- 08:45 AM
- 11/05/24
He's been playing some good ball this year. Assists numbers are way up and he's finally showing some deference to an overall offensive scheme. Sad to see him gone but hopefully it paves the way for a trade to Minnesota. Or something. I'm pretty curious to hear what's going on though. The Magic are mum but how much longer will Francis keep quiet?
posted by panoptican at 07:42 PM on January 12, 2006
It is afterall arguably the most important position in baseball. I don't think there is anyway that you can say a relief pitcher plays the most important position in baseball. If it's arguably anything, it's the least important position in baseball. The equivalent of a punter or kicker.
posted by panoptican at 03:28 PM on January 10, 2006
Sort of makes me wonder why Kirk Ferentz is getting more play.
posted by panoptican at 02:18 PM on January 10, 2006
Thank goodness. He can finish his degree anytime. The man is a professional athlete. He has everything necessary to make a lot of money in his profession. So go get 'em. Besides that, it would be unfair to all college football teams for him to return. He is way too good. I look forward to watching him on Sundays.
posted by panoptican at 02:38 PM on January 08, 2006
You read the guidelines, right? I'm guessing no. Or maybe you have an actual link to the story and you biffed it?
posted by panoptican at 01:03 AM on January 06, 2006
Besides that, the guy diving at his feet was a USC defensive linemen. Who the hell spys a guy like Vince Young with a defensive linemen? USC has some speed in the linebacking core and at safety. They should have had the fastest guy watching his every move. And since when is Bush not an everydown back? Sure, they use White in short yardage situations for the most part, but do we suddenly forget what the guy did this year? Take a look at all the second-half comebacks that USC made this year. Every one of them was keyed by Bush. He touched the ball four times in the second half. In the last eleven minutes of the game, after he ran for that amazing touchdown and seemed to show that he had his head back in it, he touched the ball once and that was on the second to last play of the game. I just don't understand the logic in this. White played a great game for sure, but White can't break a game open like Bush can. If you don't give the man the opportunities, you're really wasting a big chance.
posted by panoptican at 11:28 AM on January 05, 2006
Though I won't say it was the greatest game ever, I will admit I was wrong. It was a good game and it certainly met expectations. I was surprised by that.
posted by panoptican at 07:25 AM on January 05, 2006
After seeing a couple Vince Young games this year, the NCAA should declare it unfair for him to return. The guy is a beast. As for it being a great game? Meh. I don't know. It didn't have that feel to me. A good game for sure. Vince Young was marvelous but there was something about it that seemed off. Maybe the lack of defense. Maybe all the weird mistakes in the first quarter. Maybe the inevitability that Vince would score. Maybe it was Keith Jackson being clearly out of his mind. A few questions? Why wasn't USC playing for a scramble in the end? Was their anyone spying the QB? And what the hell happened to Reggie Bush?
posted by panoptican at 01:58 AM on January 05, 2006
Dang, should of searched first... A previous SpoFi thread that links to the first post regarding Wesley written at True Hoop. However, since then, Henry at True Hoop has seven posts regarding Wes and a Wikipedia entry has been created about the man. So there.
posted by panoptican at 04:48 AM on January 04, 2006
Also see the William Wesley category on the True Hoop blog. A fascinating mystery of a shadowy figure or just someone who likes his privacy?
posted by panoptican at 03:21 AM on January 04, 2006
I too am only just beginning to discover the world that is cricket. A difficult feat in Northern Minnesota with no television. It's actually pretty amazing going around the Australian news sites today. The man was of monumental stature. Not to mention mega-rich. Rest in peace.
posted by panoptican at 11:30 PM on December 27, 2005
Nah, few people watch it. Mostly it's a time for us to argue who's the best players. And then the game comes and then it goes and we read about it in the paper. The score exhibits a distaste for defense. I always think "Oh yeah, the Pro Bowl was yesterday."
