Now, I must say that in my many years as a professional sportswriter, I have come to understand the basic rules of the game, a primary one being that it is seldom possible to draw universal approval for something I have written. On some occasions there is universal disapproval.
In normal circumstances, when people take an opposing viewpoint, they may express themselves by declaring you an idiot, a fool, or perhaps a totally ignorant “@*%&#*.’’ You always can laugh that off. And, depending on the subject matter, they may actually have a legitimate point.
But what’s going on in the aftermath of the Patriots’ 45-10 triumph over the Denver Broncos and their celebrity quarterback is a very different matter. I didn’t vilify Tim Tebow.
All I said was that he looked more like the guy who couldn’t complete a pass in the month of December than the guy who threw some very professional passes against the Steelers. I contrasted Tom Brady’s first-half performance (five touchdown passes) with Tebow’s (3 for 10, 28 yards). And, oh yes, I said that I wished I had the vocabulary to find a word to describe adequately the depths to which the Broncos were “exposed.’’
I thought it was all quite self-evident and reasonable, given what we had just seen on the Gillette Stadium turf. The opportunity was there to be far more incendiary.
Tebow fans didn’t quite see it that way. Some thought I had somehow mocked him by never mentioning his name, jokingly referencing the enormous buildup to the game by referring to him as either (a) “the lefthanded quarterback,’’ or (b) “the lefthanded celebrity quarterback.’’
I must confess I’ve done harsher things. And apparently they’ve never read Shaughnessy.
The religiously oriented vitriol that has come my way was amusing. I guess, in some eyes, humor and spirituality can’t mix. Unlike these people, I have encountered some very witty priests, ministers, and rabbis in my time. There was even an objection to my referencing the Almighty as “the Man Upstairs.’’ I never knew that to be sacrilegious.
