Randy being Randy

[Cliff]

But there is still no way I could ever deny it was a major asswipe move, regardless of any irrelevant fan affiliation, and I am willing to bet that the majority of other NFL fans, while not particularly offended, still saw Randys gesture as an extremely unsportsmanlike act, thats why he was fined, and that is why actions like his are far from commonplace in professional sports, which leads me to my next point..

I think YOUR true colors are showing, by trying to actually justify such a blatant act of unsportsmanlike conduct, you are proving beyond any reasonable doubt that you have allowed you personal bias and fan affiliation to cloud your judgement. Basically, I think you are making inane rationalizations to justify the quite obviously terribly unsportsmanlike actions of one of you favirote athletes, against what I am assuming to be one your lesser liked teams. But as you said, we are unlikely to change eachothers mind.

Not rubbing you opponents face in your own success, is basic elementary level stuff. I dont have any want or need for anyone to cry the blues for the Packers, but I assure you that the majority of people in the civilized world would agree that rubbing personal success in the faces of the opponent or opponents fans is a blatant example of being a terrible sportsman, in fact to most people, that is a matter of basic commonsense.

A couple of things I would say; first, the 'degree' to which an action is 'unsportmanlike' matters, I think. If it's unsportsmanlike to 'rub your own success in your opponents face' then every single lambeau leap is unsportmanlike. Every spike is an 'in your face, other team!'. Randy's 'celebration' is only offensive because of what he did, not the fact that he celebrated at all. What we're talking about is the degree to which a fake moon is offensive, not that a TD celebration is offensive. Did Randy Moss take part in the most offensive TD celebration ever? Maybe. It was still just a touch down celebration. Hell, we've all seen worse at an NFL half time show

I don't disagree that what Moss did falls under the NFL unsportmanlike conduct policy. What I disagree with is that what Moss did is in the realm of 'terribly unsportman like' actions. I find his infraction minor, though it is an infraction.

I save the 'being terribly offended' stuff for cheaters and blatant jerks. Juicers, people who *try* to hurt others to take them out of a game, guys who punch their wives in the face, etc. These are actions taken by NFL players that are truly and terribly offensive. A fake moon is a celebration gone too far.

Moss did plenty of stupid stuff, no point in making this bigger than it is.

[chicagopurple]

Juicers have ruined baseball......I dont follow the sport anymore since all the records of the honest athletes from days gone by have been eliminated by all the cheaters. Its so lame, and sad. They ought to just let modern players use aluminum bats, the game has become a farce.

[Mothman]

A couple of things I would say; first, the 'degree' to which an action is 'unsportmanlike' matters, I think. If it's unsportsmanlike to 'rub your own success in your opponents face' then every single lambeau leap is unsportmanlike.

Well, they are pretty annoying...

[Jordysghost]

A couple of things I would say; first, the 'degree' to which an action is 'unsportmanlike' matters, I think. If it's unsportsmanlike to 'rub your own success in your opponents face' then every single lambeau leap is unsportmanlike. Every spike is an 'in your face, other team!'. Randy's 'celebration' is only offensive because of what he did, not the fact that he celebrated at all. What we're talking about is the degree to which a fake moon is offensive, not that a TD celebration is offensive. Did Randy Moss take part in the most offensive TD celebration ever? Maybe. It was still just a touch down celebration. Hell, we've all seen worse at an NFL half time show

I don't disagree that what Moss did falls under the NFL unsportmanlike conduct policy. What I disagree with is that what Moss did is in the realm of 'terribly unsportman like' actions. I find his infraction minor, though it is an infraction.

I save the 'being terribly offended' stuff for cheaters and blatant jerks. Juicers, people who *try* to hurt others to take them out of a game, guys who punch their wives in the face, etc. These are actions taken by NFL players that are truly and terribly offensive. A fake moon is a celebration gone too far.

Moss did plenty of stupid stuff, no point in making this bigger than it is.

I never said I was "terribly offended".

The differences between the Lambeau Leap, a celebration that is meant to be shared and reveled in between the team and their fans, and a celebration intended to be rub salt in the wounds of, and be reviled by, opposing fans are vast indeed.

With the utmost respect Cliff, I have no clue where you got the idea that a lambeau leap is rubbing it in the nose of opposing fans, players jumping into a sea of their own fans, is pretty much as wholesome as it gets. The discount double check? Well there you may have a point. Though I cant recall one of those being specifically directed at opposing fans, he seems to go about it the same type of way regardless of if he is home or away.

I guess we agree to disagree on just how much an infraction this was, while nothing truly terrible, it is still one the only time sa pro athelete directly made a vulgar gesture at opposing fans on national television.

[Jordysghost]

If you are looking for affirmations for your easily offended sensitivities.....try posting it on a Packer Fan site, I am sure a few of them can read. Here, you are just a tempest in a teapot trying to make waves........Truth is Moss has been a pretty good guy in his life off the field. Thats the only point of this original story....Good Bye......

Wasnt super offended, just taught better then that. Basic sportsmanship is taught to most at a young age.

But i get it. Commonsense guidelines on how to be gracious winner and sportsman, only applies to those who arent your favirote athletes. Good to know.

Classy show implying that people are illiterate, can I say lighten up? Getting overly sensitive and resorting to petty insults is beneath all of us, this has nothing to do with fan affiliation.

[DK Sweets]

Classy show implying that people are illiterate, can I say lighten up? Getting overly sensitive and resorting to petty insults is beneath all of us, this has nothing to do with fan affiliation.

As wrong as I think you have been on the fake moon, you're absolutely right about this. Frankly, I'm disappointed in some of the posts that have been directed towards you just because you're a Packers fan...I thought this board was better than that.

[PurpleKoolaid]

The point of the thread, was Moss being a class act after football. Thats a good thing, for a high profile NFL player, who had a lot of people scrutinizing his every move. Yet most are silent over this. Oh, and screw the Packers. Really. We are on the verge of giving them their just desert, after owning us for what seems like years.

[fiestavike]

Wasnt super offended, just taught better then that. Basic sportsmanship is taught to most at a young age.

But i get it. Commonsense guidelines on how to be gracious winner and sportsman, only applies to those who arent your favirote athletes. Good to know.

Classy show implying that people are illiterate, can I say lighten up? Getting overly sensitive and resorting to petty insults is beneath all of us, this has nothing to do with fan affiliation.

I basically agree with your objection to the "Moon" celebration, but didn't find it much worse than most celebrations. I find them all really degrading to the individual and the sport, but I've about given up on convincing anyone to agree with me. Its a bygone era when this kind of thing was considered in bad taste.

[808vikingsfan]

The point of the thread, was Moss being a class act after football. Thats a good thing, for a high profile NFL player, who had a lot of people scrutinizing his every move. Yet most are silent over this.

Guilty. I didn't even read the links that Breeze posted until now.

My apologies for contributing to the derailment of this thread. This story sure deserved better.


An interview a few years ago.

THREE PHOTOGRAPHS and one piece of art hang in Moss' locker at Minnesota's practice facility in Eden Prairie.

The artwork is a drawing from the son of a Vikings trainer. It depicts Moss' hands as enormous and all-powerful, running from his waist nearly to his knees, the perfect child's perspective on a man whose hands made him famous.

One photograph shows Moss with his brother, but the most prominent pic is unassuming, even slightly amateurish. In it, Moss is walking off the practice field, two steps behind a huge man wearing No. 77-former teammate Korey Stringer. More than three years after Stringer collapsed in training camp and died, Moss, the only Viking graveside when Stringer's casket was lowered into the ground, remains deeply affected.

"From the call I got at 2 in the morning until today, right now, I still think about it," he says. "Something happened that day that will take guys the rest of their lives to get over. I see his locker every day, empty. I appreciate what Big K did for my life, and I can look around here in the lockers, see Big K everywhere and know other people appreciate it, too."

