If you repeat something enough, no matter how wacky or illogical, people will start to believe it.
Oh, what a cute baby you have! It's just gorgeous. Even with that huge mole and deformed grin, your baby is the cutest I've ever seen.
Say that 100 times to a couple that just had a painfully ugly baby, even if they know the child is hideous, and they might actually come to believe you. Okay, you'll have to leave out the 'mole' and 'grin' part, but still. No basis, reasoning or justification necessary. Just sheer repetition.
The SEC is by far the best conference in college football.
Yes, we've all seen how repetition can turn myth into verity quite quickly. Sound rationale need not apply. Which brings me to this idea:
Eli Manning has the NFL pedigree.
Really? How so? Because his brother is an overrated pro and his daddy used to be? Hmmmm. He's been in the league 4+ years and is still total garbage--even in victory, like this past weekend in Tampa Bay. His father, Elisha Archie Manning, was a fan-favorite and pretty good football player in his heyday, but played on a shit team and accomplished very little as a pro [ed. note: I had no idea his name is actually "Elisha." That makes things ten times better]. Enter Peyton Manning, who until last season was the personification of a "yeah, but" quarterback. That is, "yeah he puts up big numbers and acts really intense with all those gyrations and exaggerated mannerisms, BUT he's not a real winner." Then he lucks his way into the Super Bowl and all is forgotten. Now everyone loves to refer to the "Manning Pedigree" as a recipe for success, like some sort of self fulfilling prophecy, never mind the previous decade of spectacular failure, "idiot kicker" buck-passing, and "The Peyton Manning Face."
[The many faces of Peyton Manning]
You all know how I feel about Sir Horse Face, so I'll spare you the diatribe. You also know that I could give a shit about Eli Manning, so this isn't so much about him as it is the idea of the "Manning Pedigree." I was driving to work today, listening to morning sports radio as I normally do, and all the pundits could talk about was Peyton Manning this and Eli Manning that. All the while, the only given evidence or justification for their ballwashing was some convoluted notion of pedigree.
[Yes, yes you are]Seriously, what the hell does it really mean? The "Manning Pedigree" and a quarter will buy a tenth of a cup of coffee, but it somehow managed to elevate little Eli to first-overall draft pick status while also explaining away the first nine years of Peyton's pro career--plus the four years at Tennessee when the vaunted QB couldn't beat Florida and never won a MNC [ed note: I love the fact that Tee Martin came in the year after his departure and won a title with the Vols. That simply doesn't get mentioned enough]. Anyway, it's very clear that pure repetition of this conception of pedigree is to blame. I, for one, refuse to sip the Kool-Aid and will attempt to wean you, gentle reader, off of it. So when you're watching the NFL playoffs this weekend, I invite you to conjure the following image EVERY SINGLE TIME the term "Manning Pedigree" is mentioned:
[The breakfast of champions...and the Manning Family]For our readers out there in Deutschland, this might be more helpful:
[Das Frühstück der Meister...und der Manning Familie]Finally, my NFL picks for the weekend (home teams in caps):
VS. THE SPREAD
Seattle (+7.5) over GREEN BAY
Jacksonville (+12.5) over NEW ENGLAND
San Diego (+9) over INDIANAPOLIS
DALLAS (-7.5) over New York
PREDICTIONS
GREEN BAY 24, Seattle 20
NEW ENGLAND 27, Jacksonville 17
San Diego 34, INDIANAPOLIS 31
DALLAS 23, New York 13
(photos courtesy of Getty Images and The Boston Globe)
