God and sports teams

[Hitch]

Note: I'm just being silly here

Today's commentary (April 22, 2005) may contain the seeds of a testable claim. http://www.randi.org/jr/042205modern.html#14

If, after Dusty Baker rubs holy water on the body parts of injured players, the Cubs still fail to win the World Series -- wouldn't that be proof that God hates the Cubs?

I'm thinking of the comedian (who's name I can't remember) who pointed out players tend to credit God with their victories in post game interviews, but never seem to blame him when they lose.

[bouch]

Hi there,

I gotta admit, when I read it, the first thing that came to my mind was "Wow, since Nomar just pulled a groin muscle, I wonder how friendly is Dusty with Nomar?" :D

BTW - Last year on WEEI sports radio in Boston, someone said something along the line of, "God is a Red Sox fan". Sean McAdam, a writer for the Providence Journal who was on the show that day, replied with, "Job was the Red Sox fan!" Hilarity ensued.

[BillyJoe]

Or the man who survives a plane crash and thanks God for saving his life.
(Where was the Bastard when the plane went down!)

[FatBat]

In the UK, if a soccer team is having a bad run, Gypsy Curses are always blamed. Every stadium, it seems, is built on the site of a Gypsy burial ground / sacred site / ancient settlement / spiritual temple, and the disposed Gypsies have cursed the team that now plays there. The usual technique is to ask a local Gypsy to come round and 'lift the curse'.

I believe the anti-Gypsy sentiments of a lot of the British goes some way to explaining this nonsense. Gypsies are seen as an out-group with mysterious ways, and likely to put a curse on anyone who annoys them. This isn't helped by supposedly Gypsy women who wander around town centres offering to give you lucky charms (usually glass beads) for a financial donation of the folding kind. When you tell them that you're not interested, a curse is usually forthcoming!

[Nihilanth]

I always thought that people asking God to help their sports team were inadvertantly proving that God doesn't exist. Think about it: would He be just the tiniest bit angry that they would think it was worth His time at all?
"Huh? What's that? You want me to make sure the Cubs win? Well, geez, there's this woman floating out in the ocean right now, begging me to help her not get eaten by sharks...aw, see, now she's dead. You happy about that? In the time it's taken me to talk to you about this, fifteen people died so far. Sixteen. JEsus, you know what...you're all getting the plague."

[Mosquito]

Originally posted by FatBat
I believe the anti-Gypsy sentiments of a lot of the British goes some way to explaining this nonsense. Gypsies are seen as an out-group with mysterious ways, and likely to put a curse on anyone who annoys them. This isn't helped by supposedly Gypsy women who wander around town centres offering to give you lucky charms (usually glass beads) for a financial donation of the folding kind. When you tell them that you're not interested, a curse is usually forthcoming!

Hmm, if SGW comes up to you and tries to sell her stuff, you refuse to buy and she curses you, the situation is like this:

Ask if she is real or fake.

She is "fake": No real product coming for your money = you get robbed. Defence to getting robbed = Pull out oversized weapon of choice and use indiscriminately.

She is "real": Curse is attack on your person = you get battered(?). Defence to getting battered = Pull out oversized weapon of choice and use indiscriminately.

In both cases: Go directly to airport, do not collect $200 even if you pass by your house. Buy one-way ticket to country where you may stay out of jail. Pray to pissed off soul of SGW that you'll have the finances to maintain a "low profile" in your new home.


Mosquito (stretching it, but it's the principle of the thing)
;)

[Donks]

Well, if you're working under the assumption that God decides whether you live or die, or win or lose a game, and he will decide such matters in the future, it may not be the best of ideas to piss him off. So, unless you really have nothing to lose, better keep your mouth shut about it. By the same token, you better be grateful for every little thing you attribute to him doing.

[FatBat]

Originally posted by Mosquito
Hmm, if SGW comes up to you and tries to sell her stuff, you refuse to buy and she curses you, the situation is like this:

Ask if she is real or fake.

She is "fake": No real product coming for your money = you get robbed. Defence to getting robbed = Pull out oversized weapon of choice and use indiscriminately.

She is "real": Curse is attack on your person = you get battered(?). Defence to getting battered = Pull out oversized weapon of choice and use indiscriminately.

In both cases: Go directly to airport, do not collect $200 even if you pass by your house. Buy one-way ticket to country where you may stay out of jail. Pray to pissed off soul of SGW that you'll have the finances to maintain a "low profile" in your new home.


Mosquito (stretching it, but it's the principle of the thing)
;)
Hmmm, carrying oversized (or even undersized) weapons is frowned upon over here in the good old UK.

My new response is to ask if the charms really are lucky. When SGW says that they are, I say "If they are so lucky, why are you roaming around a drab shopping precinct on a wet Tuesday morning annoying people - I'd have though the luck would have worked on you by now."

[Mosquito]

Originally posted by FatBat
Hmmm, carrying oversized (or even undersized) weapons is frowned upon over here in the good old UK.

Your lack of imagination is showing. A lot of normal, everyday objects can do double duty as weapons. And if the traditional weapons (blade, projectile) are frowned upon, some type of "club" could be used. Handbags (sometimes with some forgotten "heavy" object), umbrella (of the solid kind), jewlry (necklace, heavy duty) etc :)

Originally posted by FatBat
My new response is to ask if the charms really are lucky. When SGW says that they are, I say "If they are so lucky, why are you roaming around a drab shopping precinct on a wet Tuesday morning annoying people - I'd have though the luck would have worked on you by now."

Now that's using logic, what's the fun in that? As somebody else has in their sig. "The problem with an intellectual K.O. is that is tends to go over the head of the victim" (or something to that effect).

It'll keep you out of jail, but it won't get you "respect".


Mosquito (not respected)
;)