Recent Comments by bperk

MLB Pace-of-Game Committee Suggests Six New Rules

I really am annoyed by all the fidgeting players do in and around the batter's box, often after every single pitch. I don't think it is the length of the game that is a problem, but all of the time wasting that happens between pitches. I endorse 1 and 3.

It happens in tennis, too. When I watch Nadal, I yell "just serve already."

posted by bperk at 07:16 AM on October 02, 2014

Roger Goodell Figures Out Domestic Violence is Bad

I'm glad this is finally happening though I wish it applied to Rice.

posted by bperk at 11:30 PM on August 28, 2014

The Statistical Case Against Miguel Cabrera for MVP

You can count and measure to assess value without saying that these advanced statistics should be your only source when deciding value.

posted by bperk at 09:16 AM on November 17, 2012

The Statistical Case Against Miguel Cabrera for MVP

Of course, Cabrera's entire claim to fame for this season is based on THREE SPECIFIC STATISTICS.

What does this mean?

Don't you think is matters that Trout had the benefit of hitting against pitchers that had never seem him before?

posted by bperk at 12:36 PM on November 16, 2012

The Statistical Case Against Miguel Cabrera for MVP

I don't believe statistics can measure everything that matters when it comes to the MVP, and I'm glad the voters didn't either. Cabrera moving from 1st to 3rd should not make him less worthy of the MVP.

posted by bperk at 10:01 AM on November 16, 2012

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

Okay, thanks. Now I understand. That's typical ESPN. That's how they treat sports they don't have a contract to air as well.

posted by bperk at 02:17 PM on November 14, 2012

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

Jay Glazer is unhappy with ESPN.

I don't get it.

posted by bperk at 10:08 AM on November 14, 2012

Mike Leach Faces Player Mutiny at Washington State

That was certainly a well-written going away announcement by Wilson. I hope he can continue his football career soon.

posted by bperk at 06:19 PM on November 12, 2012

SpoFi Holiday Giving Project: One World Futbal

I'm in.

posted by bperk at 06:15 PM on November 12, 2012

Golfer Disqualifies Himself 6 Days After Tourney

I'm with you, YYM. This stuff is foolishness more than sportsmanship to me.

posted by bperk at 02:44 PM on November 09, 2012

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

I went in blackface, as did one other member of our group.

Do you mean you darkened your skin a bit or do you mean some stereotype dark skin, big lip costume? If the former, not racist. If the latter, racist.

posted by bperk at 02:33 PM on November 01, 2012

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

The winner was wearing an Orioles jersey.

posted by bperk at 12:09 PM on October 31, 2012

"Worst. Uniforms. Ever."

I was just about to post the same thing. Whose bad idea was that?

posted by bperk at 02:57 PM on October 28, 2012

Thunder, Rockets swap big names.

I think it is unfortunate, but it is hard not to trust that Presti knows what he is doing here.

posted by bperk at 12:57 PM on October 28, 2012

MLB Post-Season Pick 'Em, World Series Edition

Sorry for my lack of spaces.

posted by bperk at 06:50 AM on October 24, 2012

SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle

Home - in high school. I remember being really freaked out when the live feed went out that something really terrible happened. I didn't live in a ground-shaking part of the country, so I thought the stadium might have collapsed or something.

posted by bperk at 06:50 AM on October 24, 2012

Marlins Fire Guillen After Only One Season

He was gone as soon as he said he loved Castro. Out-spoken is okay; tone deaf is not.

posted by bperk at 06:46 AM on October 24, 2012

MLB Post-Season Pick 'Em, World Series Edition

Detroit in 5 Cabrera 2 2:45

If Cabrera hits an intentional walk, does it count as an intentional walk? He did that with the Marlins.

posted by bperk at 08:17 PM on October 23, 2012

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

My choice would be Giants over Cards, and Detroit wins it all.

