{"id":1423,"date":"2014-01-25T12:24:15","date_gmt":"2014-01-25T17:24:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/?p=1423"},"modified":"2014-01-25T12:24:15","modified_gmt":"2014-01-25T17:24:15","slug":"richard-sherman-modern-day-larry-bird","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/?p=1423","title":{"rendered":"Richard Sherman &#8211; Modern Day Larry Bird"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"attachment_1424\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1424\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1424\" alt=\"Classless and hilarious?  Qualities we love.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-300x187.jpg?resize=300%2C187&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"300\" height=\"187\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman.jpg?resize=300%2C187&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman.jpg?resize=480%2C300&amp;ssl=1 480w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman.jpg?w=640&amp;ssl=1 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1424\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Classless and hilarious? Qualities we love.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Ok, it\u2019s about time The Machine chimed in on Sherman-gate.\u00a0 Unless you&#8217;re a foreigner or an MLS fan, you know the story:\u00a0 Seahawks\u00a0clinging to a 6 point lead, Niners\u00a0driving down the field for what felt like an inevitable game winning touchdown (why did they stop running Kap\u00a0in the second half?).\u00a0 Kap throws a fade to Crabtree, Sherman tips the ball, Malcolm Smith intercepts it.\u00a0 Game over. Seattle\u2019s on their way to the Super Bowl.\u00a0 And then the crazy began.<\/p>\n<p>Sherman, who\u2019s had a long running feud with Michael Crabtree, had one of the most infamous post-game interviews of all-time. \u00a0Take a look:\u00a0<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iframewidth=560height=315src=\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SFYuwWCqmeUframeborder=0allowfullscreen\/iframe\">https:\/\/<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/SFYuwWCqmeU\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/a><\/p>\n<p>and this one<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/iframewidth=560height=315src=\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8PzBlV8I5fwframeborder=0allowfullscreen\/iframe\">https:\/\/<iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/8PzBlV8I5fw\" height=\"315\" width=\"560\" allowfullscreen=\"\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Richard Sherman instantly became public enemy number one\u2026and instantly set himself up for a crazy media day at the Super Bowl.\u00a0 He&#8217;s been labled classless, a thug, an arrogant athlete with no respect for the game.\u00a0 We\u2019ve watched the tape, incessantly over the last week, and we can finally conclude the following:\u00a0 Greatest.\u00a0 Post-game Interview.\u00a0 Ever.<\/p>\n<p>That\u2019s right, we love it.\u00a0 For many reasons.\u00a0 Hear us out.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s refreshing.\u00a0 How many bland, dry, cookie-cutter post-game interviews do you see that sound like this: \u00a0\u201cFirst and foremost, I want to thank our lord and savior Jesus Christ, and my teammates and the fans!\u201d\u00a0 Yeah, because JC\u2019s a huge football fan.\u00a0 These interviews are boring, predictable, and lame.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1427\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-3.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1427\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-1427\" alt=\"When you make this play, you get to talk.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-3-300x225.jpg?resize=300%2C225&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-3.jpg?resize=300%2C225&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-3.jpg?resize=400%2C300&amp;ssl=1 400w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-3.jpg?w=620&amp;ssl=1 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1427\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">When you make this play, you get to talk.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Sherman was different.\u00a0 It was raw, honest, brash\u2026and amazing.\u00a0 And it was set up perfectly.\u00a0 It&#8217;s not a well-kept secret that Sherman and Crabtree have an <a href=\"https:\/\/seattletimes.com\/html\/jerrybrewer\/2022711709_brewercolumnseahawks20xml.html\" target=\"_blank\">ongoing feud <\/a>that started at a charity softball event a year ago (of course).\u00a0 So to be in the NFC Championship Game, 4<sup>th<\/sup> quarter, matched up against your arch enemy\u2026and you make the play that sends your team to the Super Bowl\u2026it doesn\u2019t get sweeter than that.<\/p>\n<p>Oh, but it does get sweeter.\u00a0 Sherman, a Stanford grad, was coached in college by Jim Harbaugh, now coach of the Niners.\u00a0 Sherman also <a href=\"https:\/\/espn.go.com\/nfl\/story\/_\/id\/9443752\/richard-sherman-seattle-seahawks-talk-ex-coach-jim-harbaugh\">has beef<\/a> with his old coach, who he admittedly has no relationship with and perhaps blames for falling all the way to the 5<sup>th<\/sup> Round in the Draft.<\/p>\n<p>So, you beat your old college coach, your team\u2019s biggest rival, and your biggest enemy.\u00a0 The odds of those things lining up are so slim\u2026so why not take full advantage of it?<\/p>\n<p>And Sherman didn\u2019t take advantage of the situation as much as he just let his emotions out, in the most purest way possible, without all the bullshit clich\u00e9s and praise to God and mom.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>And let\u2019s get a couple other things out too.\u00a0 First, it\u2019s hard to really paint the Niners\u00a0as victims in this situation, they hate (and talked as much trash to) the Seahawks\u00a0as Sherman did.\u00a0 Do you think if Crabtree caught that pass he\u2019d walk up to Sherman and say, \u201cgood game\u201d?\u00a0 Hell no.\u00a0 Let\u2019s not forget it\u2019s the same Niners\u00a0team that mocked Cam Newton by doing the Superman endzone celebration the week before.\u00a0 They\u2019re not really a sympathetic bunch.<\/p>\n<p>And, can we stop with the whole \u201che\u2019s a thug\/disrespecting the game\/why do these kids have to trash talk\/this didn\u2019t happen why I was growing up\u201d bullshit?\u00a0 We\u2019re all a bit nostalgic about \u201cour\u201d era of sports&#8230;it\u2019s why (old) people want to condemn A-Rod and Bonds but condone Willie Mays and the 1970\u2019s Pittsburgh Steelers.\u00a0 It\u2019s completely revisionist history.\u00a0 Just because you see something new, doesn\u2019t mean it hasn\u2019t happened before.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1425\" style=\"width: 205px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Larry-Bird.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1425\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1425\" alt=\"THUGLIFE\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Larry-Bird.jpg?resize=195%2C262&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"195\" height=\"262\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1425\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">THUGLIFE<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Want to know who one of the biggest trash talkers in all of sports is?\u00a0 Larry Bird, who was recently voted the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.complex.com\/sports\/2013\/01\/the-25-greatest-trash-talkers-in-sports-history\/trash-talkers-2#.\/trash-talkers-2?&amp;_suid=1390665159400003168972737699943\">#2 trash talker of all time<\/a>.\u00a0 That\u2019s right, the pride of French Lick, Indiana\u2026where thugs are born.\u00a0 But with Larry (and all players from earlier generations) the difference is you hear these stories second and third hand (Larry&#8217;s trash talking stories are awesome, btw).\u00a0 Nowadays, with players mic\u2019d up and cameras all over the field, you get to hear it first-hand.<\/p>\n<p>Sherman didn\u2019t do anything new\u2026he just elevated trash talking to a new level by addressing it directly the American public.\u00a0 Trash talking isn\u2019t a thug thing\u2026it\u2019s a competitive thing.\u00a0 And the best in the business are the most competitive, so let\u2019s not be surprised that they also talk the most shit.\u00a0 Note:\u00a0 if you\u2019re going to tell your dad that Richard Sherman\u2019s a modern-day Larry Bird, you better sit him down first.\u00a0<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_1426\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-2.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-1426\" class=\"size-full wp-image-1426\" alt=\"NFL should've fined him more for that suit.\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bigredsportsmachine.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/01\/Richard-Sherman-2.jpg?resize=300%2C168&#038;ssl=1\" width=\"300\" height=\"168\" \/><\/a><p id=\"caption-attachment-1426\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">NFL should&#8217;ve\u00a0fined him more for that suit.<\/p><\/div>\n<p>Where we do think he crossed the line was during his post-game press conference, where he continued to pile it on.\u00a0 Once you got your point across on the field (multiple times), and had time to reflect, take a shower, throw on a ridiculous bow tie, that\u2019s when some humility should set in.\u00a0 Continuing to bash Crabtree at that point was too much.\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Anyway, The Machine will take Sherman&#8217;s heat of the moment, off the cuff remarks, which for being spur of the moment was pretty funny, over some canned speech or choreographed endzone celebration any day of the week.\u00a0 This is a joke, right?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Ok, it\u2019s about time The Machine chimed in on Sherman-gate.\u00a0 Unless you&#8217;re a foreigner or an MLS fan, you know the story:\u00a0 Seahawks\u00a0clinging to a 6 point lead, Niners\u00a0driving down the field for what felt like an inevitable game winning &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/?p=1423\">Continue reading <span class=\"meta-nav\">&rarr;<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1423","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-nfl"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2Bp3y-mX","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1423","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1423"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1423\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1428,"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1423\/revisions\/1428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1423"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1423"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bigredsportsmachine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1423"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}