T.O. Found a Home!

[Steely Dan]

here's what i don't get, and it's been kind of itching to come out these past few days.

what has T.O. done wrong since arriving in Buffalo? from my perspective, other than a few amusing tweets, here's what's happened over the past four months:

 

-- he was present for a few offseason voluntary workout sessions.

-- he attended all but 2 voluntary minicamp practices.

-- he has hailed bills fans for embracing him and welcoming him to town.

-- when asked why he felt he deserved the key to the city, owens directed the question toward the mayor and then added he's sure there are many people in town worthy of the recognition.

-- he's said nice things about his teammates and talked up the offense and defense.

-- he's spent time after practice to work with trent and lee evans.

-- he alleged that a homeowner refused to allow him to view a home because of potential "drama."

-- when finally agreeing to lease a home, someone breaks his confidence by discussing the transaction and then allows cameras inside the residence.

-- he's offered a chance for a youngster to win an expenses-paid trip to his football camp in dallas. and had he known he would've been released, he would've considered holding a youth camp in buffalo, but the wheels were already rolling on the camp in dallas, so he didn't want to disappoint anyone there.

-- he's provided assistance in helping bobby april's katrina fundraiser.

-- he blamed tony romo and oc garrett for his release from dallas, a move that still disappoints him.

-- he's looked for a place to live in western new york, rather than, as some suggested he might, toronto.

-- he's not said anything wrong about buffalo's night life.

-- he's not been arrested.

-- he's not suggested the franchise might be better relocating to toronto.

 

so of course i can see how owens can be regarded as being an attention-starved, mentally-arrested person with pathological compulsions.

 

 

jw

 

What he said.

 

Sounds like grounds for a column to me.

[The Senator]

well, if you would provide media tours prior to that lease agreement being signed and your potential tenant changes his/her mind then i guess you get what you ask for. but what do i know being a dumb canadian and all.

 

jw

Apologies for the 'dumb Canadians' remark. It was a joke, based on the fact that they seem to have overpaid - way overpaid - for that piece of property, but it was dumb of me and I do apologize. Mea maxima culpa.

[Delete This Account]

Apologies for the 'dumb Canadians' remark. It was a joke, based on the fact that they seem to have overpaid - way overpaid - for that piece of property, but it was dumb of me and I do apologize. Mea maxima culpa.

no problem, sen.

as much as i am very happy to be living in the United States -- and even count some Americans as friends -- i maintain a high level of passion for my native land and will go out of my way to defend it.

 

one thing i was wondering about the over-paying, if i read the article correctly, the deal means that the home now comes off the city's tax roll because it is now considered international land. i'm wondering whether by overpaying, the additional taxes and closing costs somehow reflect the money lost by the city/state. ... just wondering.

 

oh, and evidently, many of us canadians have money to burn ... see a certain mr. balsillie.

 

jw

[The Senator]

no problem, sen.

as much as i am very happy to be living in the United States -- and even count some Americans as friends -- i maintain a high level of passion for my native land and will go out of my way to defend it.

 

one thing i was wondering about the over-paying, if i read the article correctly, the deal means that the home now comes off the city's tax roll because it is now considered international land. i'm wondering whether by overpaying, the additional taxes and closing costs somehow reflect the money lost by the city/state. ... just wondering.

 

oh, and evidently, many of us canadians have money to burn ... see a certain mr. balsillie.

 

jw

Herbie Seigel's one of the most prominent divorce/personal injury attorneys in WNY (I believe it was Seigel's firm that represented Marshawn Lynch's Canadian hit-and-run victim).

 

I don't think Herbie's giving any of that extra cash/overpayment to Byron Brown any time soon.

[GG]

Furthering the proof that the owners of 1 Deer Run were right about the drama....

[Mr. WEO]

with all due respect, the reason i disagreed with Mr. WEO's position is because he postulated an absolute conclusion: "it's inconceivable." had he, perhaps, written "it's not inconceivable," then he would have been on firmer ground.

 

and i now question his authority as a result of his blunt response to my disagreeing with him, and the suggestion that i am among those caught in some manipulative net.

 

by no means do i consider myself an "authority" on much if anything, and yet i would hope that i have a sense of how the media works and also a little insight into T.O. in having dealt with him now on numerous occasions, including several 1-on-1 interviews.

i'm merely asking Mr. WEO what his credentials might be when it comes to the insights he's providing, and wondering whether he might, in fact, be the one who's being manipulated by the media because his opinions in regards to T.O. -- the "pathologic compulsion" comment in particular -- are ones that have been well covered in the press and on tv.

 

he has a right to his opinions, as much as i have a right to challenge them. and all i'm asking is whether Mr. WEO reached his opinions based upon personal experience or from the comfort of his living room couch?

 

jw

 

It's not a matter of authority---I don't spend much time on my couch nor do I get to interview athletes for a living.

 

It's a simple observation. My opinion is that it is not conceivable for an athlete that craves so much attention, who has a history of such throughout his career, who has arrived in Buffalo to a lot of contrived fanfare (his arrival at the airport, keys to the city??), who has kept the public abreast of the most mundane activities of daily living (defined, not in the least, by his hunt for shelter), who is being filmed for a reality show---that this guy is truly upset that his new address was leaked by someone. It is manufactured drama. He willfully surrendered his privacy regarding all of this nonsense. He clearly doesn't understand the irony of him outing private citizen's who chose not to rent to him recently. It's clear that he's not the only one to miss this.

 

It's great to list all of the "positive" events regarding TO since he arrived, but you would have to ignore all of his past behavior and the fact that we are even talking about his house hunt in order to claim he does not have some abnormal need for attention. Any journalist that does so, I believe, has lost their objectivity--perhaps for the privilege of some face time with TO. Look, the "media" didn't make up all the events regarding TO's past--they did not create. TO did, so while he may be a polite, nice man when you sit down and talk to him (I'm not suggesting he's a moron like Lynch), he is what he is--even he has not denied this.

 

If he is not manipulating how his image is reported, than what is he doing?

[VOR]

here's what i don't get, and it's been kind of itching to come out these past few days.

what has T.O. done wrong since arriving in Buffalo?

Don't you know? TO is a...

[GG]

It's not a matter of authority---I don't spend much time on my couch nor do I get to interview athletes for a living.

 

It's a simple observation. My opinion is that it is not conceivable for an athlete that craves so much attention, who has a history of such throughout his career, who has arrived in Buffalo to a lot of contrived fanfare (his arrival at the airport, keys to the city??), who has kept the public abreast of the most mundane activities of daily living (defined, not in the least, by his hunt for shelter), who is being filmed for a reality show---that this guy is truly upset that his new address was leaked by someone. It is manufactured drama. He willfully surrendered his privacy regarding all of this nonsense. He clearly doesn't understand the irony of him outing private citizen's who chose not to rent to him recently. It's clear that he's not the only one to miss this.

 

It's great to list all of the "positive" events regarding TO since he arrived, but you would have to ignore all of his past behavior and the fact that we are even talking about his house hunt in order to claim he does not have some abnormal need for attention. Any journalist that does so, I believe, has lost their objectivity--perhaps for the privilege of some face time with TO. Look, the "media" didn't make up all the events regarding TO's past--they did not create. TO did, so while he may be a polite, nice man when you sit down and talk to him (I'm not suggesting he's a moron like Lynch), he is what he is--even he has not denied this.

 

If he is not manipulating how his image is reported, than what is he doing?

 

Your post made a lot of sense, until you ruined it with the last sentence. How is the media being manipulated?

[The Senator]

Don't you know? TO is a...

Wow - that was absolutely unbearably stupid. Painful. What 12-year-old threw that together?

 

Can I please have the last 40 seconds of my life back?

[San Jose Bills Fan]

And, also btw, if I rent a property to someone who doesn't take possession and start paying rent until July 1st, I can do whatever the fk I want with my property between now and then - including media tours, if I so please.

That's true Senator but as you know, having the right to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do.

[Delete This Account]

It's not a matter of authority---I don't spend much time on my couch nor do I get to interview athletes for a living.

 

It's a simple observation. My opinion is that it is not conceivable for an athlete that craves so much attention, who has a history of such throughout his career, who has arrived in Buffalo to a lot of contrived fanfare (his arrival at the airport, keys to the city??), who has kept the public abreast of the most mundane activities of daily living (defined, not in the least, by his hunt for shelter), who is being filmed for a reality show---that this guy is truly upset that his new address was leaked by someone. It is manufactured drama. He willfully surrendered his privacy regarding all of this nonsense. He clearly doesn't understand the irony of him outing private citizen's who chose not to rent to him recently. It's clear that he's not the only one to miss this.

 

It's great to list all of the "positive" events regarding TO since he arrived, but you would have to ignore all of his past behavior and the fact that we are even talking about his house hunt in order to claim he does not have some abnormal need for attention. Any journalist that does so, I believe, has lost their objectivity--perhaps for the privilege of some face time with TO. Look, the "media" didn't make up all the events regarding TO's past--they did not create. TO did, so while he may be a polite, nice man when you sit down and talk to him (I'm not suggesting he's a moron like Lynch), he is what he is--even he has not denied this.

 

If he is not manipulating how his image is reported, than what is he doing?

but i challenged your observation and you suggest i have lost my objectivity in light of all that i have noted has happened. i don't dispute your claim that Owens has a fascination with publicity, but you suggest he gives up all his right to privacy. how?

 

and then you further suggest that i should approach my job in covering T.O. with preconceived notions based on reports that i've read of his past. certainly, it would be wrong of me to ignore Owens' reputation and what's been written about him. but you suggest that i form my opinion -- as you appear to have done -- solely based on his past and not through my personal experiences with him and my own observations, as every reporter should do.

 

so far, the reputation that preceded him and what i have observed do not match. and yet you suggest that i've lost my objectivity, when, in fact i'm attempting to be as objective as possibly by forming my opinion upon my own experiences.

and yet, since my opinion doesn't match yours, of course, i am automatically a sellout. but that's easy for you to say because all you seem to deal with is in stubborn absolutes.

 

also, i dispute your characterization of Marshawn Lynch. is there anyone that you do like?

 

jw

 

Edited.

[Steely Dan]

 

The Queen BOUGHT a home. Apparently, she couldn't find an acceptable rental, either. But let's give HRM some credit, she managed to complete the deal without the drama and the Flavin. FLAVIN!

 

I wonder if she'll tweet something about it, later today?

 

Would you want a home decorated by a Queen?

 

 

Wow - that was absolutely unbearably stupid. Painful. What 12-year-old threw that together?

 

Can I please have the last 40 seconds of my life back?

 

I lasted one second before shutting it off.

[The Senator]

That's true Senator but as you know, having the right to do something doesn't make it the right thing to do.

Here I was, SJBF, hoping for another Jauron parody and instead you get all profound on me!

 

Anywho, we all know of T.O.'s proclivity for high drama so, in this particular instance, the owner may have - albeit inadvertently - just gotten some free exposure for his back-on-the-market-again property.

 

He should send T.O. a thank you card.

[San Jose Bills Fan]

Here I was, SJBF, hoping for another Jauron parody and instead you get all profound on me!

 

Anywho, we all know of T.O.'s proclivity for high drama so, in this particular instance, the owner may have - albeit inadvertently - just gotten some free exposure for his back-on-the-market-again property.

 

He should send T.O. a thank you card.

Pretty Jauroned out at the moment. I think I finally got it out of my system. Then again a little encouragement goes a long ways (I must try to be strong).

[VOR]

Wow - that was absolutely unbearably stupid. Painful. What 12-year-old threw that together?

 

Can I please have the last 40 seconds of my life back?

It's called "satire." And at worst, it's payback for posts 74, 77, 80, etc.

[VOR]

but i challenged your observation and you suggest i have lost my objectivity in light of all that i have noted has happened. i don't dispute your claim that Owens has a fascination with publicity, but you suggest he gives up all his right to privacy. how?

 

and then you further suggest that i should approach my job in covering T.O. with preconceived notions based on reports that i've read of his past. certainly, it would be wrong of me to ignore Owens' reputation and what's been written about him. but you suggest that i form my opinion -- as you appear to have done -- solely based on his past and not through my personal experiences with him and my own observations, as every reporter should do.

 

so far, the reputation that preceded him and what i have observed do not match. and yet you suggest that i've lost my objectivity, when, in fact i'm attempting to be as objective as possibly by forming my opinion upon my own experiences.

and yet, since my opinion doesn't match yours, of course, i am automatically a sellout. but that's easy for you to say because all you seem to deal with is in stubborn absolutes.

Bingo.

 

also, i dispute your characterization of Marshawn Lynch. is there anyone that you do like?

Name any Patriots player.

[The Senator]

It's called "satire." And at worst, it's payback for posts 74, 77, 80, etc.

sat·ire (sāt'īr')

n.

 

1. A literary work in which human vice or folly is attacked through irony, derision, or wit.

 

2. Irony, sarcasm, or caustic wit used to attack or expose folly, vice, or stupidity.

 

 

 

I guess the irony and wit came after the 40-second mark, long after I gave up on the silly thing.

[The Dean]

Would you want a home decorated by a Queen?

 

 

Probably not. But I'm fairly certain I'd prefer the Queen's taste to that of Dan Marino's.

[Mr. WEO]

but i challenged your observation and you suggest i have lost my objectivity in light of all that i have noted has happened. i don't dispute your claim that Owens has a fascination with publicity, but you suggest he gives up all his right to privacy. how?

 

I said he vouluntarily surrendered his privacy in regard to this house hunting issue. He has made this saga public from the beginning. HE did. And how is it a guy who calls the media to his home for press conferences (after he pulls his gym equipment onto the driveway and oils up for a "workout"), a guy who is taping his "personal life" for a TV show, can expect to keep his new address public. And how did he convince you that he was actually upset that it "got out" this time?

 

and then you further suggest that i should approach my job in covering T.O. with preconceived notions based on reports that i've read of his past. certainly, it would be wrong of me to ignore Owens' reputation and what's been written about him. but you suggest that i form my opinion -- as you appear to have done -- solely based on his past and not through my personal experiences with him and my own observations, as every reporter should do.

 

These are not "notions", they are factual events. TO is not a mysterious figure---his NFL past has been extensively documented. He's also not one to hold it all in, from what I've read.

 

so far, the reputation that preceded him and what i have observed do not match. and yet you suggest that i've lost my objectivity, when, in fact i'm attempting to be as objective as possibly by forming my opinion upon my own experiences.

and yet, since my opinion doesn't match yours, of course, i am automatically a sellout. but that's easy for you to say because all you seem to deal with is in stubborn absolutes.

 

Not true. Haven't you asked yourself how he can be such a nice guy when you're chatting with him, yet he has acted as he has and been run out of two towns, despite awesome talent and production? I haven't seen you address this incongruency in his behavior. I am tempted, by what you have posted, to assume you have concluded that perhaps TO is really a good guy who has been misunderstood in his public dealings with the media and his former employers. If I am wrong, I apologize, but I don't see where you have considered this.

 

also, i dispute your characterization of Marshawn Lynch. is there anyone that you do like?

 

jw

 

Edited.

Come on! Talk about absolutes. I pick on ML and you ask me if I like anyone? Lynch is a complete moron who, despite breaks and warnings, continued to engage in idiotic behavior--which may now cost the Bills a win or two. You can appreciate that opinion, can't you? It's hardly subjective.

 

 

Your post made a lot of sense, until you ruined it with the last sentence. How is the media being manipulated?

 

 

When TO sits down with a reporter and the reporter walks back to his computer simply to write, based on his "personal experience", that TO is just a nice guy---without reference to or analysis of all that is known, then TO is working the media. There's nothing wrong with it. It's what he does and he's done it well--yet it hasn't prevented him from becoming a pariah in the League, unfortunately.

[The Senator]

Probably not. But I'm fairly certain I'd prefer the Queen's taste to that of Dan Marino's.

Have you ever tasted her?

