- 04:17 PM
- 11/05/24
If it weren't for that, the Padres wouldn't have gotten to where they did. Actually, if they didn't have the benefit of playing against the other weak teams in the NL West, they probably wouldn't even have broken .500. I'm getting pretty tired of the "Weak NL West" arguement. It may have been true last year, when the whole division struggled with injuries to key players, but not this year. Last time I checked, both the Padres and the Dodgers had a better record than the Cardinals in the regular season. Sure, they both lost in the first round, but shit happens in the post season. Just ask the Yankees... :) Take a look at the standings at the end of the season and you'll see that the NL Central was weaker - having had a losing record against both the NL East and NL West. Even the Phillies, who didn't make the playoff, were a better team than the division winner. Also, say what you want about the Padres and why they made the post season, but it wasn't by beating on their NL West rivals (39-36 record inside the division, owed mostly to their domination of the Dodgers this past season).
posted by CountZero at 01:59 PM on October 10, 2006
If I had to bet I'd put my money on Carpenter at this point, but I can't say I'd be surprised if a reliever gets the nod. And I mean Wagner, not Hoffman. I still think Hoffman had a (slim) chance before that back-to-back-to-back-to-back game against the dodgers. Both of these a product of the artificial nature of the "save". Sutter and Gossage played in a time when the bullpen wasn't so strict with the hierarchal setup of starter, middle man, setup, closer. To go back to the HOF discussion - I'm not disputing your assertion that they played in different times where roles weren't as defined as they are nowadays. What I am saying, however, is that Hoffman and Rivera can only pitch in those innings that their managers put them in. The game has changed (evolved?) to the point where guys do have the specific roles that you mentioned. If we're going to use our pitchers in these situations, we might as well acknowledge their greatness at fulfilling those roles.
posted by CountZero at 03:02 AM on September 26, 2006
If you are a fan of the "save", it's important to note that Hoffman has only led the NL in that category once before this year (now twice, if 2006 ends without a surprise). Rivera led his league 3 times, Smith 4 times, Gossage 3 times and Sutter 5 times. Yes, but Hoffman has 11 seasons with 30+ saves, and 8 with 40+ saves - both are MLB records. Which is pretty amazing, since you can only save as many games as those where you're handed the lead, and Trevor played for some abysmal Padre teams through the years. Rivera is at 9 30+ seasons and 6 40+ seasons and could still pass him. Smith has 10 and 3. Eckersley has 8 and 4. Sutter has 4 and 1. Gossage has 1 season with 30+ saves and none over 40. Do you think that with the lack of a prominent frontrunning starter in the NL this year Trevor has a chance to get the Cy? For the record - as a Padres fan, I'm naturally biased on the Hoffman for the hall question. :)
posted by CountZero at 12:05 AM on September 26, 2006
I can't help but think that anything that brings large numbers of Jewish spectators together in one place is just offering up a target. It's not as if Israel doesn't already have professional sports leagues, you know. Soccer and basketball were mentioned in the article...
posted by CountZero at 03:06 AM on August 31, 2006
Thanks, wc2k2! It'll come in handy the next time I try to explain the structure of the european leagues to american friends. delicioused.
posted by CountZero at 12:40 AM on February 28, 2006
Sounds like he might be headed to the NBA next year. After winning 3 European titles in a row (with 2 different teams), Europe doesn't seem that challenging to the guy anymore. I read somewhere (Sorry, don't have an English language link) that Portland was interested in him last summer but he said no to them. However, this summer it might be a different story, since he's no longer under contract...
posted by CountZero at 07:28 PM on May 09, 2005
Also from the article: I believe that basketball has replaced soccer as the most popular participatory sport in the world. Heh. Yeah, right.
posted by CountZero at 12:57 AM on April 19, 2005
Why not rename it "The Planet Earth Angels of Anerheim?" I understand those are large markets as well. Earth Angels? already taken (somewhat NSFW image in link).
posted by CountZero at 11:20 PM on January 03, 2005
Yeah, there are nationality limits in Europe, but they're not as draconian as they used to be before the Bosman Ruling.
