- 09:33 PM
- 12/21/24
For the mathematically challenged out there, that's 6 points every minute, or roughly one touchdown every 1.2 minutes. Maybe it's time to institute a mercy rule....
posted by cybermac at 03:01 AM on October 31, 2007
Little resigns, but no absolute, 100%, definitive word on Torre. Oh, man would I love this, especially if it influences Rodriguez. Frankly, though, most of the L.A. sports franchises haven't given their fans much reason to celebrate lately.
posted by cybermac at 08:39 PM on October 30, 2007
Hmmm. Maybe the stats don't tell the whole story all the time. Carefully there, Weedy, or The Mighty Grum shall smite you, leaving nothing but a... uh... smoking pile of, um, weed.
posted by cybermac at 12:28 AM on October 03, 2007
Wow, good read, thanks. MLB may not be in this guy's future, but I bet he could fall into journalism pretty easily when the minor league thing winds down.
posted by cybermac at 04:01 PM on September 05, 2007
OK, I wasn't imagining it, but I may have misunderstood it slightly (from the recap): The FBI first contacted the NBA on June 20 to talk about a referee alleged to be gambling on games, and the two sides met on June 21, Stern said. Donaghy resigned July 9. "Suffice to say, we would have liked to have terminated him earlier, but our understanding was the investigation would best be aided if we did not terminate Mr. Donaghy," Stern said. You could interpret that as meaning the FBI waited until June to inform the league of the investigation so as not to jeopardize it. Of course, this all assumes Stern is being straightforward, which might be a big, unfounded assumption....
posted by cybermac at 12:17 PM on July 24, 2007
I was listening to the press conference this morning, and I thought I heard Stern say they wanted to fire Donaghy earlier, but was told not to by the FBI. Did anyone else hear the same thing? If so, that would explain why he was still officiating -- they wanted to avoid a tip-off.
posted by cybermac at 11:55 AM on July 24, 2007
I'd be more impressed if he wasn't turning 28 this year. Still, if he avoids major injury and shows some longevity, he could easily have six or seven hundred in his career. By the way, why did he start so late? According to Wikipedia, the Phillies didn't need him right away because of Jim Thome.
posted by cybermac at 11:06 AM on June 28, 2007
Well, I don't claim to be an expert, but hockey doesn't seem to generate much excitement around the area (I lived in SoCal for 20 years, up until December). Don't get me wrong, I know a couple of loyal Ducks fans, and I'm sure they're just beside themselves. But on the whole, not so much. Even in '03, during the Ducks last run, it wasn't exactly plastered all over town (Perhaps this year was different). My point is that SoCal doesn't have a great history of supporting their hockey teams through the bad & the good. And even if it's true that half of the population is from the areas you suggest, don't many of them already have their loyalties to teams other than the Kings & Ducks?
posted by cybermac at 12:12 PM on June 07, 2007
The Stanley Cup in SoCal! Ya gotta love hockey! The saddest part is that Southern California probably doesn't even deserve it -- certainly not as much as better hockey cities. This morning, Angelinos are waking up with their newspapers saying "Oh, hey the Ducks won the.... Aw, man, the Dodgers and the Angels lost yesterday? Jeez! Hmm, I wonder if Kobe's made an ass of himself yet today...."
posted by cybermac at 11:29 AM on June 07, 2007
Wow, The Cup has led a far more interesting life than I. Depressing. Cool read, though. Thanks Tommy.
posted by cybermac at 03:16 PM on June 05, 2007
Looked good right up until the "Bad News Bears" reference. I don't think that counts ;-)
posted by cybermac at 01:32 PM on June 02, 2007
Cybermac, only you can say definitively if the word "gangster" would have flowed so easily from your keyboard if we were talking about Brett Myers, but in a community that maybe isn't familiar with your personal broad definitions of words it's best for your own sake and that of the community that you recognize which ones are racially charged by nature and put those away. Advice to be taken or left as you will. I see your point. Sorry for the misunderstanding (and derailing the thread). Honestly, I didn't think of the words I used as racially charged. I think of gangs in criminal terms, not racial ones. Whatever his race, Dukes' words to his wife sounded like the kind of vicious disrespect for human life that I associate with gang violence, having been around it quite a bit in my youth.
posted by cybermac at 03:39 PM on May 24, 2007
I didn't mean gangster as in a street gang member. I meant gangster as in someone who uses fear and intimidation to get what they want.
posted by cybermac at 02:34 PM on May 24, 2007
It's not about race, Weedy. It's about someone who is having problems with their spouse using threats of violence against children as a manipulation tool. That's terrorism and a gangster mentality.
posted by cybermac at 02:17 PM on May 24, 2007
Spot on, THX. Threatening a woman, especially your wife, is awful. But threatening kids is just sub-human, whether they're his kids or not (it sounds like they aren't). If the story has the facts straight, this loser needs to be put away. MGDADDYO, I have to disagree. A thug is a thug, as they say. The streets are full of gang members who've never been coddled and catered to, but have the same mentality nonetheless. Conversely, plenty of athletes who go through "the system" turn out quite respectable. I think you're describing the effect, not the cause. The thugs screw up, because that's what they do, and they'd do the same stuff whether they were playing baseball in college or selling crack in Compton. The "untouchable" status as an athlete might further ingrain this attitude, but the prisons full of career criminals tell me that you don't need to be an athlete to think you're above the law and society.
posted by cybermac at 03:18 AM on May 24, 2007
I hope for this bozo's own safety he doesn't try that crap when the Padres and you-know-who come to town, or his wife is likely to find him lying in a pool of his own intestines. For the record, I feel compelled to defend the great sports city of Los Angeles and strongly denounce our jockstrap-waving friend as an embarrassment who is certainly not a typical Angelino fan..... Aw, forget it. I can't even write that with a straight face.
posted by cybermac at 01:54 AM on May 16, 2007
D'oh. I looked at the first two tables and thought "How the hell can the Lakers be #7 on offense and #10 on defense?!?!?!" And then I saw the dates.... Interesting how much things change as the season progresses. The projected West standings were pretty close (all the right teams at least, if not the rankings), but the East changed drastically.
posted by cybermac at 01:16 AM on May 16, 2007
Hmmm, same way he found 12 people to acquit him?
posted by cybermac at 03:23 PM on May 09, 2007
Related story: this woman says she patented the idea in 2004 and IMG expressed no interest. Now she's suing them.
posted by cybermac at 12:07 AM on May 04, 2007
It just seems like someone in the front office should've known something was up. "Mr. Cashen, are you aware our bat boy is driving a nicer car than Keith Hernandez? And he's been wearing lots of gold chains and fur coats for some reason...."
posted by cybermac at 12:46 AM on April 28, 2007
That is some fantastic journalism right there. The Onion is my hero. Speaking of Inalienable Rights and Uncle Sam and Apple Pie, if enough people wrote their Congresspersons about the travesty that is Barry Bonds, couldn't they form a Subcommittee on Professional Sports Records to make something like this actually happen? Seems like a matter worthy of a Constitutional amendment to me. After all, where else should my tax dollars go to work?
posted by cybermac at 12:21 AM on April 28, 2007
Oh, I see, cuz the title just says "First Round Predictions" and so it could be, like, the first round of the NFL draft, and so people might be confused if they don't actually read the post, especially since football is really the only sport worth even talking about and so of course all sport-related commentary must revolve around it. And then we all have a good chuckle. Ha ha! [sigh] Now I'm just sad. It's not that hard, people. Really, it's not. So anyway.... Most of the picks were no-brainers. I think I disagree on the Heat/Bulls series. Defending champs or not, the Heat look much weaker than they did last year, and Chicago looks quite a bit better (and yes, I'm posting this after the first game was played, but I thought the same weeks ago; all 3 Central teams look like they will make it out of the 1st round).
posted by cybermac at 12:05 AM on April 22, 2007
Uh, yeah, I think I know what your trying to say, breezy. Let me just fix that up for you there: Ok, about that whole top 1o hardest things to do in sports on SportsFilter...its totally wrong. Im sorry but if you really think about it, gymnastics reading the article and posting on-topic is clearly the hardest sport skill. Any person can put a ball in a hoop, or throw a ball, or hit a ball with a bat, or run, ride a bike, and learn to pole vault make profane, judgmental, prejudicial, downright dumb, or even witty comments in about a weeks time a few seconds time...maybe they wont be great at it, but they can do it...gymnastics complete irrelevancy however, if you are not great at doing a certain skill tuning out the conversation around you...you will die or break your neck end up saying something related to the discussion at hand....... that's all I have to say about that Thank you for your insight, Forrest.
posted by cybermac at 02:26 AM on April 06, 2007
Very cool. His hand-switching motion reminds me of Jim Abbot (wish I could find a vid). I'd like to see him make it up to the majors, if only for the novelty.
posted by cybermac at 01:34 AM on April 06, 2007
Oh, sure, easy to pick on the guy missing home plate by 20 feet. But how do we know the problem wasn't Davis' pitch selection?
posted by cybermac at 01:17 AM on April 04, 2007
Nevermind. The Forbes article linked from the OP answers my question.
posted by cybermac at 11:13 AM on January 31, 2007
A thermometer that you swallow? Interesting. But then, how do you get it.... ohhhhhhh, right, nevermind. I think it's great that they're taking responsibility for environmental impact, especially with the number of people that attend a football game (compared to basketball or even baseball). But can anyone enlighten me on what these "certificates" are and how they "offset the amount of carbon generated"?
posted by cybermac at 11:05 AM on January 31, 2007
Iverson's never been a high-percentage shooter, but maybe with some of the defense's attention on Melo, he won't need as many shots to get his points. I think at this stage in his career, he really just cares about not losing. If not, it'll be Kobe v. Shaq all over again. As far as the Sixers go, putting a true PG like Miller into the lineup might accelerate the development of some of those young guys King's bet the farm on. Season's already pretty much lost anyway, might as well get them all the PT they can and hope for that top pick in July.
posted by cybermac at 05:59 PM on December 19, 2006
You're way off here sir. How about if they switched from PC to MAC, then said you can continue using your mouse, but we're reversing the buttons (right click now = left click),so you asked why (thinking there was some kind of money saving issue behind the switch), then they said, "no reason at all, we're just switching". This is the closest analogy in this thread to what's been done, except the "manager" in question didn't say "no reason", he said, "we think it's a better computer". And speaking as an experienced computer professional who doesn't have Mac experience -- if my company handed down that directive, I would have about two week's worth of training/adjustment/practice before I became productive again. Not "power user" productive, but I could do my job with a semblance of the same efficiency. Some of the details are different, but fundamentally, it's the same equipment. These are professional basketball players, people who have been on the court for most of their lives. No one's told them to play with a cube or hit the ball with their head. Minor equipment variance, same game. Stern has said the players will adjust, and so far, empirical evidence suggests they have. Comparing this year's numbers (through about 18 games) to last year's shows: individual FG% slightly up, TO's/G right around the same, Assists/TO slightly better, team scoring slightly down, but team FG% slightly up. Yes it's early in the year, but from what I see, the ball is just different, not worse. The players may not like it yet, but they've adapted like true professionals, and at the end of the year, the stats may even show slightly improved play.
posted by cybermac at 01:51 PM on December 03, 2006
u = 21st letter of Latin alphabet you = "the pronoun of the second person singular or plural, used of the person or persons being addressed, in the nominative or objective case" ur = "ancient city in southern Mesopotamia, located near the original mouth of the Euphrates and Tigris rivers on the Persian Gulf and close to Eridu" your = "possessive form of you" you're = "contraction of you are" And I don't think I was carrying your argument to an extreme - I was merely following it to its logical conclusion. Someone's being a "paying fan" does not give them license to act outside of social norms.
posted by cybermac at 02:15 PM on October 12, 2006
She may be loud but if ur a fan of a certain team and u paid good money for season ticket, who cares what anybody has to say? Oh, a paying fan has the right to behave however they damn well please? I wasn't aware of this. That changes my whole outlook at sporting events, concerts, etc. Thank you, BornIcon for opening my eyes. By extension, then, that fan at The Palace had every right to throw his beer at a player. And that guy that came onto the field to take the ball from Favre last year, that's OK too. Just supporting their team, showing their enthusiasm for the game. It's all good because they were paying fans. And then I guess that other paying fans could express their annoyance at the obnoxious fans by beating them unconscious with their shoes? Right? Brilliant.
posted by cybermac at 12:59 PM on October 12, 2006
Continuing the legacy of Mookie Wilson and Vida Blue: 18. Boof Bonser!
posted by cybermac at 02:47 PM on October 03, 2006
I don't see the Yanks red hot now either. ... which sounds to me like a Tigers fan trying to find the silver lining ;-) Home-field was sewn up two days ago, nothing left to play for, Torre's just resting his guys. Take those last two meaningless games out of the equation and they're a very respectable 18-10 for the final month. The Tigers are 12-16, with motivation. I'm no Yankees fan, and the Tigers are a great Cinderella story, but, as Lord Vader once told me, "Don't underestimate the power of the dark side".
