rgchappell's profile

rgchappell
10452
Name: Robert Chappell
Member since: February 28, 2006
Last visit: March 12, 2007

rgchappell has posted 1 link and 19 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.

Recent Links

Bolts zap Schottenheimer.: It was inevitable. I thought it would happen sooner. With the level of talent on that team, there's no longer an excuse not to win it all. But did they wait too long? Are all the best candidates for the job already taken?

posted by rgchappell to football at 09:40 PM on February 12, 2007 - 74 comments

Recent Comments

EPL takeover trends.

Give us promotion and relegation from the MLS on down, where local beer leagues can climb up from the bottom of the U.S. football association. Here, here! I've long wanted to see soccer here set up like it is elsewhere. We do have the US Open Cup, which is a bit akin to the FA Cup, but not nearly as prestigious. The SuperLiga with the Mexican top-flight clubs will be interesting, as well, and represent one more step toward European-style football in the US, at least structurally if not on the pitch. But I would definitely like to see some kind of stratification wherein the Milwaukee Wave or Madison 56ers or Rochester Rhinos could claw their way into the top league.

posted by rgchappell at 03:44 PM on February 07, 2007

Michigan St. to retire Cleaves' No. 12

That was the year 8th-seed Wisconsin shocked everybody by beating Arizona in the second round and getting to the Final Four, only to run into Cleaves and friends. Helluva college basketball player that guy was. I too am surprised that he didn't make more of an impact in the NBA. Good for him.

posted by rgchappell at 04:31 PM on January 31, 2007

Thailand in Olympics-era Hockey Record.

Best line in the story: Thailand is unranked. No kidding? Huh.

posted by rgchappell at 10:44 AM on January 30, 2007

Mascot's antics nearly cost D-League team a victory.

My concern is .. um... what the heck kind of a name is Colorado 14ers? Fourteeners? Really? What does that even mean? Philadeplphis 76ers I can see .... San. Fran. 49ers I get ... but 14ers?

posted by rgchappell at 04:33 PM on January 25, 2007

Little League controversy

Here's the worst part: Marlo Oaks, Romney's Father: "It's about going up against the weakest player, and getting the weakest player out." You just called your own kid the weakest player, you shmuck! I coach soccer. I teach my kids to play fair, play hard, and I teach them how to win. I teach them to spot the slower defenders and go after them. I teach them how to make a good clean tackle. I also teach them to shake hands after the match and always help the other players up when they go down. I teach them how to win soccer games, and how to win and lose with class. Walking a batter isn't cheating, it isn't picking on anyone. It's teaching kids how to play baseball. Geez. The losing team is teaching its kids to be sore losers and putting the burden unduly on the kid who struck out.

posted by rgchappell at 10:20 AM on August 11, 2006

How long, on average, is a baseball actually in play during a ballgame?

If you guys were talking about the "other" football (soccer), we could say with reasonable certainty that the ball is in play for ... I dunno, 85 or so out of a 90 minute game. So why does everybody say soccer is boring?

posted by rgchappell at 03:48 PM on August 10, 2006

Really cool Sports business

I don't get it. What's a sport deed? What's a placeholder? Why am I going to pay for a link? What the heck does sports have to do with it? I don't get it.

posted by rgchappell at 07:22 AM on August 04, 2006

Brewers trade Lee to Rangers, get Cordero

Brewer fan here ... I wouldn't mind the deal if Nelson Cruz wasn't part of it. I feel like we gave away two legitimate power-hitters and didn't get an awful lot for them.

posted by rgchappell at 05:27 PM on July 28, 2006

Arena out, Klinsmann likely in.

I agree with the comments about Johnson - has yet to reach his potential on the international stage, for sure. Under Klinsman he could almost become a Klose or Frings. As for ADu, don't forget his has dual citizenship in USA and Ghana. If he does blossom to the point of becoming desirable to a national team manager, that manager will also have to be one that could convince him to play for the US. He'd be a bigger fish in a smaller pond in Ghana, and the Ghana national team frankly looks better than the American one at the moment.

posted by rgchappell at 04:53 PM on July 17, 2006

Arena out, Klinsmann likely in.

please tell me your not talking about adu. he is terrible. I wouldn't call him terrible, but I agree, he's not the future of US soccer.

posted by rgchappell at 10:45 AM on July 16, 2006

Juventus Unplugged: The Old Lady goes down.

My big question is, is there enough money in America to lure one or two of those Juve players to MLS? I doubt it, but one can hope, no?

posted by rgchappell at 07:02 AM on July 15, 2006

Tears of a Clown

My Golden Goat goes to Claudio Reyna for getting the ball taken right off his feet 30 yards from goal to give up the first goal to Ghana. That undoubtedly led to the USA's early ouster.

posted by rgchappell at 10:33 AM on July 06, 2006

Italian Football Association placed in emergency administration

Anything can happen in football, (see: Greek trophy cabinet), but putting any too much weight on the FIFA rankings is asking for trouble. True enough. But I do believe the Americans are also playing with good balance and excellent speed on the wings, strong defense and of course Keller is one of the best in the business. They can beat Italy. I'm not sure that they WILL beat Italy, but they CAN. By the way when Germany spanked the US it was with all of our second-stringers. Four or five of our regular starters had club commitments for that game. Also, I agree with Walrus that Brazil are hardly a shoe-in to win, considering it's in Europe, but I do think Braxil would win a second-round matchup with the US.

posted by rgchappell at 06:14 AM on May 18, 2006

Italian Football Association placed in emergency administration

Watch for the Czechs and Italians to go through. I beg to differ. While it may just be wishful thinking on my part, the FIFA rankings can't be that far off ... I anticipate the Czechs (ranked 2 in the world) to come out on top and the Americans (ranked 4) to come out second. (Italy is currently ranked 14.) Then Brazil will quickly dispatch the US, but that's ok I guess.

posted by rgchappell at 02:30 PM on May 17, 2006

Italian Football Association placed in emergency administration

I was thinking the same thing, worldcup2002 ... Will this affect the Italian national team at all? I think they'll have a tough time getting out of the group at the World Cup anyway, but if they lose any players to suspension or are generally distracted, it might be impossible to make the round of 16. For the record, USA faces a much bigger threat from Czech Republic than from Italy, frankly.

posted by rgchappell at 12:03 PM on May 17, 2006