posted by CountZero at 01:58 AM on January 03, 2005
Kobe's one three-peat and a whole lot of class short of being the next Jordan. I think we can quietly bury that whole "Kobe vs Jordan" arguement after Kobe's performance in this series, at least for a while. When Kobe *leads* a team to a few championships, and grabs a few finals MVP awards on the way, we can start having this discussion again, but for the time being the arguement should be changed to "Kobe vs Scottie" (a match that Bryant admittedly wins).
posted by CountZero at 04:21 AM on June 16, 2004
Can anyone beat the Lakers? One an only hope.
posted by CountZero at 03:11 AM on May 21, 2004
Would you say Anfernee Hardaway and Grant Hill failed? Yes. And with that, I don't think CWebb is the only one who should be blamed for (this year's) playoff failures. Peja did not show up for the playoff, having had to carry the team throughout the season (#2 in the league in minutes played this season). Bibby has not been consistent. I can't remember the last time Vlade had a good game. And the injuries, as usual, have killed us (along with stupid fouls - thanks a lot, AP!). When it was obvious that Jackson will not come back this season, is when I knew that the Kings will once again not fulfill their potential. All in all, if anyone has to go, Adelman is the man. He's had his chances, now it's time to let someone else try (although, I must say, it would be nice to get a season without major injuries).
posted by CountZero at 03:07 AM on May 21, 2004
I was a little peeved at first when the Padres named their new stadium petco park , but looking at the list I see it's one of the better corporate-sponsored names out there. At least you can have cool nicknames for it (some of my current favorites - Animal House, the Diamond in the Ruff, the Dog Pen, and the House Ruff Built). To play at the "Office Depot Center" or the "HP Pavillion" simply sounds dreadful in comparison.
posted by CountZero at 12:39 PM on May 08, 2004
Personalized marketing ideas for the MLB clubs are offered on page 2: Boston Red Sox: "A Fistful of Dollars" In this 1964 classic, a gunslinger rides into town and immediately escalates the battle between two warring factions in an effort to get rich off the blood feud. Hey, did you see the dollar figures in Curt Schilling's contract?
posted by CountZero at 01:43 AM on May 06, 2004
I love the olympics, and I really enjoy watching the swimming contests, but I never quite understood the purpose of the different styles. As far as I'm concerned, you should be able to swim in every style you desire, as long as you're the first one to get to the other side. I mean, it's not like we have the "100 meter backwards dash", or the "200 meters hopping on one foot" when it comes to track and field...
posted by CountZero at 01:24 AM on May 06, 2004
Israel has been playing basketball in Europe for a long time (at least the sixties, if not even before). As for soccer, they started playing in Europe only a little over a decade ago. Before they got accepted to European soccer the national team had to play against the likes of Australia and New Zeland in world cup qualifiers, since it's not that easy to organize a game between Israel and its Arab neighbors. So the switch to Europe seemed to make more sense than travelling halfway around the world.
posted by CountZero at 03:37 AM on May 04, 2004
Thanks for the nice welcome, all. Been reading y'all for a while and thought it's time to start putting my two cents in (and what better way than with your team winning a championship?). oh, and jasonspaceman - who would have thought it'd be a Dodgers/Padres battle for first place before the season started?
posted by CountZero at 04:28 PM on May 02, 2004
The rules in the Euroleague follow the general FIBA rules for international basketball. The biggest difference is probably the fact that the game is indeed shorter - 40 minutes divided into 4 quarters (Until a few years ago it used to be two 20 minute halves, as in college basketball). Due to the shorter game, players can only commit five fouls before they're out, instead of the NBA's allotment of six (Oh, and technicals count as regular fouls, so you better watch your mouth...). The 24 second shot clock is also a relatively recent addition, having been a 30 second clock until recent years. The rule change has caused the games to have more posessions, resulting in higher scores (a couple of memorable finals games from the 90s ended with the whopping scores of 59-55 and 58-44). There are many other subtle differences that influence the game mechanics - players can't call for time outs, smaller 3 point arc, clock doesn't stop after a basket is scored, to name a few.
posted by CountZero at 05:37 AM on May 02, 2004
MLB Suspends Umpire Winters for Remainder of Season
I have to wonder if this is just the first step. Something had to be done quickly, as the same umpiring crew will be officiating the series between the Padres and the Brewers this coming weekend.