- 12:05 AM
- 07/12/20
| Name: | Howard Titus |
|---|---|
| Location: | Nashua, NH |
| ZIP: | 03062 |
| Gender: | Old Alpha Male, hoping no young stud steals the herd. |
| Member since: | April 08, 2006 |
| Last visit: | July 11, 2020 |
Howard_T has posted 43 links and 4,014 comments to SportsFilter and 3 links and 265 comments to the Locker Room.
Recent Sports Necrology: Over the past day or two the sports world has lost some notable people. Stirling Moss, passed away at the age of 90. He was one of the legendary racing drivers in what some might call the golden age of racing. Moss competed against the likes of Juan Manuel Fangio (a teammate) when Ferrari, Maserati, and Mercedes ruled.
posted by Howard_T to general at 10:28 PM on April 13, 2020 - 2 comments
Rusty Staub Dead at 73: A sad note on opening day, Le Grand Orange has passed away. His career spanned 23 seasons, mainly with the Montreal Expos and the New York Mets.
posted by Howard_T to baseball at 09:28 PM on March 29, 2018 - 3 comments
Roger Bannister has Passed Away: Roger Bannister, the first man to run a mile in less than 4 minutes has died. The feat was accomplished in 1954. We had a small black and white TV, and film of it was shown on the sports news. I also remember seeing it in the newsreels at the movies. It was a really big deal then, but now even high school kids are running under 4 minutes
posted by Howard_T to other at 04:05 PM on March 04, 2018 - 4 comments
...and Maybe the Dynamite Fizzles: Cleveland is having second thoughts about the Thomas-Irving trade after Isaiah Thomas took his physical. What's up here?
posted by Howard_T to basketball at 03:47 PM on August 26, 2017 - 10 comments
Boom goes the dynamite.: After promising off-season fireworks for the past few years, the Boston Celtics have delivered. A trade of Isaiah Thomas, Jae Crowder, Anton Zizic, and the unprotected first round draft pick from Brooklyn in exchange for Cleveland's Kyrie Irving has been announced. Does this put Boston into the NBA finals? What is Cleveland thinking? 2017-18 will be an interesting season.
posted by Howard_T to basketball at 08:49 PM on August 22, 2017 - 7 comments
Danny Ainge's hand would have to be quarantined
I believe a rabies shot was sufficient.
posted by Howard_T at 02:48 PM on July 10, 2020
The club reported nine players " about a third of the roster " had tested positive for the novel coronavirus since they arrived at a Disney resort, where all 26 teams are staying in a so-called bubble for several weeks.
This is a bit misleading in that it implies the players had been in the bubble for several weeks. Not so. Later in the article it says:
"However, one player tested positive upon arrival at the Swan and Dolphin Hotel and another eight followed suit in subsequent days. Though the timeline suggests the virus was contracted in Tennessee, it appears to have spread in Florida."
This is said not to argue, but to add some information and to lead me to some questions that others might answer. How long had the Nashville team been in Orlando? If it had been less than a week, all of the players could have contracted the virus in Nashville. If they had been in Orlando longer than the incubation time for the virus, then, yes, there is a problem. I am not familiar with the MLS quarantine procedures, so I will not judge.
In the NBA testing has been conducted on a regular and frequent basis at the various practice facilities in order that teams reporting to Orlando have a high probability of being virus free. I just watched a webinar featuring 2 of the Celtics principal owners, one of whom is going to Orlando. He was tested yesterday so that he would be clear to enter the bubble on Monday. Another interesting thing is that teams are reporting to Orlando in 3 slots. This is to minimize contact between the teams prior to the beginning of games. In Orlando teams will be tested frequently (I seem to remember daily testing, but it might be every other day or so) to avoid the spread if there is a positive. My point is that the NBA seems to be doing things right, and they might very well succeed in finishing the season.
posted by Howard_T at 01:39 PM on July 10, 2020
Dumbest take ever?
Not quite, but or getting close. I can cite a couple of examples from the Boston Celtics as they begin the restart in Orlando. First is Gordon Hayward whose wife is expecting their first boy (they have 3 daughters) while the games are being played. Hayward plans to leave Orlando to be with his wife and family for the birth. The second is Jason Tatum whose son Deuce is 2 1/2 years old. