Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Carolina Bet Update; Necessary Grammar Lesson for Panther Fans

As most of you know, last week WhoDatSay.com challenged the entire Carolina Panther nation to two separate bets for this upcoming season. The first was that the Saints would sweep the series against the Panthers, and the second was that Reggie Bush would have more total yards from scrimmage than DeAngelo Williams. While we are still in negotiations concerning the bet with two Carolina fan sites that shall remain nameless, we did hear back from a Carolina Panther fan named Gengiz. This fan’s passion is not questioned. What concerns us, though, are his various grammatical shortcomings. We at WhoDatSay.com, like the rest of the great city of New Orleans, are good people. We believe in civility, helping others, and the correct use of the English language. Therefore, out of the goodness of our collective heart, we have decided to correct the grammar of this passionate Carolina fan. We also believe this will help Panther nation in general, as some of its previous responses to our posts have indicated a rather lackluster level of education on their part (claiming that there is an overabundance of offensive weaponry in Carolina, for example). We understand that grammar is not easy. That’s why we’re here to help. Below, you will find the original email written by Gengiz. We have included numbers in brackets in the mail. Below the email are the corrections that correspond to the numbers. Let's get started, class.

LOL! [1] Oh pleeease tell me whats the bet? You wont be sweeping the panthers. The super dome is our 2nd home. Havent lost a game their [2] since 2000. We own you there! [3] Oh yeah, and if Deangello Williams [4] a bust then Reggie Bush must be the Ryan Leaf of running backs. Here are their [5] stats from last year.

D.Williams 144 attempts, 717 yards, 5 yards per carry average, 4 Tds
Reggie Bush 157 attempts, 581 yards, 3.7 yards per carry average, 4 Tds


Keep in mind Reggie Bush started most of the season after Duece got hurt where as [6] Williams was backing up Foster. Not to mention Bush was the #2 overall pick in the draft where Williams went 26. OUCH! Let me know your terms as long as they are reasonable! You guys truely [7] are delusional [8]!

[1] LOL is an acronym for the words “Laugh Out Loud.” It is most frequently used by prepubescent teenage girls when commenting about their photos on Myspace or Facebook. It should never be used by a guy.

[2] Here, the correct word would have been “there.” Distinguishing correctly between “there” and “their” is a mistake often made by those new to the language. “Their” is used to indicate possession or belonging, whereas “there” is used to describe a place. Here, because you were talking about the Superdome, a place, “there” would have been the correct choice.

[3] Very good. Here you got it right.

[4] All sentences need a verb, which is a word that denotes the sentence’s action. In this case, “is” would have been acceptable. “Is” would have sufficiently carried the action of the sentence’s subject, “DeAngelo Williams.”

[5] Very good again. Here you were able to distinguish correctly between “there” and “their” for the second time in a row.

[6] “Whereas” would have been the correct word here. This is yet another mistake made by those in the beginning stages of trying to tackle the language. The word “whereas” is a conjunction that dates back to the 14th century. Its origins come from two separate words “where” and “as” (hence your confusion). For the last 700 years, however, both of these words have been written as one. Also, the word “tackle” as used earlier is not to be taken literally -- it is used merely as a figure of speech. Your familiarity with the word “tackle” (a “tackle” by your beloved Panther defenders, for example) is an entirely different thing.

[7] Here the correct spelling of the word is “truly.” We can see why the error was made, though, as one could easily think that the natural progression of the word “true” would be truely. Nonetheless, “truly” is and always has been the accepted spelling. We realize that there are a lot of words to learn, and that not all of them can be spelled correctly.

[8] Very good. You followed up your previous gaffe of “truly” with quite a fine job with this rather lengthy and complicated word.

And so there you have it, Carolina Panther nation. What more could you ask of your division rivals than a nice and necessary grammar lesson? We hope that this proves useful to you, and look forward to its being put into practice in future comments that you make on our site.

As for the bet, details and participating site(s) will be released as soon as they are official.

35 comments:

Anonymous said...

I applaud this critique. I love to hate incorrect internet grammar almost as much as I love to hate the Saints' division rivals. In that spirit, let me add just a few notes. Apostrophes shouldn't be overlooked! "Wont" isn't actually a word. The misuse or underuse of commas also tends to grate. An appropriate place would have been before "where as", for example. Also, while there is a school of thought that allows for the practice of argumentative writing the same way you might speak, I have to disagree. So, let me offer these two websites (the first two that popped up after a search)as fodder for contemplation by Panthers fans before their next online post. http://www.studygs.net/wrtstr4.htm and http://glory.gc.maricopa.edu/~mdesoto/101online/a_tools.htm Please note the section titled "Writing Style" on the second link. Disdain ("LOL" for example) is rarely an effective argumentative tool. Let me end by saying I'm unsure of the details of the bet, but I can't understand how anyone could possibly argue that the Panthers won't lose twice to the Saints in the upcoming season.

Anonymous said...

Rule number 17 of internet arguments: When you can't argue the points, attack the message or the messenger.

Bravo! I take it you're a typical representative of Saints' Nation? :)

Unknown said...

Coming from a Saints fan who hates grammatical indifference as much as anyone... this is a really stupid blog post and if anyone got owned it was you. He's the one slinging stats, you're the one slinging insults about his grammar.

Anonymous said...

attack...who used the word attack?? cyberjag, as the writer pointed out, this was a good deed effort for all of you carolina fans. this fella's grammar was bad, and he thought he could help. no need to get defensive, brother.

Anonymous said...

slinging stats, eh??? i agree, that was an impressive cut and paste effort on the stats of bush and williams last year.

Anonymous said...

I think these points have been argued plenty on this blog. Panthers fans say:

Williams was picked later than Bush. Williams averaged 5ypc. Williams is better.

Saints fans respond:
Bush's contribution won't always show in his stats. Bush has had a Deuce ahead of him, Williams has had Foster, who he really should have beaten out by now. Panthers have drafted a RB in the first 2 of the last 3 years.

The arguments don't really need to be repeated every day, do they?

Thunder Lips said...

It is beneath this site to attack grammer. I'm a fan of the site, but that is weak. Might as well call him gay or something. Panthers fan are, and should be laughing at how stupid this post looks. Hit them with football knowledge, not grade school grammer corrections.

Anonymous said...

hey genuis "saints fan" micheal....i am glad you were so impressed with carolina fan's rendition of the stats of bush and williams....but if you can read, they are talking about total yards. how's this for a stat- Bush: 73 rec, 417 yards; Williams: 23 rec, 175 yards. TOTAL YARDS: Bush: 1234. Williams: 892. So your boy's stat slinging wasn't so great after all. Plus, it was probably too much for you to realize that the point wasn't to argue with these dolts who have littered this site with their garbage comments, but to make fun of em.

Anonymous said...

So let's all agree that:
1) Panty fan who made post is an idiot;
2) The Saints are better than the Panthers; and
3) Anyone who disagrees is gay.

Here's a stat: Points forced in 2007 - Saints 379
Panties 267.

Clearly an overabundance of offensive weaponry.

Section123SaintsFan said...

Many of our readers have done a good job explaining this post, so I will just add this:

We like your comments, positive and negative, and welcome readers of all teams, including the Saints, to tell us what you like and what you do not like about the site. We appreciate your feedback and take it to heart more than you realize.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Thunder Lips. Making fun of someone for grammatical errors is silly. The site and the writer of the message should both be above that.

Anonymous said...

Grammer police from a site called WhoDatSay?

Anonymous said...

what can you say, anonymous, sometimes people just feel the need to make fun of others, like for example, not being able to spell the word "grammar." It's sick really... I do not condone such a practice. Moron

Anonymous said...

I, for one, think everyone sounds like an idiot when they don't use at least decent grammar. I wish everyone could get their points across in a way that didn't decrease the validity of their own argument. If you can't spell or structure a sentence properly, why should I think you have anything else in your post correct? I don't think I'm being elitist or anything, but there's so much crap on the internet that I don't have the time to read all of the garbage to find the good stuff.

Regarding the article itself, the author was poking fun at a Panthers fan. If it pisses you off when someone makes fun of your grammar, proofread your post/email/whatever. And to combat this post with the argument "He makes fun of grammar because he can't argue with the stats" is the exact same tactic in reverse. You can attack what he (or she, I guess) said, so you attack what they didn't say. Why should we be "above" ctitizing someone's ability to communicate? That's the whole point of this blog. I say call 'em like you see 'em. If someone doesn't take the time to sound intelligent or put together a decent argument, then go ahead and take aim.

Finally, just because the author takes a poke at a horribly written comment that attempts to goad him/her into some moronic flame war, it doesn't mean that he/she can't argue stats. I'm pleased to see something besides the same old arguments and the same old stats being trotted out every time the same old issues come up.

Anonymous said...

Oops! Typo! Should be "can't" in second paragraph, not "can."

Anonymous said...

Good stuff! If you cant win a football debate then point out grammar errors. LOL... hee hee hee ..and ho ho ho!

I'll take it that you have officially backed off from your bet/challenge being that this was the only response that I got. Cant say I blame you.

gengizk

The Dowg said...

Thank you, Will. If anyone would like to know what the author was thinking in writing this post, please take a look at Will's comment (three above this one). I couldn't have said it better myself.

