SportsFilter is a sponsor of Ben Saunders's Scott Antarctic Expedition 2011-2012: About three years ago, I put up a 100 bucks in SportsFilter's name for Saunders SOUTH expedition (unpowered walk from Antarctica to the South Pole and back) in 2008. When that was postponed, I was offered get a refund but chose to maintain the donation for the expedition, whenever it occurred. I've been keeping tabs since then and just discovered that SOUTH is now the Scott Antarctic Expedition 2011-2012. We're a sponsor for Mile 27, which means that SportsFilter's name will be printed on the team's sledges and the flag that will be planted on the South Pole, and the front page of the expedition site will display the SportsFilter name on the day that the team is on mile 27 of the 1800-mile journey. Second time lucky?

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 05:54 PM - 4 comments

Mo' bugs, Mo' problemz.: Just some functional and usability stuff I'm seeing as I get back into using the site.

posted by worldcup2002 to bugs at 01:29 PM - 23 comments

Ben Saunders's North expedition ends early: "The main bolts which attach the binding of Ben’s boot to the skis have sheered off and the degree of damage is beyond repair. The unprecedented, appalling conditions of the ice, coupled with Ben exerting his absolute maximum effort to achieve the speed record, have clearly impacted this crucial equipment failure. As a result, and coupled with the current ice conditions in the Arctic Ocean, Ben is unable to continue without his skis on this high speed light weight expedition." He does say that he's already preparing for his next expedition which, fingers crossed, will see SpoFi's name up on the ice somewhere on the way to the South Pole.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 12:39 PM - 10 comments

Kudos on the good posts today (March 4).: I wanted to commend the masterful posters today who brought not just beautiful links but posted them with brevity and beauty. Look at the spareness of those five links (as of this locker room posting) today. It's almost like a Zen garden. Ommmmm....

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 09:19 PM - 6 comments

Freaky Friday, courtesy of the Guardian.: Fun sports video clips galore. Enjoy.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 12:52 PM - 1 comment

An update for SOUTH (for which we are sponsor 27): From Ben Saunders (SpoFi member), who plans to make the first return journey to the South Pole on foot, comes this expedition update. Details inside.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 01:02 PM - 2 comments

Freakin' (Early) Friday.: Holy moly. You won't want to miss what I got for you. Inside.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 11:45 PM - 16 comments

How would NFL look like EPL season?: chico's column (and ensuing comments from other SpoFites) had me wondering how we could make this work.
1. How would you crown an all-NFL champ from league play alone? What would that league season look like?
2. What would the FA Cup look like in NFL play? Is it the Super Bowl or something else? What would you call the cup? How would this in-season tourney work out? What teams could play?
3. League Cup? I don't think we need this, given 1. and 2. How about you? How would you make it work.
4. Charity Shield = League champ vs FA Cup champ. Nuff said!

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 11:20 PM - 9 comments

Video delights:: Classic YouTube from the Guardian includes a clip of my favorite Liverpool strike duo, Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush, and this stunning clip of Holland's 1988 World Cup goal vs England that took 24 touches end to end from the Dutch without any England intervention.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 08:20 PM - 6 comments

Shocker Sunday!: London derbies end in upsets. Hammers nail Arsenal 1-0, and lead to Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger almost coming to fisticuffs with West Ham manager Alan Pardew. Meanwhile, Spurs slice champions Chelsea 2-1 (where's my oxygen!) and England captain Terry gets sent off in the process. Revelry inside.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 12:13 PM - 14 comments

Volley of the week:: Footie keep-up ... on a beach ... in bikinis ... with Brazilian background music. Heaven.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 07:51 PM - 29 comments

Volleys of the week.: Just had to point out Crouchie's stunner against Galatasaray and then Van Persie's killer strike against Charlton on Saturday.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 03:59 PM - 16 comments

Today's posts are the cleanest I've ever seen.: There a lot of links, but they look so clean because the accompanying descriptions are short and sweet, perhaps the best-edited descriptions that one day of posts can boast. I'm cracking open a can of hyphy juice to y'all, Spofites.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 05:48 PM - 34 comments

Pattern Language for Moderation Strategies: Cory Doctorow's notes on Clay Shirky's speech at eTech. Thought it might give some food for thought for the Pantheon and other moderation-inclined geeks. Non-geeks move along, nothing to see here.

posted by worldcup2002 to editorial policy at 03:55 PM - 6 comments

***SPOFI LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEW #30*** yerfatma:: "Bit busy at work, but when has that ever interfered?" Wrapping up the 2-0-0-5 with interview #3-0, the mother of all interviews, with yerfatma.

posted by worldcup2002 to interviews at 02:46 PM - 0 comments

***SPOFI LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEW #29*** terrapin:: "I'm around now for the next few hours before we head over to watch the Steelers v. Clowns game." Grab some eggnog and join me for a virtual fireside chat with our favorite amphibian. Come out of your shell, terrapin.

posted by worldcup2002 to interviews at 09:45 AM - 0 comments

terrapin, I owe you an interview.: danostuporstar nominated you when I interviewed him yea so many moons ago. Let's see if we can't squeeze in one more Locker Room Interview (#29!) before 2005 is through. Are you game?

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 10:26 PM - 0 comments

SpoFi 2005 Awards.: Have we done this yet? Best post/thread? Best comment? Most likely to become Pantheon? Make up your own and pick a winner! (Separate LR threads for each would be cool, too.)

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 01:28 PM - 0 comments

Can Everton pull it off?: Bottom team Everton have just kicked off the 2nd half with a 1-0 lead over defending champions and leaders Chelsea. With vociferous home support and a five-man defense, can the Toffees break Chelsea's 100% record? Or will it end poorly as it did for Bolton, who were in the same position last week, and then got crushed 5-1?

[brought to you by the EPL Fantasy League Boot the "Unknowns" Vote - managers, vote now!]

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 11:17 AM - 0 comments

IDentify Yourself: EPL Fantasy League Managers!: Please use your SpoFi ID in your manager name and/or team name. Most of us have done this. The remainder are named inside ...

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 10:52 AM - 0 comments

EPL Week 9: Can Bolton pull off the impossible?: My word. Half-time on Saturday, and Bolton is 1-0 up against Chelsea, league leaders, and winners of all 8 games they've played this season. Sorry, I had to post. The international break was too long.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 09:59 AM - 0 comments

goddam for Pantheon.: I nominate our marvelous goddam for her design skillz, charitable spirit and initiative, as evidenced by her setting up of the SpoFi Shop, and her continued good-natured catering to our finicky T-shirt design whims.

posted by worldcup2002 to feature requests at 01:02 PM - 0 comments

What happened to my Tiger Woods post?: I posted re: his win in the NEC Invitational, and how it validates his decision to leave the PGA Championship early, and the post seems to have been removed. Can the Pantheon clarify? Technical error? Removal? Rationale?

posted by worldcup2002 to editorial policy at 05:52 PM - 0 comments

***SPOFI LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEW #28*** bsaunders:: "Cool - let's do it." Ladies and gents, it's my distinct honor and pleasure to interview a man who's preparing to walk 1800 miles to the South Pole and back. Let's get to know Ben Saunders, SpoFi name: bsaunders.

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 09:57 AM - 0 comments

***SPOFI LOCKER ROOM INTERVIEW #27*** danostuporstar: : "When should we knock the rust off your baba walters?" Weww, how abouwt wight now? Book'em, danostuporstar!

posted by worldcup2002 to navel gazing at 10:44 PM - 0 comments