posted by panoptican at 08:58 AM on December 22, 2005
Also, how about Nate Clements ahead of Ty Law. Law was pretty terrible when I saw him. Clements made me sit my fantasy receivers if they were up against him and rightfully so. That guy was shutdown.
posted by panoptican at 11:57 PM on December 21, 2005
Dude, skydivedad. I agree with almost all your snubs, but I have to take issue with that Rudi over LT point you make. Yards tells about 0.2% of the story. How many receptions does Rudi have? How many TD passes? How many touches does Rudi have? How many defenses change their entire scheme for Rudi? LT is pretty clearly the best in the AFC.
posted by panoptican at 11:55 PM on December 21, 2005
And how about some snubs? I say Keith Bulluck, Joey Galloway and Ken Lucas. What about you?
posted by panoptican at 07:16 PM on December 21, 2005
I voted for TO. I bet he received enough to play. Conspiracy I tell ya.
posted by panoptican at 06:58 PM on December 21, 2005
I'm no complaining so much as wondering. It's actually pretty entertaining. The Vikings are obviously the crown jewel to the bumbling. The T-Wolves have the best player in all the land and because their GM can't make up his mind about what sort of team he wants to have, KG's stuck watching TD collect rings. The Twins have done well for themselves these last couple years, I still have to wonder though why this GM is so obsessed with prospects to the point that he ends up losing the possibility of turning them around for proven veterans. And the manager, as far as a I can tell, doesn't know what the word "platoon" means. Gopher football comes so close to finally being something and then they fumble the punt (glad I'm not a big Gopher fan because that would have really sucked). I don't follow hockey too much, and yeah, the Wild have been pretty good so far so I'll leave that one aline. Like I said, I'm not really complaining. Certainly there are worse teams to follow. And I've followed them. It just seems like Minnesota teams come up with some weird ways to screw up. Ways I haven't seen before.
posted by panoptican at 02:00 PM on December 21, 2005
I've only lived here for a little over a year, but Minnesota sports teams are fucking weird. I just don't get 'em. How can they screw things up so badly so frequently? It's insane that this guy is still the coach. He should've been gone long ago. Yeah he's underpaid and his staff sucks, that doesn't change the fact that he's an idiot. Why would a man who was busted for scalping Super Bowl tickets (and talk about die-hard fans, the man is a football coach and he's selling Super Bowl tickets?) ever say a damn thing about ticket scalping? Especially something so stupid as, "Oh, maybe they needed a little extra cash for Christmas, I don't know, seems weird that our fans would sell their tickets though."
posted by panoptican at 06:41 PM on December 20, 2005
Aside from Odom, what do the Lakers have to offer?
posted by panoptican at 10:19 PM on December 18, 2005
Come on now RZA. Mentally off or not, when one of the top 10 players in the NBA says he wants to be traded, it's a big story. A trade like that could significantly alter championship possibilities for both teams involved. It's also a big story when that same player suddenly changes his mind. I'm thinking Indiana still trades him. And I'm really hoping it's to Minnesota.
posted by panoptican at 02:08 PM on December 18, 2005
Have you ever had a peanut butter and banana sandwich? They were meant to be together. Seriously, give it a try.
posted by panoptican at 05:49 PM on December 17, 2005
Yeah, I know. Dawn Magazine only just published this article though and it's the best I've read from the Pakistani perspective that presents the victory in a historical context.
posted by panoptican at 01:03 AM on December 16, 2005
Also, another take from the same outfit comarping only last year's seasons to some greats.
posted by panoptican at 09:15 PM on December 15, 2005
It's the internet Mike, people who use their real name are in the extreme minority. I don't see how it could be a mistake though, unless you suffer from paranoia. As to what's filtered, in theory, it's sports news, articles and sites of interest. Not users really. We like to think that we're a little bit more intelligent than the average sports site and actually that's true to some extent. There's a lot of good discussion that goes on (and hell, if you'd post more... there would be even more good discussion). But you can't really do anything about the idiots who post here. Sports forums seem to attract those sorts.
