- 06:10 AM
- 12/18/24
This news is about as surprising as Amy Winehouse's autopsy result.
posted by TheQatarian at 06:40 PM on June 07, 2023
Reading the story, this isn't one of those "he said/she said" situations, where he thought it was consensual and she didn't. All the evidence suggests that he wasn't even there at the time things happened, and the accuser being blackout drunk at the time things happened doesn't lend her accusation against him much credibility. There is zero evidence he was involved, let alone guilty of any wrongdoing. So yes, he absolutely deserves an opportunity after getting railroaded like this. It would be grossly unfair if he didn't.
posted by TheQatarian at 11:08 PM on May 22, 2023
As a Vikings fan, I only ask that Rodgers doesn't repeat the Favre cycle and end up with the Vikings next season. I'd much rather be developing a new QB for the future instead of doing the recycled QB thing again. And Rodgers is really unlikeable.
posted by TheQatarian at 06:42 PM on April 24, 2023
Slight tangent, but an interesting thought: Many people forget (or simply don't know) that Margaret Court actually took Bobby Riggs up on his challenge before Billie Jean King did, but she lost to him. How much differently would she be viewed had she won?
If she does, then King never faces Riggs and is likely much less famous in tennis history. Would the "Billie Jean King Tennis Center" exist? Court would have the 24 majors and might have also been the feminist symbol that King ended up being. Maybe she'd be more respected then?
posted by TheQatarian at 09:14 PM on September 05, 2022
Wait...we're arguing that women aren't fast and strong as men are? Society figured that out millennia ago, but because some people are now offended by facts, it's suddenly wrong to say that. *sigh*
That said, that argument has nothing to do with why the women shouldn't be paid the same as the men are. The correct reason is that the women don't generate anywhere near the same revenue that the men do. Basic economics doesn't magically change just because one group of people has ovaries.
posted by TheQatarian at 11:57 AM on March 13, 2020
Both of the controversial calls were correct -- Durant was fouled before he was shooting (though it was close), and he did grab Towns' jersey on the last play. I don't think Durant expected the ref to have the guts to make that call, but he did.
More importantly, the Warriors shouldn't have blown a 19-point lead to a depleted Wolves squad, made even worse by the fact that Towns was in foul trouble all game. They were also extremely lucky to make it to OT and come from behind in OT, mostly due to Curry just chucking it off-balance from everywhere and making it -- he's a fantastic shooter, of course, but he still had no business making half of those shots.
Basically, the Warriors deserved to lose that game, and blaming the refs is poor form.
posted by TheQatarian at 05:52 PM on March 31, 2019
Most of the contact on a punting play is at the line of scrimmage, whereas on kickoffs, most of the contact is from guys running at each other. The punt is a safer play.
I found this video to be quite convincing.
posted by TheQatarian at 05:55 PM on March 24, 2018
Good. Now get rid of the antiquated and pointless scorecard.
posted by TheQatarian at 08:01 PM on April 30, 2017
If PBS is de-funded, wonder if we'll see Oscar the Grouch courtside with Dick Vitale at Duke home games.
Oscar is paid by HBO now, so unlikely.
ESPN does get a bit social-justicey for my liking, but that's hardly the reason this is happening. Expenditures are too high, and revenue is down. The math isn't all that hard.
posted by TheQatarian at 01:59 PM on April 27, 2017
I believe the famous quote regarding Jordan was, "Republicans buy shoes, too."
posted by TheQatarian at 11:43 AM on April 20, 2017
That sucks. RIP.
posted by TheQatarian at 09:45 AM on September 25, 2016
I'm still trying to figure out how a law that says you don't get to pick what gender you are when you wake up in the morning can even be considered controversial, let alone reason to boycott anything. But such are the times we live in.
posted by TheQatarian at 10:24 PM on July 21, 2016
Say hello to Chip Kelly, Rex Ryan's new offensive coordinator in Buffalo
Reuniting Chip Kelly with LeSean McCoy sounds like a winning idea!
posted by TheQatarian at 05:09 PM on December 30, 2015
I have recordings of Scully and Johnny Bench calling the 1991 World Series. Scully's combination of joy and exhaustion in Game 7 is unmatched.
posted by TheQatarian at 10:57 PM on June 29, 2015
That was the first game I've seen them play since the Australia game where I thought they looked like a title contender. Would be nice to score a couple more goals, but they've been impenetrable defensively.
posted by TheQatarian at 11:45 PM on June 26, 2015
As a Twins fan, I remember Lonnie Smith pretty well. I was quite young for most of his career (I was born in 1975), so I knew he jumped around a lot, but didn't know why, since he always seemed to be pretty good. Now I know why. Thanks for the share.