Anonymous said...

wow.... what a stupid blog post

Anonymous said...

I'm tempted to use the old adage about the Special Olympics and apply it to correcting online grammar...

Anonymous said...

Well aint fans, lets discuss this bet, not grammar. I BET YOU AINT GONNA BEAT US! Maybe we should knock drew brees' spleen out just like we did with chris simms. Or tear Reggie Bush's ACL like we did Culpepper. Or maybe we don't have to do any of that, because you suck anyways.

Anonymous said...

"We"? Do you play, you douchebag? Maybe you should focus on not being such a bitch.

Anonymous said...

I think the horse is dead. Some think it's funny, some don't, and some are just Carolina fans taking up for their idiot friend.

panthersguru said...

wow!!! you Saints fans really are stupid and moronic...it's not just a rumor.im sure i will get a reply as soon as I post this...of course I will,you idiots have nothing else to do in New Orleans..most of you dropped out of high school,and ar jobless so I am sure you have nothing else to do other than surf the web all day.But today is your lucky day,because school is now in session.lets look in detail at the Saints history.the saints started playing in the NFL in 1967,and didn't have a winning season until 20 years later..PATHETIC.the saints didn't win a playoff game until 2000......again,PATHETIC.The saints are 1 of only 6 teams in the NFL to have NEVER played in a superbowl.....PATHETIC.the saints LIFETIME record is 256-314-5....LAUGHABLE.the ONLY team in the ENTIRE NFL that the saints have a WINNING record against is TAMPA BAY....PATHETIC.Before the 2006 season, I could count REAL,TRUE SAINTS FANS on 1 hand...now you morons are all over the place,and can't even name the HEAD COACH, STARTING QB, OR STRONG SAFETY IN 2003....PATHETIC.the Saints bandwagon is just as ghetto as the city of New Orleans. Saints fan says " Hey...I am a life long fan of the saints....from WAY back in the Reggie Bush and Drew Brees days " the Saints clame to fame is Archie Manning,and Tom Dempsey and a 63 yard field goal? PATHETIC.school is out now morons...What did you learn in class today? how great the Saints really are? Or did you learn about the all time biggest laughing stock in the HISTORY of the nfl????

WHODATSAY?
WHODATSAY?
WHODATSAY?

Did eye spale PATHETIC wright??

Anonymous said...

wow, panthers guru....i can only imagine you are emboldened in your comments by all the super bowls you guys have won and the storied history and tradition of the Carolina Panthers

Anonymous said...

And during those "20 years before we had a winning season", who was it that you were cheering for, assclown. Tony Stewert? Or are you a Jeff Gordon fan? The only thing storied about either Carolina, is that they both suck, and at just about everything. And did you earn a degree in Guru, or is that just a title you thought would make you sound smart and cool? Go rent Days of Thunder and hang yourself.

Section123SaintsFan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

get riled up much about a sport you have never even played panthersg? Haslett was the head coach in '03. I win

Anonymous said...

Doctor Radical gives this lame attempt at humor and humilation 5 thumbs down.

Anonymous said...

TOTAL YARDS: Bush: 1234. Williams: 892. Factor in that Bush had a busted knee for half the year while producing more yards than Williams and the argument for Williams becomes null.

Anonymous said...

Half of Bush's yards are recieving yards. Thats not an accomplishment for a RB. If you compare total rushing yards and YPC Deangello is clearly the better back and its not even up for debate. The panthers, (except for under George Siefert) rarely ever get their RBs involved in the passing game. So unless Reggie Bush becomes a full time receiver then comparing total yards is really laughable because you have to rely so much on his receiving stats.

Anonymous said...

so you're saying it's good that the Panthers only have one dimensional backs?

Anonymous said...

It has nothing to do with being one dimensional. Its about the type of system that we run. You will never see a RB get 75 rec. in a ball control offense like John Fox runs. Even if it was Reggie Bush. Thats not the argument though. The fact is you spent $60 million and the #2 overall pick on a RB that is more effective as a reciever than he is a runner.

Anonymous said...

You say potato, I say pshitty one dimensional running back

Thunder Lips said...

Thats a pretty silly argument. Yards are yards and points are points. The Saints have no problems scoring points and the panthers have had problems the past season. Bush isn't what we thought he would be, but who really cares if he gets the ball directly from the QBs hand or if its a 5 yd swing pass. The goal is to move forward any way you can.

Anonymous said...

If Deangello was in your offense where RBs are more involved in the passing game then he would do just fine. He may not be quite the reciever Reggie Bush is but he is clearly the better running back. If I was a saints fan I'd be a little concerned that you gave up so much for a RB thats only been effective as a kick returner and a part time receiver. Its clear the guy is not an effective RB.