posted by panoptican at 11:30 AM on December 15, 2005
For crying out loud. Didn't you already get a non-linked FPP deleted?
posted by panoptican at 11:23 AM on December 15, 2005
I think Orza said that before the decision was made by the guvmint on the assumption that the Treasurdy department wasn't going to block Cuba. There'll be a Cuban team one way or another. Either Cuba will send a team or a team will be constructed of defectors. There's something like 100 Cuban players in the majors and minors.
posted by panoptican at 12:49 AM on December 15, 2005
Aw come on yerfatma, this thread is going better than most race-related threads I've read here (as long as you ignore maclmn).
posted by panoptican at 08:28 PM on December 14, 2005
The NAACP is what is mediocre, what they done of signifigance in the past 5 years? I'm pretty sure that this isn't the opinion of the NAACP but rather a man who happens to be the leader of an NAACP chapter in Philadelphia. In the past five years, the NAACP has done more to fight racism and discrimination than most. I'd hardly call that mediocre.
posted by panoptican at 07:59 PM on December 14, 2005
Personally, I think Paul Pierce is a really good comparison, better than Dirk even given the difference in defensive ability between the two. Plus Pierce has always had that knack for making really screwy looking shots.
posted by panoptican at 06:49 PM on December 14, 2005
Reggie Miller is pretty far from being close to Bird. Bird was a multi-dimensional talent. He could rebound, pass, handle the ball and defend. Miller clearly served one purpose, to put the ball in the basket.
posted by panoptican at 06:48 PM on December 14, 2005
Vazquez to the White Sox. They just keep getting scarier.
posted by panoptican at 04:45 PM on December 14, 2005
Does anyone remember reading an article from one of the NBA advanced statistical analysis sites that went through a bunch of players (they couldn't make comparisons to players who were around before 1970 I think) on the NBA's All-Time 50 and broke down the comparisons with present players? If I recall correctly, Dirk and Pierce are actually the closest thing to Larry Legend right now.
posted by panoptican at 04:10 PM on December 14, 2005
No kidding (though I wonder if tron7 is being sarcastic). And I love that Riley supposedly begged Van Gundy to stay. I doubt the coach will make much difference. It all hangs on Shaq, they go as far as he takes them. DWade + Shaq = Great. Either by himself = Not enough.
posted by panoptican at 11:52 AM on December 12, 2005
I agree with the sentiment RZA, but I gotta disagree on those percentages. Artest would start on 100% of teams. Detroit is probably the only team that it might be debatable.
posted by panoptican at 04:04 AM on December 12, 2005
I really hope the Red Sox sign him. We're going to be bombarded with Yankees/Red Sox regardless. It's going to be hilarious seeing how Red Sox fans justify his existence. I wonder how many people will disavow their allegiance to the Sox because of the signing? I'm particularly excited to see how Bill Simmons responds. God, so much good will come from this signing.
posted by panoptican at 09:26 PM on December 11, 2005
So I see the part about them beating Texas. Maybe I'm blind, but I can't find anything in the story that might suggest Duke being the uncontested National Champion after only 9 games.
posted by panoptican at 12:39 AM on December 11, 2005
Just a tad more research would have revealed to me that it isn't so viral afterall. Nike [warning: flash with more sounds and stuff] has page up already about it with all four of the TV spots. It's not clear though what they are advertising be it a new shoe or just the LeBron brand in general. [Further info found at YAYbasketball!.]
posted by panoptican at 05:10 PM on December 10, 2005
I totally couldn't care less about Shaq a few years ago. That has changed quite a lot. I can't tell you how excited I am that Shaq is becoming America's new superhero. Or I guess I can. Can't wait til he makes another movie, gets his own comic, and runs for president. The United States is a better place now that Shaq has decided to use his immense talents for good. What's up with the $1 a year salary though? Typo or is that for real?