posted by bperk at 06:19 PM on October 21, 2012

SportsFilter: The Friday Huddle

There are a million different scenarios where Strasburg pitching makes a difference including with either Detwiler or Jackson helping out in the pen. If you take one of your best pitchers out for the post-season, it matters. I don't really see how this is a controversial statement. It's true that the Nationals offense didn't show up, but that makes the pitching even more important - not less important.

posted by bperk at 09:47 AM on October 14, 2012

MLB Post-Season Pick 'Em, LCS Edition

Detroit in 7

Giants in 7

Verlander

Lincecum

Beltran

posted by bperk at 04:25 PM on October 13, 2012

A-Rod Dropped from Starting Lineup

I'll take your word for it. Old man grum doesn't get that reference.

It is completely unfair that Canadians export their pop stars and then get to avoid them.

Has A-Rod suffered much adversity in his career? Might this be motivation before him or is he just old?

posted by bperk at 03:02 PM on October 12, 2012

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

Hey Bud, why is the Nationals' first home playoff game (or any playoff game, really) being carried only on MLB Network, a channel not even carried by the cable provider serving most of DC?

The game is on the local channel here. It is just the MLB TV feed, which seems pro-Cards to me.

posted by bperk at 01:49 PM on October 10, 2012

MLB Post-Season Pick 'Em, Wild Card Edition

Orioles in 5

Nationals in 4

Reds in 5

Tigers in 4

posted by bperk at 05:28 AM on October 06, 2012

MLB Post-Season Pick 'Em, Wild Card Edition

Atlanta by 2 Orioles by 3 Medlen Hamilton

posted by bperk at 07:05 PM on October 04, 2012

The SpoFi Fantasy Baseball 2012 crown goes to...

Thank you. This is my first ever SpoFi fantasy win, and it is apparently because I autodrafted.

posted by bperk at 06:57 PM on October 04, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

The replacement refs gave the Lions an extra time out at the end of the Rams game last week. It makes a mockery of good time management when you can't predict what will really happen with the clock. I guess it depends on what games you are watching, but the Rams/Redskins game was horribly officiated. I don't know how far apart the NFL and the refs are, but I think they have shown their worth these last two weeks.

posted by bperk at 07:59 PM on September 17, 2012

Cover Up At Hillsborough

Wow. The police immediately started plotting to blame the victims. That is so sad.

posted by bperk at 07:38 AM on September 13, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

In other news, Jeff Ireland in Miami is already on the hot seat. Apparently owner Stephen Ross thinks that a squad featuring a rookie QB and top receivers Brian Hartline and Devone Bess should be making the playoffs. I'm not sure if he realizes what division he plays in, but there are few people who probably think the Dolphins are the fourth best team in the division.

That roster is pathetic. I don't know how Ireland has kept his job this long.

posted by bperk at 09:21 AM on September 10, 2012

In Stadium Building Spree, U.S. Taxpayers Lose $4 Billion

You gotta love massive transfers of wealth to rich people. What a racket!

posted by bperk at 02:15 PM on September 07, 2012

"The At-Home Experience,"

Sports with intermittent action (baseball, football) are much better at home where the replays fill in information you might not have caught while watching live. (Of course, that only counts if you can tolerate the announcers.)

I disagree. As to baseball, at least you get to see what else is going on when you are in the stadium. TV gives you nothing. As to football, the constant replays just prevent you from knowing what is really going on and being a knowledgeable sports fan. How is the offense set up? Defense? Substitutions? We rarely get that information, which matters if you are more than a casual fan of the game. You get a quick second to see anything right before the ball is snapped if you are lucky. Radio does that better.

I haven't found a sport yet where at home is better, but the costs are such that I can make do at home.

posted by bperk at 03:48 PM on September 06, 2012

We Have a Race in the American League East

I love the AL East. It will especially be nice to see the Yankees continue their slide. This story does make me nervous because I don't want to get too excited and then see the Yankees turn it around.

posted by bperk at 05:25 PM on September 05, 2012

Greg LeMond smiles

If Lance Armstrong passed over 500 drug tests that was administered by WADA, I personally would be more interested in finding out why the drug test didn't work those 500 times than continue this witch hunt.