posted by TheQatarian at 10:13 AM on June 20, 2015
I don't think Schilling's point is to get a Twitter mob after them as much as it is to put a permanent record of their asshattery on the Internet that will stick to them thanks to the magic of Google. That's more harmful than dealing with a Twitter mob, and I'm all for it.
posted by TheQatarian at 08:56 PM on March 02, 2015
May his spirit guide the team this season.
posted by TheQatarian at 10:49 PM on January 24, 2015
It's a low-risk signing. Maybe he can be coached up...no harm in trying.
posted by TheQatarian at 08:25 PM on July 30, 2014
While a lot of people were a bit deflated by the result, a 2-2 draw was still a very good result for the U.S., both in terms of expectations and tiebreakers.
The only real nightmare scenario now is if the U.S. loses to Germany, Ghana beats Portugal by 2, and then it has to be explained to every casual American sports fan how it is that Ghana would advance over the U.S. on a tiebreaker despite the fact that the U.S., you know, beat Ghana.
My only retort is, "FIFA awarded a World Cup to Qatar. Logic isn't their strong suit."
(For the record, despite my handle, I am not from Qatar nor affiliated with it in any way.)
posted by TheQatarian at 09:28 AM on June 23, 2014
I'm opposed to the Redskins' name. I'm more opposed to big government thought-policing.
posted by TheQatarian at 11:27 AM on June 18, 2014
Reminds me of this: What If Superman Played For The Kansas City Royals?
posted by TheQatarian at 11:38 PM on May 11, 2014
I find it amusing that the Packers are not really built for cold weather. Their only home playoff win in the Rodgers era was against an inexperienced backup QB (Joe Webb), and their only other cold-weather playoff win was against an even less-experienced backup QB (Caleb Hanie).
(Of course, I'm amused because I'm a Vikings fan who is sick of watching the Packers get every break when they need it, so there's some schadenfreude involved.)
posted by TheQatarian at 09:06 PM on January 05, 2014
Not that I'm dancing a jig about Rodgers getting hurt, but the Cheeseheads have had it way too good for too long when it comes to having a continuous stretch of top-notch QB play (except for Favre in the playoffs). It's time they get a taste of what other fans around the league have to put up with.
I hope Rodgers gets well soon and the Packers still miss the playoffs.
posted by TheQatarian at 04:14 PM on November 05, 2013
I seem to recall the Jaguars winning in Denver as a heavy underdog about a decade and a half ago. In a playoff game, no less.
Don't see that happening this time, though.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:25 PM on October 08, 2013
As a Minnesotan, I like that the Wild aren't constantly having to go to western Canada for divisional games. Tougher division than before, but much more logical geographically.
posted by TheQatarian at 05:05 PM on July 19, 2013
If anyone wants to complain about the lack of a foul call on Ginobili's drive, feel free to point out to them that he took about four steps before getting hacked. Two wrongs made a right on that one.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:53 PM on June 19, 2013
This is actually my hometown school, although I didn't go there. I would say that the videos fall under the category of a "regrettable mistake", but not criminal. Had he been distributing the videos, coaching his kids to do what they were doing, abusing them in some other way, or doing something lewd with the videos, it would be a different story. It doesn't seem that was the case here; so while he would have been smart not to record such things on his phone, he's nowhere in the same area code as the Sandusky stuff.
I feel bad for Hoffner, because he did get hosed in this situation. The article does kind of gloss over the fact that his successor took the Mavericks to the national semifinals in his absence, though, and I suspect that had as much to do with Hoffner's lack of return to the sidelines as anything. I believe that if the Mavericks had had a mediocre season last year, Hoffner would have been put back in charge.
The fanbase seems to be behind Hoffner (at least the parts of it that I know of), and many are upset that he's not the coach, despite how well they did without him.
posted by TheQatarian at 03:17 PM on May 27, 2013
Show me someone who picked Wichita State in the Final Four in their bracket, and I'll show you someone who either picked their bracket randomly or went to Wichita State.
posted by TheQatarian at 08:47 AM on March 31, 2013
There's way too much smoke for there to be no fire at this point. Of course, I didn't buy his suspension being overturned in the first place.
posted by TheQatarian at 07:24 PM on February 16, 2013
I agree that tennis and golf are not necessary for the exact reasons I stated. I'd also argue that the Women's World Cup is bigger than the Olympics, though the Olympics aren't necessarily an afterthought. I also think that given a few cycles, the WBC could prove to be a perfectly acceptable baseball world championship, thus obviating the need for it in the Olympics.
