is that I pray for him to break his fuckin' leg every Sunday, strictly for the competitive advantage. Dude always says the right thing, and from all accounts, including that of Josh Miller, who played for both Pats and Steelers, he's a super nice guy.
*Same can be said for The Fat Fuck Vince Wilfork. I've always hated on him, thought he was a dirty bastard early on, but there's too many accounts of him and his fat, ugly wife being really nice people, Wilfork stopping to help stranded motorists on the way home from Foxboro, etc.
*Belichick.....there's Belichick, and then there's every other coach. I wish the fuck he was our coach.
*The Pompous Fuck Robert Kraft....I HATE that bastard. But then again, I hate our owner, make that the owner's kid. When Kraft gave his dissertation on the tarmac in Phoenix pre Super Bowl, and said about Brady and Belichick, "They're my guys," all I could think of was how The Douchebag Art II NEVER said of Ben, "He's my guy," as he was busy throwing his two-time SB-winning QB under the bus, letting him twist in the wind on Draft Day and sending letters to season-ticket holders assuring them that not all Steelers were bad guys.

I'm giving up the grudge, '58. Patriots first Super Bowl, I rooted for those fuckers, I wore a Berry the Bears t-shirt, threw stuffed bears into my brother-in-law's wood stove. The grudge was born in the Fog Bowl of '96, my longest day as a sports fan, and then exacerbated, deeply, during the '01 and '04 AFCCGs. I've written about it in The Manifesto. If I can find it, I'll post it.

Few other things....After watching Pete Carroll with Matt Laurer on the Today Show, no fuckin' way could any self-respecting Steeler fan ever root for that dude. Fuck those Seahags, too.

You mentioned the '02 opener, '58. That's where I forged my Hate for The Pompous Fuck Tedy Bruschi. It was 30-7 late, Steelers driving, trying to score. Bruschi's flippin' out on the field 'cuz Steelers are calling time out. Fuck you, Tedy. Don't wanna play, get the fuck off the field.

Anyway....there's plenty of HATE left in me. But it's a precious resource, to be applied judiciously.

[jeemie]

Jack, the Steelers an Pats played on Monday night. The first two Kickoff Games did not feature the defending Super Bowl champion...the first game was Niners at Giants, and then the Jets at Redskins the next year. In 2004, they opened with the Colts at the Pats, and then the tradition of opening in the home ballpark of the defending champion was born.

Steelers did play the Pats on a Monday night followed by the Raiders on a Sunday night, where Gannon ripped them to shreds throwing the ball 62 times.

Then the Steelers had a bye and we had to stew over those back-to-back routs for two weeks. Week after the bye was Cleveland where Cowher subbed in Maddox for Kordell and Air Maddox was born. Steelers went 10-3-1 the rest of the way, had the great comeback against the Browns and then lost to the Titans in OT in the divisional round.

[drmalba]

One should always temper hatred with the healthy dose of respect that you would give a worthy opponent. But I think for me there will always be at least a modicum of hatred for both the Ravens and the Pats. It's certainly gotten worse since I moved up to Beantown. The snow has been bad enough...having to endure the Pats going all the way made me wish I was on another coast.

What's worse is that those two teams have the kind of respect for each other that isn't present between the Pats and Steelers, as Brady has more or less owned us since he got here. The Ravens are on the losing side of that matchup in the playoffs, but in all three games it was a coin flip type of decision. And in 2012 Flacco did what I want more than anything - walking into Foxboro in the AFCC and sending Brady & Belichick home for the offseason.

[JackLambert58]

Jack, the Steelers an Pats played on Monday night. The first two Kickoff Games did not feature the defending Super Bowl champion...the first game was Niners at Giants, and then the Jets at Redskins the next year. In 2004, they opened with the Colts at the Pats, and then the tradition of opening in the home ballpark of the defending champion was born.

Steelers did play the Pats on a Monday night followed by the Raiders on a Sunday night, where Gannon ripped them to shreds throwing the ball 62 times.

Then the Steelers had a bye and we had to stew over those back-to-back routs for two weeks. Week after the bye was Cleveland where Cowher subbed in Maddox for Kordell and Air Maddox was born. Steelers went 10-3-1 the rest of the way, had the great comeback against the Browns and then lost to the Titans in OT in the divisional round.

Right you are Jeemie, it was a Monday Night game. All I remember was going into work the next day and instead of ribbing, I got sympathy from Pats fans. I don't know what is worse.

