Bostonist: Sports Redux: Just Win and Hope For The Best, Baby

Kerry Skemp

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 11:54:58 -0500

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lie%5B4%5D lie Function: noun Etymology: Middle English lige, lie, from Old English lyge; akin to Old High German lugī, Old English lēogan to lie Date: before 12th century 1 a: an assertion of something known or believed by the speaker to be untrue with intent to deceive b: an untrue or inaccurate statement that may or may not be believed true by the speaker 2: something that misleads or deceives 3: a charge of lying since we don't know the answer for sure, i'd say that asserting brady's career is over is at least misleading.

Rick Sawyer

Thu, 18 Dec 2008 10:52:12 -0500

Ah, the difference between a "lie" and "bullshit." You learn something new every day on the internet.

dmjossel

Wed, 17 Dec 2008 23:37:22 -0500

if you read on the Internet that Tom Brady's knee injury was permanent and he's never coming back, it's a lie. The unnamed orthopedic surgeon who pronounced Tom finished hasn't cited his sources, and the Pats and medical people were quick to rebut. It's only a lie if the person who said it knows for a fact that it's not true. Frankly, right now, nobody knows whether Brady is done or not, and nobody will know until he plays a game. Even that won't be a final answer, since he could endure complications that would affect his career, or shorten it, even if he does manage to ever play again. What I think you mean to say is that the report does not come from a credible, knowledgeable source, that it may be wrong, or that it is not definitive. About the only thing that can be said is that it is not true that the organization has officially announced that Brady's career is over, because they haven't announced that. This is entirely separate from the fact of whether his career is, in fact, over, or whether it will end as a result of this injury and the complications that followed it. However, that's distinct from a lie. The statement may not even be wrong-- and in fact it is likely the Patriots would deny it even if it were true, for obvious reasons.

VinF

Mon, 15 Dec 2008 15:44:12 -0500

Phil Jackson has no class. Go Cowboys!