I agree completely. They should be trying to fix whatever it is they were doing wrong.

Welcome back, BI.

posted by bperk at 02:49 PM on August 24, 2012

Is there a racially motivated quarterback controversy brewing in Washington?

I can barely hear over the din of Panthers fans begging for benching of Newton, so they may witness the return of Clausen.

posted by bperk at 04:32 PM on August 21, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

I would be ecstatic if the NBA went away forever, not least of which is constantly being told I should play in it, because you know I MUST because I'm so fucking tall...

If I were as tall as you I would have played in the NBA because I am fast and have great moves. The only thing stopping me was my height.

posted by bperk at 09:42 AM on August 21, 2012

Tommy John Tears Strasburg Shutdown Plan

Why do you believe that this is some arbitrary number? The Nats did the same thing with Jordan Zimmermann last season coming off a Tommy John surgery of his own, and that has worked out pretty well.

Because there is no evidence that 160-180 IP is an important part in the health of a pitcher coming off Tommy John surgery. As yerfatma's link points out, the health of a pitcher is actually related to how many pitches he throws not how many innings. They don't seem to mind letting him go past 100 pitches in a game.

This is a playoff team for the first team since they've come to Washington. It is a big deal, and I just don't agree that they can risk shutting him down if they want to be successful.

posted by bperk at 07:17 PM on August 17, 2012

Tommy John Tears Strasburg Shutdown Plan

I don't see what is so valuable about the Nationals just picking some inning count out of their ass. And, the fact that they are willing to sacrifice the team winning and their playoff future with so little factual basis for their move is pretty stupid.

posted by bperk at 02:15 PM on August 17, 2012

SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle

A perfect game against the Rays again.

posted by bperk at 06:12 PM on August 15, 2012

Dolphins Dump Chad Johnson After Arrest

The teams that take these guys usually find out why the Patriots won't tolerate them.

Yeah, I bet the Raiders regret taking a chance on that bum Richard Seymour.

posted by bperk at 12:42 PM on August 13, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Did Caster Semenya tank the 800m?

It is shameful to suggest such a thing with zero evidence to back it up.

posted by bperk at 11:53 AM on August 13, 2012

Dolphins Dump Chad Johnson After Arrest

As someone who has seen the Basketball Wives show, she has started more than her fair share of fistfights (if there is even such a thing as a fair share). I don't get into blaming the victim, but her behavior on the show indicates that she is both hot-tempered and likely to engage in fisticuffs to deal with her temper. Still, he is a grown person and responsible for his own behavior and his own choice of partner. Good for Miami for choosing to use Johnson as a high-profile example of what happens if you embarrass yourself and the team.

posted by bperk at 11:45 AM on August 13, 2012

Honey Badger gets cut

Randy Moss got kicked out of FSU for failing drug tests. It worked out just fine for him. I hope Mathieu pulls himself together and finds success.

Rodgerd, they let kids join the military because they need warm bodies - not because they are mature at that age. I'm pretty sure none of the things you mentioned did any kind of maturity assessment.

posted by bperk at 07:24 AM on August 11, 2012

Lakers to Get Howard, Lose Bynum in Four-Team Trade

If Howard takes his "superman" act to LA there's no way the Lakers have any shot at winning a championship. He does what he likes when he likes and has proven he is ready and willing to destroy his team if he doesn't get his way.

Okay, that's the same crap Orlando was saying about Shaq.

but I hate Howard for all of this and am ambivalent on Kobe.