Yep, the 2002 season. I really thought Maddox was the guy before he went down in the Tennessee game. Kordell actually played decently until he got back. Of course, the real savior would arrive in two years.

[jeemie]

Jack, the Steelers an Pats played on Monday night. The first two Kickoff Games did not feature the defending Super Bowl champion...the first game was Niners at Giants, and then the Jets at Redskins the next year. In 2004, they opened with the Colts at the Pats, and then the tradition of opening in the home ballpark of the defending champion was born.

Steelers did play the Pats on a Monday night followed by the Raiders on a Sunday night, where Gannon ripped them to shreds throwing the ball 62 times.

Then the Steelers had a bye and we had to stew over those back-to-back routs for two weeks. Week after the bye was Cleveland where Cowher subbed in Maddox for Kordell and Air Maddox was born. Steelers went 10-3-1 the rest of the way, had the great comeback against the Browns and then lost to the Titans in OT in the divisional round.

Right you are Jeemie, it was a Monday Night game. All I remember was going into work the next day and instead of ribbing, I got sympathy from Pats fans. I don't know what is worse.

Yep, the 2002 season. I really thought Maddox was the guy before he went down in the Tennessee game. Kordell actually played decently until he got back. Of course, the real savior would arrive in two years.

At least that year we got the last laugh.

2002 was one of the two times in the past 14 seasons the Pats failed to make the playoffs.

[Legacy User]

Jack, the Steelers an Pats played on Monday night. The first two Kickoff Games did not feature the defending Super Bowl champion...the first game was Niners at Giants, and then the Jets at Redskins the next year. In 2004, they opened with the Colts at the Pats, and then the tradition of opening in the home ballpark of the defending champion was born.

Steelers did play the Pats on a Monday night followed by the Raiders on a Sunday night, where Gannon ripped them to shreds throwing the ball 62 times.

Then the Steelers had a bye and we had to stew over those back-to-back routs for two weeks. Week after the bye was Cleveland where Cowher subbed in Maddox for Kordell and Air Maddox was born. Steelers went 10-3-1 the rest of the way, had the great comeback against the Browns and then lost to the Titans in OT in the divisional round.

Right you are Jeemie, it was a Monday Night game. All I remember was going into work the next day and instead of ribbing, I got sympathy from Pats fans. I don't know what is worse.

Yep, the 2002 season. I really thought Maddox was the guy before he went down in the Tennessee game. Kordell actually played decently until he got back. Of course, the real savior would arrive in two years.

At least that year we got the last laugh.

2002 was one of the two times in the past 14 seasons the Pats failed to make the playoffs.

Yet spygate was the reason they won sb 3 out of 4 superbowls no one mentions 2002 was a no playoff year sandwiched between

[Nick79]

"After watching Pete Carroll with Matt Laurer on the Today Show, no fuckin' way could any self-respecting Steeler fan ever root for that dude."

Why? what did he say or do? Just curious?

[Nick79]

Yep, the 2002 season. I really thought Maddox was the guy before he went down in the Tennessee game. Kordell actually played decently until he got back. Of course, the real savior would arrive in two years.

I still love Tommy for showing them important skills a QB should have and Kordell did'nt. In other words being a passer 1st, and not an athlete. It also drove home the point Cowher was ignoring for years, that we needed a serious passer, and that lead to Ben. Which lead to Cowher's ring. Tommy was the worst athlete in the NFL and was still able to do what he did. If the guy was even a little bit athletic, he might of have lived up to his 1st round draft status.

[Obviously]

Yet spygate was the reason they won sb 3 out of 4 superbowls no one mentions 2002 was a no playoff year sandwiched between

If not the gerbil felcher Switz, then this shitheal is either KingJames92 or BFingersby - both Brady butt-boys.

[Legacy User]

Yep, the 2002 season. I really thought Maddox was the guy before he went down in the Tennessee game. Kordell actually played decently until he got back. Of course, the real savior would arrive in two years.

I still love Tommy for showing them important skills a QB should have and Kordell did'nt. In other words being a passer 1st, and not an athlete. It also drove home the point Cowher was ignoring for years, that we needed a serious passer, and that lead to Ben. Which lead to Cowher's ring. Tommy was the worst athlete in the NFL and was still able to do what he did. If the guy was even a little bit athletic, he might of have lived up to his 1st round draft status.

I liked Tommy, and I appreciate what he did for us up until his crushing injury in Tennessee. I think that really ended his career right there. But if Tommy stays good, maybe we don't get Ben, so I'd say it worked out.