[Lurker]

So The Queen manages to find a house in BuffTown (several, in fact) - the Fking Queen of England (!!!) - yet that attention-starved, mentally-arrested, 36-year-old adolescent can't find a place to 'hang his hat' for the next 6 months???

 

link

Last I heard, the Canadian Consul General plans to live in Buffalo beyond next year and doesn't have a reality TV show...

[The Senator]

Last I heard, the Canadian Consul General plans to live in Buffalo beyond next year and doesn't have a reality TV show...

Come on, tell the truth - you heard nothing of the sort. You're just making it up.

 

(Actually, I heard Stephen Brereton is a career diplomat - most of his stints lasting about 2 years - so I would not be at all surprised if he didn't live in BuffTown beyond next year, and wishes he had his own reality show. )

[HurlyBurly51]

Don't you know? TO is a...

 

You have made TSW collectively dumber for having posted that link. Brutal.

[Delete This Account]

i deleted my last post because i've decided i stated my case several times earlier and Mr. WEO has failed to respond, instead, choosing to continue questioning my objectivity while going on with his incessant name-calling.

 

jw

[Mr. WEO]

i deleted my last post because i've decided i stated my case several times earlier and Mr. WEO has failed to respond, instead, choosing to continue questioning my objectivity while going on with his incessant name-calling.

 

jw

 

I responded point by point and called you no names (??).

 

I asked you how you square the factual record of TO until he arrived in Buffalo with your opinion of him based on your interviews. Or how he can credibly claim that he is upset that his privacy has been violated (asked you this twice).

 

No reponse indeed.

 

I have no doubt that TO is not evil and can be a very charming man. I'm sure reporters in Philly and Dallas felt exactly the same way when he first rolled into town.

[Delete This Account]

I responded point by point and called you no names (??).

sorry, should've made myself more clear about the name-calling. i was referring to Lynch and Owens. there's no fun in responding to someone with their mind so made up who thinks it unfortunate that Owens is not a pariah and that Lynch is a complete moron, and then also questions my reputation as an objective journalist because i believe in providing someone the benefit of the doubt when i meet and deal with them.

 

jw

[VOR]

You have made TSW collectively dumber for having posted that link. Brutal.

I realize it went over a lot of peoples' heads. I am sorry for that.

[Lori]

Umm .. wow. I miss all the fun.

 

When Mr. Owens, Mr. Wawrow, and the VH1 camera crew went on their house-hunting trip, T.O. knew he was onstage. Same with the Twitter account; hell, one of the Buffalo TV stations is running a feed of his tweets on their Web site. Situps in the driveway, tearful interviews, et cetera, et cetera -- all part of a very public persona.

 

But considering that he was in California when his real-estate agent -- who he claims agreed to keep the deal confidential -- apparently called up every media outlet listed in the Buffalo phone book to arrange tours of the place without his permission, honestly, can you blame the guy for getting a little bent about this?

 

Apparently, some of you can. Eh, whatever.

[GG]

When TO sits down with a reporter and the reporter walks back to his computer simply to write, based on his "personal experience", that TO is just a nice guy---without reference to or analysis of all that is known, then TO is working the media. There's nothing wrong with it. It's what he does and he's done it well--yet it hasn't prevented him from becoming a pariah in the League, unfortunately.

 

A journalist reporting that an interview subject is a nice guy, is totally irrelevant to the objectivity of said journalist. Media whores usually are very nice people. That's how they get to be that way.

[Delete This Account]

A journalist reporting that an interview subject is a nice guy, is totally irrelevant to the objectivity of said journalist. Media whores usually are very nice people. That's how they get to be that way.

not entirely true. i've dealt with some very publicity happy athletes (names withheld) whom i found to be people that i didn't like. and i hope you couldn't guess which ones i'm referring to based on what i've written.

 

jw

[VOR]

When TO sits down with a reporter and the reporter walks back to his computer simply to write, based on his "personal experience", that TO is just a nice guy---without reference to or analysis of all that is known, then TO is working the media. There's nothing wrong with it. It's what he does and he's done it well--yet it hasn't prevented him from becoming a pariah in the League, unfortunately.