posted by panoptican at 02:21 AM on December 10, 2005
owlhouse, maybe Yahoo will set a pick 'em game up? Have they ever in the past? Anyone know? A SpoFi World Cup Pick 'Em is definitely a must. /also realizes some responsibility, hopes no one notices...
posted by panoptican at 10:20 PM on December 09, 2005
I too am not very knowledgeable, but I know Italy is very good. I would think an argument could be made that they are the best in the group. Not so sure about Ghana. Guessing that's the easiest match for USA and that's their last one.
posted by panoptican at 03:13 PM on December 09, 2005
Ha. United States gets Czech Republic. Tough draw.
posted by panoptican at 03:05 PM on December 09, 2005
Ah! It's Heidi. About time.
posted by panoptican at 02:59 PM on December 09, 2005
So is this completely random, out of curiousity? First one I've paid any attention to. I thought there was some logic to the randomness.
posted by panoptican at 02:54 PM on December 09, 2005
It's on ESPN2 too. It reminds me of a gameshow. Maybe Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Or something else. I can't remember.
posted by panoptican at 02:53 PM on December 09, 2005
I know, I just wanted to check.
posted by panoptican at 07:07 PM on December 08, 2005
Should we be able to comment in deleted threads?
posted by panoptican at 05:54 PM on December 08, 2005
Nothing against the thread or anything, it would better fit into any of those others though rather than making yet another FPP about a baseball signing or trade.
posted by panoptican at 12:33 PM on December 08, 2005
Also see these still active discussions: http://www.sportsfilter.com/comments.cfm/5642 http://www.sportsfilter.com/comments.cfm/5638 http://www.sportsfilter.com/comments.cfm/5633 http://www.sportsfilter.com/comments.cfm/5630 http://www.sportsfilter.com/comments.cfm/5628
posted by panoptican at 12:32 PM on December 08, 2005
They'd rather you watch the games on the TV than on the internet.
posted by panoptican at 01:18 AM on December 08, 2005
And I was excited last year when CBS made highlights available. This makes so much sense that thinking about it makes my head hurt. I'll be interested to see productivity numbers for March.
posted by panoptican at 10:33 PM on December 07, 2005
Via The Sports Guy's Intern by the way.
posted by panoptican at 06:56 PM on December 05, 2005
Very well put sfts2. I couldn't of said it better.
posted by panoptican at 03:46 PM on December 05, 2005
English? Pish posh. I think someone must've posted a link to this really cool sports message board on some popular website. But instead, they used all sorts of numbers and shortspeak. I don't know that language though.
posted by panoptican at 01:17 PM on December 05, 2005
If there was someway to meld OJ's slashing, Ricky Williams's light-everythingness and Onterrio Smith's -inator ability... that would be the best back ever. Can you even imagine? Absent that though, I think I might agree on Bam Bam.
posted by panoptican at 11:39 AM on December 05, 2005
Looks like a community blog of some sort. Got to think about my team, I only have a decade or so of following baseball to draw from... that team looks pretty good though.
posted by panoptican at 11:32 AM on December 05, 2005
I have no idea who will win (and really I don't care)... the only thing I do know is that this better be a damn good game. I hate it when we get a matchup like this and it turns into a shitfest. If I were betting though, I'd say it'll be a blowout for someone. No way it meets expectations.
posted by panoptican at 12:48 AM on December 04, 2005
To be honest, I think the NFL fining CJ just adds to the entertainment. I get to see the replay a few more times plus we get to find out if Chad will defy his corporate masters and come up with something big on Sunday (completely ineveitable, but beside the point).
posted by panoptican at 12:45 AM on December 04, 2005
Alright, one last comment... add Gary Payton to that list of current players I'd consider. But that's it. Payton, Kidd and Iverson.
posted by panoptican at 01:38 AM on December 03, 2005
And that should be best year, no plural. Go me. Four comments in a row.
posted by panoptican at 01:34 AM on December 03, 2005
Top Naked People in Sports in 2005
There was a similar link posted a few months ago on SpoFi except it was better. Like top 100 or something. Anyone remember it?