posted by cybermac at 12:47 AM on October 02, 2006
From Bud Selig's standpoint, an ideal postseason would see the Yankees facing the Dodgers for the crown, thus keeping the nation's #1 & #2 markets in for the long haul. With that in mind, let's trot out the "conspiracy theorist's" predictions.... - AL - A's/Twins: Twins in 4 Yankees/Tigers: Tigers takes a 1-1 series tie into Detroit when a freak accident involving the rain tarp and folding chairs decimates their team. Detroit is forced to cobble together a roster of of minor league callups for the final two games. Yankees in 4. Yankees/Twins: The night before the first game, 14 Twins, including Santana and most of the starting lineup, contract food poisoning at the New York hotel where they are staying (which happens to be owned by one of Steinbrenner's cousins) and are unavailable for the first two games, which the Yankess win by a combined score of 38 to 3. Yankees in 5. - NL - Padres/Cards: Padres in 3. Mets/Dodgers: Orlando Hernandez is "mistaken" for Pedro Martinez and given rotator cuff surgery. Dodgers in 5. Dodgers/Padres (the coup de grace): After the Padres take a 2-0 series lead at Petco, a joint sting operation by the MLB and the FBI reveals that the entire Padres organization is a front for an illegal PED ring. Selig calls it a "major breakthrough in the war on steroids", and reviles the franchise as a "blight on baseball and professional sports". Dodgers win by forfeit, though controversy continues to swirl next February, when it becomes clear that the evidence was planted by a former executive bent on revenge. Mark my words....
posted by cybermac at 12:20 AM on October 02, 2006
Only if there aren't any hookers available, chico. Or babies.
posted by cybermac at 10:48 PM on September 28, 2006
Weedy, I looked in my gut, but only found a half-digested pizza and a couple of ulcers. Apparently, the technique takes some practice. Oh, and the post was a cool read. Thanks.
posted by cybermac at 04:48 PM on September 26, 2006
dude, the good doctor was joking.
posted by cybermac at 03:53 PM on September 19, 2006
That has to be one of the shrewdest business deals I've ever heard of. Sounds like their children's children's children are set (unless basketball ultimately falls to poker & NASCAR). In 1982, after several years of cashing TV checks, the Silnas came close to accepting a new buyout. The NBA offered them $5 million over eight years, but the Silnas countered with a demand of $8 million over five. The league balked at that number, so the Silnas have kept cashing in. That seems so shortsighted. Was the league really so strapped for cash in the early 80's they didn't think they'd stay afloat paying out that much each year?
posted by cybermac at 06:23 PM on July 31, 2006
He's "accused" of playing ball like MJ? Is that a criminal offense now? Or is there just a social stigma associated with it? Do kids on the blacktop at school yell, "Ha ha! You drive the lane like Michael Jordan! What a loser!"?
posted by cybermac at 11:07 PM on July 14, 2006
Actually, the difference is that Ron's performance-enahncing drugs are legal.
posted by cybermac at 12:39 PM on June 30, 2006
Do you think there were a bunch of other gulls up in the rafters: "Go on, Fred. Do it! What are ya, chicken? Not like it's Randy Johnson on the mound." Oh, and the RJ video - priceless! Thanks, hooch. Just a puff of feathers!
posted by cybermac at 01:45 PM on June 07, 2006
Must be bad karma. Perhaps a reincarnation of Walter Johnson? I'd also like to know how the inning turned out. Just out of curiosity.
posted by cybermac at 10:43 AM on June 07, 2006
Well, if all went as it should, we'd be looking forward to another Spurs-Pistons snoozer ;) Fortunately, nothing in the playoffs this year has gone according to plan.
posted by cybermac at 02:01 AM on June 03, 2006
Despite being a Laker fan, I think it's pretty cool that someone other than the Lakers, Spurs or Pistons will take it all this year (first time since '98). It was getting a tad repetitive. And isn't this the first time in history someone with as strong a start as the Pistons got failed to at least reach the Finals? PS - ignore the comment above in response to other comments that were better of deleted anyway. And if I have no comments above, ignore this stupid PS.
posted by cybermac at 01:10 AM on June 03, 2006
Yeah, salt, those zero championships in Miami prove everything. And it's all because of Shaq. That Dwayne kid, Antoine whatshisname - those losers haven't done anything for the Heat. If you're going to shout, at least shout something intelligent and thoughtful.
posted by cybermac at 01:00 AM on June 03, 2006
And the grand jury testimony of bonds, of course. Can't forget that. Hear, hear. I'm tired of all this "Innocent Until Proven Guilty" rhetoric. "Innocent Though Proven Guilty" is more like it. Hero worship's an ugly thing.
posted by cybermac at 02:48 PM on June 01, 2006
I deduce that Truwriter is in fact the great Henry Aaron. Welcome to SpoFi, Hank!
posted by cybermac at 11:01 AM on May 25, 2006
Again, it's supposed to be funny. The article was more about Barry's personality and public image than steroid use. However, you allude to Palmeiro swearing before Congress that he never used steroids; what about Bonds swearing before a grand jury that he has taken steroids? Whether he knew what they were or not is irrelevant.
posted by cybermac at 10:14 AM on May 25, 2006
There's always at least one.... It's satire, folks. The Onion is satire. Nothing in it is real. Let's just get that out of the way now. Having said that, sounds like a good idea to me.
posted by cybermac at 09:45 AM on May 25, 2006
"Suffice it to say, there was quite a physical struggle in this and this individual was injured severely," he said. Injured severely? Yeah, he's dead. That's pretty severe. I'm going out on a limb here and predicting that this crack team of crime fighting professionals never solves this "mystery homicide". Inspector: Well, sergeant, that about wraps things up here. Sergeant: Tough case, eh, inspector? Inspector: Yeah, we've got two mysteries on our hands- who killed this poor guy, and why did he write "John Smith" on the floor in his own blood? Sergeant: We may never know....
posted by cybermac at 04:28 PM on April 11, 2006
Personally, I'm looking forward to May.
posted by cybermac at 04:42 PM on April 03, 2006
Methinks chico has a future in the music biz. Chico, could you write me a snappy song about my job to the tune of "Sound of Music"?
posted by cybermac at 12:33 AM on March 22, 2006
If you were earning $50,000 a year and your spouse bet a proportional amount of your salary as Janet Jones, you'd be out $385. Besides that, she probably has her own spending money. You know the royalties & endorsements are still pouring in from Police Academy 5.
posted by cybermac at 12:08 PM on February 13, 2006
Yeah, what rcade said :) In my own defense, sandman, I actually read it a few times. Besides what rcade mentioned, the statement "The gross number that should have been reported...", sounds very definite to me. I actually wasn't taking a shot at you personally, just making a point that there's a lot of judging going on, without a lot of facts. And even the facts we do have aren't damning of Gretzky himself.
posted by cybermac at 11:49 AM on February 13, 2006
Hmm, the reported facts can be summarized as "Wayne Gretzky's wife may have bet on some football games, and one of his co-workers is implicated as an organizer", but in here I see lots of "Gretzky's a scumbag and a liar", "Pete Rose of the NHL", and the like. Quite a leap. Maybe someone can post a link to their facts.... No? That's what I thought. Gretzky is not implicated in this, except by association. Also, if you read the article, you'd know that the bettors aren't necessarily in any trouble - it's the organizers of the ring they're after. "Strictly speaking, it is not a crime to place a bet, but NHL players would be violating league rules if they wagered on hockey games. There's no evidence of wagering on hockey, according to the former federal prosecutor investigating the allegations on behalf of the NHL." So until more facts come out that say otherwise, Gretzky's clean and y'all should stop with the bashing. Sandman, have you seen Jones' tax return? You know for a fact she did not declare her gambling income? Do you also expect her to report winnings from the Super Bowl (which she allegedly bet on and took place on Feb 5, 2006) on 2005's tax return? Might wanna think before you post, or word things a little more carefully. And Weedy's absolutely right. $100K to that family would be like me going to the ATM for a 20. Not really going to be missed. Besides that, it wouldn't surprise me if Wayne & Janet had separate bank accounts, accountants to keep track of it, file separate returns, etc. At that level of income, it wouldn't be hard to keep secrets like that. A lot of you are acting like it's so hard to cover stuff up. Haven't you people ever been lied to??? Or are you too naive to know about it? Enron's executives covered up billions of dollars in accounting fraud for years before they were caught. As grum said, if you aren't looking for something, you probably won't find it.
posted by cybermac at 10:16 AM on February 13, 2006
Not to stray to far off topic, but I have to say "fellated" definitely one-ups "hijinks".
posted by cybermac at 09:15 PM on January 24, 2006
But you gave it one anyway. I'll let the readers draw their own conclusions.
posted by cybermac at 02:03 PM on January 24, 2006
Besides, the cold stats are misleading. They don't take into account the position played, the surrounding talent, and the situation, such as last 5 minutes of the game. Saying Player A is better than Player B is almost always a purely subjective excercise.
posted by cybermac at 07:13 PM on January 23, 2006
Wow, pure conjecture stated as fact. Emphatically, no less. Fantastic.
posted by cybermac at 07:04 PM on January 23, 2006
Concern for Titans' Young prompts police search
That's pretty insensitive, Doehead. No amount of "Suck it up" or "Just get over it" will overcome a mental illness like depression (if Young indeed struggles with something like that). Would you take the same stance with Jay Cutler, who was diagnosed w/ Type 1 Diabetes this offseason? Depression and other mental ailments can be just as debilitating as a torn ACL, only harder to diagnose and fix.