The irony of this paragraph is that you've never met the man and obviously formed your opinion SOLELY based on what the media has reported to you. And for you, all you care to know is "he destroys teams." But you're convinced that they've portrayed him 100% accurately, right?

 

And while he's admittedly a media whore, he's never had any off-field incidents and is a great player on it. Yet players like Lynch and Hardy deserve your scorn for their off-field indiscretions, and Lynch is a great player on the field. Curious.

[Tcali]

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=4266791

I think TO should live in Sloan

[The Senator]

I realize it went over a lot of peoples' heads. I am sorry for that.

No....under. WAAAAAYYYYYY under. Not only irritating as all hell, but truly one of the stupidest videos ever posted on TSW.

[GG]

No....under. WAAAAAYYYYYY under. Not only irritating as all hell, but truly one of the stupidest videos ever posted on TSW.

 

Bah, videos. These kids and their technology. What happened to the days when people just posted stupid pictures?

[VOR]

No....under. WAAAAAYYYYYY under. Not only irritating as all hell, but truly one of the stupidest videos ever posted on TSW.

Actually Sen, it was directed at people like you, who think that TO is a "criminal," or even a "cancer." The part where they interview TO after a loss and ask him whether Tony Romo has to play better and he says "well, we all have to play better," while the voice-over is saying "Don't kill the team! Don't kill the team!" is priceless!

 

Now I know it doesn't have the professional look of say, taking a Hollywood-produced film with actors speaking a foreign language and putting-in funny subtitles (and repeating the schtick every few years, as it jumped the shark when it was about Bledsoe going to the Bills), but the effort to cull together video footage, images, and parody the lyrics was noteworthy. And I know the rap music throws a lot of people off.

 

I think it will be my version of the Peter Pan guy. Or that lame "you got Rick Rolled" thing.

[Delete This Account]

Actually Sen, it was directed at people like you, who think that TO is a "criminal," or even a "cancer." The part where they interview TO after a loss and ask him whether Tony Romo has to play better and he says "well, we all have to play better," while the voice-over is saying "Don't kill the team! Don't kill the team!" is priceless!

 

Now I know it doesn't have the professional look of say, taking a Hollywood-produced film with actors speaking a foreign language and putting-in funny subtitles (and repeating the schtick every few years, as it jumped the shark when it was about Bledsoe going to the Bills), but the effort to cull together video footage, images, and parody the lyrics was noteworthy. And I know the rap music throws a lot of people off.

 

I think it will be my version of the Peter Pan guy. Or that lame "you got Rick Rolled" thing.

i liked the quick picture of Jessica Simpson. that was nice.

 

jw

 

ADD: great, Mr. WEO's going to have an issue with that, now.

[VOR]

i liked the quick picture of Jessica Simpson. that was nice.

That was my second favorite part.

[The Senator]

Actually Sen, it was directed at people like you, who think that TO is a "criminal," or even a "cancer." The part where they interview TO after a loss and ask him whether Tony Romo has to play better and he says "well, we all have to play better," while the voice-over is saying "Don't kill the team! Don't kill the team!" is priceless!

 

Now I know it doesn't have the professional look of say, taking a Hollywood-produced film with actors speaking a foreign language and putting-in funny subtitles (and repeating the schtick every few years, as it jumped the shark when it was about Bledsoe going to the Bills), but the effort to cull together video footage, images, and parody the lyrics was noteworthy. And I know the rap music throws a lot of people off.

 

I think it will be my version of the Peter Pan guy. Or that lame "you got Rick Rolled" thing.

Actually, VOR, I know it was directed at me, or 'people like me'. Like I said, it didn't go over anyone's head - it was far too imbecilic for that. Also had a very juvenile quality, particularly at the outset, which it why I think caused me and others to find it so repugnant. Maybe if it was even slightly more tolerable I would have made it to the Jessica Simpson part.

 

Problem is, I never said T.O was a "criminal", or a "cancer". I'm actually quite happy that Buffalo signed him. I do plead 100% guilty to calling him an "attention-starved, mentally-arrested, 36-year-old adolescent". Those words do not imply criminal behavior, do they? I didn't accuse him of being a problem in the locker room, did I?

 

Like I said - I'm glad he's a Buffalo Bill. I expect great things from him on the field. I just find his need - particularly off the field - to constantly be in the spotlight and draw attention to himself more than a bit narcissistic and immature.

[Mr. WEO]

sorry, should've made myself more clear about the name-calling. i was referring to Lynch and Owens. there's no fun in responding to someone with their mind so made up who thinks it unfortunate that Owens is not a pariah and that Lynch is a complete moron, and then also questions my reputation as an objective journalist because i believe in providing someone the benefit of the doubt when i meet and deal with them.

 

jw

 

How can you not conclude, objectively, that Lynch is not a moron (pick a different descriptor if you need to)? See, this is my point. You (and so might I, in fact) may sit down with Marshawn and afterwards say: "he's actually a really nice kid". But that assessment does not disprove that he is a moron. His actions have proven this. He has willingly placed his livelihood, his freedom, his team and his fans hopes at risk.

 

 

Again, I do not doubt that TO may be a very nice guy in those moments when he steps away from the cameras. But his public behavior (and it seems it is all for public consumption with this guy) is just not normal--even for a star professional athlete in America.

 

If you disagree that TO is accurately portrayed as a pariah based on his own words and behavior, than I'm not sure how you are being objective. If I found TO pleasant in person, that subjective assessment would not change the conclusions about him I had already made based on historical facts. He has berated and belittled his teammates, his coaches, he has spit in an opponent's face, he has made numerous claims that he was not properly respected or celebrated by whoever his current team was, he has disrespected opposing teams on the field purely for his own edification, he has done almost anything to get attention--including the bizarre driveway workout and the even more bizarre "non suicide attempt". You know all this, yet I just don't see where it finds it's way into your posts to balance your impression of him based on personal interaction. Have we all just misunderstood TO?

 

 

Umm .. wow. I miss all the fun.

 

When Mr. Owens, Mr. Wawrow, and the VH1 camera crew went on their house-hunting trip, T.O. knew he was onstage. Same with the Twitter account; hell, one of the Buffalo TV stations is running a feed of his tweets on their Web site. Situps in the driveway, tearful interviews, et cetera, et cetera -- all part of a very public persona.

 

But considering that he was in California when his real-estate agent -- who he claims agreed to keep the deal confidential -- apparently called up every media outlet listed in the Buffalo phone book to arrange tours of the place without his permission, honestly, can you blame the guy for getting a little bent about this?

 

I've made it clear that I simply don't believe what he claims. There is no logic to it. He has made a circus of the whole endevour and everyone will know where he lives as soon as he moves in (he'll tweet us!), wherever that is. And cameras will certainly be in his home.

 

What I don't understand is why two journalists would not be more skeptical of TO's crying "foul" on his landlord here--you know, that he gave her explicit instructions to keep the deal "confidential". It's really not that much of a stretch, is it? You balance all the self-crafted drama with this house stuff so far against "he is a nice guy in person" and the nice guy gets the benefit of the doubt?

 

Well, then. Amen to Mr. TO's righteous indignation, I guess. But in the end, he is an entertainer--and he knows this, so none of this is very significant in the grand scheme of things.

 

Just something to argue about until he starts catching TDs.

[BLZFAN4LIFE]

Actually, VOR, I know it was directed at me, or 'people like me'. Like I said, it didn't go over anyone's head - it was far too imbecilic for that. Also had a very juvenile quality, particularly at the outset, which it why I think caused me and others to find it so repugnant. Maybe if it was even slightly more tolerable I would have made it to the Jessica Simpson part.

 

Problem is, I never said T.O was a "criminal", or a "cancer". I'm actually quite happy that Buffalo signed him. I do plead 100% guilty to calling him an "attention-starved, mentally-arrested, 36-year-old adolescent". Those words do not imply criminal behavior, do they? I didn't accuse him of being a problem in the locker room, did I?

Like I said - I'm glad he's a Buffalo Bill. I expect great things from him on the field. I just find his need - particularly off the field - to constantly be in the spotlight and draw attention to himself more than a bit narcissistic and immature.

 

Can't argue with that assessment. Except he's 35.