The main thing Howard did wrong in all of this was to agree to stay an extra year. I can't figure out why he did that because that dragged everything out even long. But, wanting to choose your own team when you are a free agent seems perfectly reasonable to me even if that means your soon-to-be-former team doesn't get much juice in return.

posted by bperk at 12:42 PM on August 10, 2012

SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle

No. He got all ball(s).

posted by bperk at 10:12 AM on August 09, 2012

Usain Bolt Will Get Man United Tryout

Don't a lot of college football teams raid the track team and vice versa? Obviously, they aren't as accomplished as Bolt, but it is not an uncommon thing.

posted by bperk at 10:11 AM on August 09, 2012

Turner Buys Bleacher Report for $175 Million

I don't know how they get themselves so high up in the google results. They also frequently appear in the News searches for google, even though I don't know why they would be considered a news organization.

posted by bperk at 06:25 PM on August 06, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Your Olympic body athlete match. Enter your height and weight to see what Olympic athlete you compare to.

posted by bperk at 11:58 AM on August 06, 2012

Trying their best to win at losing

But these players did, in fact, break the rules. They weren't trying to get an edge within the game, but by deliberately breaking the rules designed for fair play.

posted by bperk at 05:46 AM on August 02, 2012

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

NBC just did a promo for the Today Show revealing the winner of an event they haven't shown yet. They aren't even executing their plan well.

posted by bperk at 09:46 PM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

So grum is not your real name?

posted by bperk at 04:24 PM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

I have no idea who Rick Scully is

Scully is the member who posted the link.

posted by bperk at 03:41 PM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

That's what you're bringing to it. Look at the list of players above, they can't have all been too stupid. But for some reason they didn't get it.

Right, but to you that means the players didn't understand the offense, and to me that means that the Pats are having difficulty incorporating free agent WRs into their offense. At some point, it makes sense to look at what the Pats are doing wrong, no? Their other offensive players are not entirely made up of mensa candidates.

posted by bperk at 03:39 PM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

Aly Raisman's parents watch her perform the routine that got her into the finals.

NBC showed that last night. I think it was her uneven bars performance, not her floor routine. It looks painful for them, and that is with her doing well. Imagine what it looks like when she isn't.

In either case, how is that appreciably different from Bedard's question, "Plus, who even knows if Wallace can grasp the Patriots' offense?"

One is implying that he lacks the intelligence to understand the Pats offense.

posted by bperk at 02:46 PM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

So, it's an offense that is so complicated that only rookies and Moss can grasp it. Umm, okay.

posted by bperk at 11:39 AM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

NBC itself seems to show cycling, rowing, and archery during the day. CNBC seems to show boxing. MSNBC shows fencing and water polo. Bravo shows only tennis. I do like the dedicated sports channels. It would be cool if they could have more of those -- like a dedicated swimming and diving channel and a dedicated track & field channel.

posted by bperk at 11:30 AM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

They aren't showing other countries' athletes in prime-time. If you stay up really late or watch one of the sports on in the day, then you get to see the others. NBC is arranging things solely for prime-time ratings. It is baffling how badly they are editing it when it is time-delayed, so they have plenty of time to make it flow. That's what I didn't understand about the opening ceremony either. They had time to make their commentary not suck, so why didn't they?

posted by bperk at 10:23 AM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

What makes you (and Bedard) think they are failing because they can't understand the playbook rather than they don't get the timing right with Brady? Perhaps the depth is affecting the number of reps necessary to get timing right between QB and WR? It can't possibly be something the Pats are failing to do with regard to free agent WRs, I suppose.

posted by bperk at 10:17 AM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Monday Huddle

That took me a minute to figure out why the guy was an idiot because I wasn't seeing it. Yes, it's interesting that Bedard had zero support for his contention that Wallace isn't smart enough, but he didn't backtrack anyway.

posted by bperk at 08:05 AM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

NBC excised the 7/7 London terror bombing tribute from their coverage of the Opening Ceremony. They replaced it with an interview of Phelps.

They got rid of a dance sequence immediately following the tribute as well maybe because they thought it was part of the tribute. Additionally, their commentary of the opening ceremony was incredibly negative.There are no words to explain how awful NBC is doing.

posted by bperk at 07:57 AM on July 30, 2012

SportsFilter: The Sunday Huddle

I'm having trouble avoiding all the news, so I keep seeing Olympic results before NBC feels like showing us the event.

posted by bperk at 04:43 PM on July 29, 2012