Reverse Jinx Attempt Aborted

when i originally saw the chat, i didn’t read it like he was admitting that it was a reverse jinx. weird.

Perfect, Jeff, just perfect!

Thing about Simmons that has lost me—he only writes about the negatives. For example, hrefuses to acknowledge that Doc must have some redeeming qualities as a coach. Maybe because it’s easier to portray him as a characature/bumbling fool.

Simmons has been the best sports columnist over the last 4-5 years. The fact that he writes so much about Boston sports is one of the best parts of ESPN.com. Think about it, we have THE sports columnist obsessed with the same team we are – he’s written so many “2001 SB win” level columns that he’s bought a 5 bad column pass from me… This reverse jinx thing was a little off but only because so much of it rang true! Everything looks different now that the C’s dispatched the Pistons in game 6 – if they had blown the Pistons out in game 5 we would have looked at BS’s column and said, “oh, this is obviously some kind of put on” but because we had just seen the C’s almost melt down, we were defensive and looking for reassurance from BS – I don’t know if he is aware of the role he plays in assuaging the fear and panic of Celtics fans, it seems like he might be. At any rate, he is the best and the days when he posts go by a little quicker…

Ronnie Turiaf is a ton better than PJ Brown

aw quit it jeff, quit pretendin you and bill are boi’s

aren’t boi’s*

Bill Simmons happens to be a very witty writer who is really good at exploiting his readers’ negativity, a very smart move on his part because negativity drives the human condition more than anything. Researchers have consistently shown that human beings react more to what they stand to lose than what they stand to gain. Marketers have exploited this to great effect (see “All Marketers Are Liars” – by Seth Godin).

Things are no different with Celtics fans after a loss. After all, we’re human beings. We want to know what went wrong; is this a temporary brain fart or a sympton of a more systemic problem? If we’re not blaming the coach, we’re blaming a trade or a player that we FEEL should never have been traded (ahem… AL Jefferson); or we’re questioning the intelligence of the General Manager’s choices; or a substitution that was or wasn’t made, etc etc. And while we may sometimes go overboard, these negative reactions are legitimate and perfectly human.

Never mind that when the same coach is winning, we give the credit to everyone but the coach. when the same Genemal Manager’s choices bear the desired fruits, we ascribe them to DUMB luck.

Simmons understands these dynamics and uses his columns to address those concerns. That he is so wrong so often and yet his words continue to carry so much weight with his fans goes to show how well his writing style fits his audience. But then again, his job is to assuage his readers’ already held negative opinions – his columns have this calming effect of divine insight; that there’s a perfectly legitimate explanation for the perceived shortcomings of our beloved team; that there is a simple solution to the team’s perceived problems; that we’re not alone in feeling the way we feel. Simmons’ is the Brotherhood of the Temporarily Depressed.

If people weren’t already inclined to believe what Simmons feeds them, Simmons would have no audience. But he is witty.

Didn’t like how he slammed the C’s for two articles in a row during the playoffs. First the Doc mockery, then the KG article about not being clutch (which has been written about 1000 times before). Not only does Simmons want the C’s to win, but to win by 20 each game, these are good teams they are playing (except Hawks). Look where KG has brought us from last year, look what he has done in the playoffs. Simmons is slowly turning into Shaughnessy. I still like him but I really expected good articles from him for these playoffs, its like he’s not enjoying it. This is amazing. The C’s are in the Finals! Last year they sucked!

Simmons’ writing has become – even moreso that it was already – all about Bill Simmons. That’s the fatal flaw of sportswriters (as well as players and referees, but that’s a topic for another day). It’s just SO masturbatory at this point; Bill Simmons columns are becoming a cliche of Bill Simmons columns.

I really don’t care. This guy is an arrogant clown who has always irked me. I hope he chokes on the LA smog.

to be fair, I’m not sure how I’d handle 500 emails from people blaming me for the Patriots losing the Super Bow

Look, if you actually believe (and I mean truly completely believe, not just for fun) in such things as “jinxes” or “curses” then you are an idiot, plain and simple. How many of the people who emailed BS to blame him for the loss were true believers? I can’t imagine it was all that many. More than likely the majority of them were just blowing off steam. BS isn’t an idiot, he’s just a putz. He’s actually probably a pretty smart guy, but definitely a putz. Let’s not make excuses for his completely unwarranted arrogance and negativity.

The thing I have a problem is that he seems to really believe in this whole “jinx” thing. And if he really does, then why doesn’t he just write about what it’s like seeing his favorite team back in the finals vs their classic rival. It’s not like he has to say they’re definitely going to win (ala Patriots), but he could at least give us some insight on what he’s thinking right now, rather than that terrible, “sarcastic” column about how no one could beat the lakers.

Bill, if you’re reading these post you must be filled with wonderment that so many have given so much though to your writings ! Bill is always a good/fun read..and he’s a Celtic fan, good enough for me…

Can’t wait to read his preview column!!

Turiaf is better than PJ?? BWAAAAAHHHHHAAAHAHAHAAWAHH

oh my god, that is awesome.

The lakers bench is not as good as ours and its a fairly wide spread provided Doc has the sense to go with how ever is hot in the House/Sam, Baby/Powe rotation. But We also have Posey and PJ at 6 and 7. Important? Well, Posey is gonna fudge up Kobe, for one thing and win another ring

I don’t get why, if it’s true he was reverse-jinxing, he didn’t weather the storm and hold true to his guns. Now he’s made a bunch of people mad at him for no reason.

I don’t read his columns; how anti-Celtics was it?

I hope Eddie and Leon get burn to go with Posey and PJ this series. That’s our BENCH!!

My 2 cents… I think Bill was trying too hard to be objective & not being a homer, and he took it too far the other way.

Just be you Bill. Enough with the Jinx’s, & trying not to be a homer. You are you, that is what got you where you are, don’t change now.

Your team is in the freakin Finals! Let’s get it PuMPeD UP!!

I am confused and that may cause me to erroneously reverse jinx a reverse jinx which I think may be like holding a mirror up to a mirror….man stuff like that scares me.

Thanks, Po, that`s what I needed. ;D
What I figured out:
People are mad at BS because he didn`t say the Celtics would win. As i noticed in the forum threads, they don`t think a real fan says something like that. They behave as if our faith is the deciding factor for our team`s success. Call me what you want, but I find this very superstitious.

BS comes out and says it was just a reverse-jinx, which many thought to be a possible answer to why he wrote such a negative article in the first place. Now, the same people who blamed him for his lack of faith call him arrogant if he`d really think he has the power to jinx a team. They blame him for being superstitious.

sigh

Is it the Internet or me?