The last photo, though, may be the most telling. It shows Moss with 8-year-old Kassi Spier, whom the wideout met during his first training camp, and with whom he has remained close since. Spier was found to have leukemia in May 2000, and perhaps the most newsworthy aspect of their relationship is that Moss refuses to talk about it. Every media outlet attempted to delve into Moss' softer side after the relationship became public last summer. Some still try, and the answer is the same: no. "I know how she feels about me, and she knows how I feel about her," Moss says. "Our relationship is not important to anybody but us."

[Jordysghost]

As wrong as I think you have been on the fake moon, you're absolutely right about this. Frankly, I'm disappointed in some of the posts that have been directed towards you just because you're a Packers fan...I thought this board was better than that.

Oh its nothing. The words of a few people in no way reflect an entire fanbase. A little of that is to be expected anyhow, it is not lost on me where I am posting. There is no doubt in my mind there would be some Packers fans acting similar should a Vikings fan post on their boards. Just ask Raptorman.

As ive said previously, I think this is a quite pleasent well mannered message board. I used to be a regular on a particulary lightly moderated Bears board..... this is nothing. In fact i dare say the majority of you have been a very welcoming respectful bunch, and I strive to be as well, if not moreso.

At any rate, I am sorry for helping this one get off track a bit, though i think an interesting discussion has arisen from it.

[Cliff]

I never said I was "terribly offended".

The differences between the Lambeau Leap, a celebration that is meant to be shared and reveled in between the team and their fans, and a celebration intended to be rub salt in the wounds of, and be reviled by, opposing fans are vast indeed.

With the utmost respect Cliff, I have no clue where you got the idea that a lambeau leap is rubbing it in the nose of opposing fans, players jumping into a sea of their own fans, is pretty much as wholesome as it gets. The discount double check? Well there you may have a point. Though I cant recall one of those being specifically directed at opposing fans, he seems to go about it the same type of way regardless of if he is home or away.

No, you didn't. I should have worded it that "I reserve the title 'terribly unsportsmanlike actions'" like I bolded in your response. Sorry about that.

At the NFL level I don't think the leap a big deal (even though technically if it hadn't been grandfathered in it would be flagged for excessive celebration) but I feel like the NFL has different standards than most games in general which is probably why I view Moss' action as pretty slight. I can't think of any other game where some kind of celebration not only happens after points are scored but on basically any good play. How obnoxious would that be in real life if you were playing a game with a friend? On the other hand, would the NFL be as fun to watch if every player handled things like Barry Sanders? For some of us, probably ... but in general, I think people like it. Good sportsmanship seems pretty subjective to me and context matters. In the context of the NFL, Randy's actions weren't even worthy of a flag when it actually happened.

I guess we agree to disagree on just how much an infraction this was, while nothing truly terrible, it is still one the only time sa pro athelete directly made a vulgar gesture at opposing fans on national television.

Yeah, and that happens. In the end, and maybe I'm being blinded by my purple shaded glasses, but those in charge of deciding how big the infraction was decided it was on the same level as wearing Beats headphones or an unapproved shirt. Obviously that doesn't change personal feelings and I'm sure our team affliations color our opinions

[808vikingsfan]

A Brief Glimpse of the Randy Moss We Don't Know

[DK Sweets]

Thanks for posting that. Again, despite his mistakes, I have nothing but love for Randy Moss.

[chicagopurple]

I can't believe that Randy Moss was the ONLY Viking to go to Corey Stringers funeral! REALLY?? That is so pitiful. What a bunch of shallow losers. Is that really true? It can't be. Not even his fellow lineman??

[Vikings28]

I can't believe that Randy Moss was the ONLY Viking to go to Corey Stringers funeral! REALLY?? That is so pitiful. What a bunch of shallow losers. Is that really true? It can't be. Not even his fellow lineman??

It's not true. From what I remember, I think pretty much the entire team attended. Moss, Culpepper, and Carter did for sure.