posted by TheQatarian at 07:18 PM on February 12, 2013
I think any sport where an Olympic gold is considered the pinnacle achievement in that sport should stay right where it is. There are sports where the Olympics are practically an afterthought compared to other events, e.g. soccer (World Cup), which are better candidates for elimination, IMO.
posted by TheQatarian at 05:57 PM on February 12, 2013
Harry Caray used to say that said play "went out with high-button shoes". Glad we can skip that nonsense now.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:55 PM on January 26, 2013
So how far will E!SPN and the rest of the sports media beat the "brothers coaching against each other in the Super Bowl" thing into the ground? I predict they will reach the Earth's molten core by Thursday.
posted by TheQatarian at 11:52 PM on January 20, 2013
There's probably a Timberwolves joke to be made here somewhere.
posted by TheQatarian at 07:21 PM on December 17, 2012
Well, he's also a quarterback, which I think has more to do with it. Defensive players have an uphill climb when it comes to the Heisman. I believe Manziel also got bonus points for going into Alabama and pretty much beating them single-handedly.
Congrats to Manziel, though. Seems like a good guy, and I'll be curious to see how he does next year.
posted by TheQatarian at 02:18 AM on December 09, 2012
One thing I haven't heard anything about with this: Have the Spurs (or any other team) ever been warned not to do this in the past or been punished for doing so? If not, then this fine is bogus.
A few years ago in the NHL, there was a big uproar in the playoffs about Sean Avery just standing in front of Martin Brodeur during a 5-on-3 power play waving his arms and paying no attention to the play, merely trying to distract Brodeur. Technically, what Avery did wasn't against the rules, but a lot of people thought it was cheap. The NHL didn't suspend him or penalize him in any way, but they did immediately clarify/change the rules to say that if that happened again, a player could be penalized.
That's the way this should have been handled. I don't think it's fair to fine a coach or team for doing something that isn't against the rules, just because it happens to upset the commissioner. If you want to make it against the rules, so be it, but make it so before doling out punishment.
posted by TheQatarian at 10:06 PM on November 30, 2012
It's actually multiple sclerosis, not muscular dystrophy.
My mother has MS, and it isn't fun. She was lucky in that she only got a mild form of it, and with medication, she can keep it from worsening. (She was diagnosed in 1987.) That said, she fatigues very quickly, and the MS opens her up to other afflications not usually associated with people her age; she developed pulmonary hypertension about 8 years ago, which is something that usually happens to active people half her age.
Not a disease I'd wish on anyone. I hope Harding can keep playing as long as possible, though this probably ends any chance of him signing a long-term deal anywhere. I'm sure the Wild will make sure he's taken care of, though.
posted by TheQatarian at 06:41 PM on November 29, 2012
Here's a link to the boxscore and some video.
Interesting thing from the boxscore: Grinnell's style is unique in that they do wholesale "line changes" much like a hockey team, so the minutes for each player are usually fairly balanced. However, Taylor played almost the entire game (36 minutes out of 40), so that points to the idea that the coach had this sort of thing in mind.
Another note on the Faith Baptist player (David Larson) who had 70 points: He did it on 34-of-44 from the floor, which is also impressive. The caveat (although I have no proof of this) is that given Grinnell's style, a lot of those were probably uncontested layups.
If people want to knock Grinnell's system, so be it. But it's a D-III school, none of the kids have any NBA aspirations (or scholarships), and it seems to be a fun system to play. At that level, that's the important thing.
posted by TheQatarian at 12:18 PM on November 21, 2012
That's just the way Grinnell plays. Seems to work for them, though.
posted by TheQatarian at 01:40 AM on November 21, 2012
As a Minnesota fan, I look forward to missing out on one or more of our traditional rivalry games (Iowa, Wisconsin, Michigan) annually so that we can play Rutgers instead. *shakes head*
(Yes, even if we don't often win those games, I'd much rather play them than a team I don't give a crap about that's on the east coast.)
posted by TheQatarian at 03:06 PM on November 19, 2012
While Loria is an awful owner and I don't really mean to defend him, there's another more fundamental problem here aside from him: Nobody in Miami particularly cares about baseball. Or at least not enough of them to justify building that stadium they just got.
It's time for another game of "If TheQatarian Was Commissioner": Instead of building that stadium in a market where people don't care about baseball, move the franchise to Vegas, a market that is sizable enough to support a team and would be happy to have one. Move them to the AL West, move Pittsburgh to the NL East, and you have six geographically logical divisions of five teams each. This would seem to be infinitely preferable to having a team in Miami that no one cares about playing in a stadium where the atmosphere is comparable to a Brazilian folk festival, and awkwardly moving the Houston Astros to the AL West.
But maybe that's just me.
posted by TheQatarian at 04:23 PM on November 14, 2012
*There's* a sign you have a gambling problem. Oy.
posted by TheQatarian at 01:33 PM on October 30, 2012
Count me among those who thought the call was atrocious. The point of the rule is to prevent a potential double-play by letting the ball drop, but there was zero chance of that occurring given how deep the fly ball was. If the left-fielder could have reasonably caught it, then it's not an "infield fly".
posted by TheQatarian at 06:33 PM on October 06, 2012
My contention all along was that it was simultaneous possession when they hit the ground, but the real beef was the missed offensive pass interference call. That said, being a Vikings fan, any Packer fan who wants to complain to us about a missed offensive pass intereference call on a "Hail Mary" is cordially invited to stuff it.
(For those too young or not versed in NFL lore to know what I mean, look up "Drew Pearson".)
posted by TheQatarian at 10:18 PM on September 26, 2012
On "the most blatant offensive pass interference ever", the 1975 Vikings would like a word with you about that.
posted by TheQatarian at 09:51 AM on September 25, 2012
Somewhere, Roy Jones, Jr. is asking for another recount.
posted by TheQatarian at 08:30 PM on August 02, 2012
The question is whether it is "cheating" to take advantage of a poorly thought out competition structure. I also wonder if they were aware of these potential consequences. Given what I know, I'd say it is complete BS that they got disqualified.
posted by TheQatarian at 11:29 PM on August 01, 2012
My view on this is that unlike most NCAA cases, everyone who did something to hide or cover this up is going to be subject to repercussions from the legal system, either via criminal charges or civil lawsuits. Those people will more than likely get what they deserve. Further NCAA punishment would simply result in punishing the innocent.
Of course, your mileage may vary.
posted by TheQatarian at 10:54 AM on July 18, 2012
Federer's consistency is pretty amazing. He'll lose from time to time, but he never seems to lose to a guy you've never heard of. Good for Murray for making it to the finals (it had been almost as long since a Brit had even done that much at Wimbledon), but Federer's consistency was too much.
posted by TheQatarian at 04:31 PM on July 08, 2012
As Ozzie Guillen once said about A.J., "When you play against him, you hate him. When he's on your team, you hate him a little less."
posted by TheQatarian at 06:15 PM on May 31, 2012
At least that one actually mildly qualifies as cheating, unlike a lot of golf's ticky-tack and/or antiquated rules.
posted by TheQatarian at 03:08 PM on May 28, 2012
Blowing up their horrible ownership would work better. They've been hiding behind the quaintness of Wrigley for years.
The Cubs changed ownership fairly recently, so I don't think that's the issue. The old owners (Tribune Co.) were more concerned about profits than winning. I don't get that from Ricketts so far.
I've been to every major-league park. Wrigley should stay around, but it definitely needs refurbishing because it is old and falling apart. Fenway, on the other hand, I would be more than willing to blow up. I'd support the concept even more if you filled it with Red Sox fans first, then blew it up.
(I'm from Minnesota, and I actually like the Red Sox to a degree. But I can't stand their fans. I've been to Fenway three times and been irritated by their fans all three times, so it's not an isolated bad incident. Yankees fans aren't a lot better, but at least they come by it honestly. I think it's more of a "New Englanders vs. New Yorkers" thing than it is a "Red Sox fans vs. Yankees fans" thing.)
posted by TheQatarian at 11:50 PM on May 16, 2012
It makes some sense to me. I think Florida State views itself as primarily a football school, and the ACC is definitely more of a basketball conference. It's not like geography seems to matter much anymore.
posted by TheQatarian at 09:41 PM on May 14, 2012
[Yakko Warner mode] "Wheel Of Suspensions, turn, turn, turn...Tell us the punishment he has earned."[end Yakko Warner mode]
Sometimes I wonder if that's how the number of games for each of these plays is determined.
posted by TheQatarian at 09:49 AM on April 22, 2012
I wonder if this is being spread by the Redskins to drive down his cost...
The NFL has a rookie wage scale now, so that's not the reason.
posted by TheQatarian at 09:39 PM on April 19, 2012
I'm happy that she stepped down of her own accord instead of battling on until it was clear that she was doing more harm than good. Aside from that, I echo everyone else.
posted by TheQatarian at 04:54 PM on April 18, 2012
PGA Tour Merges with LIV Golf, DP World Tour
As a non-golf fan, I don't care overly much one way or the other about this. But I'd like to know where all of the people moralizing about this now have been with regards to the NBA and China.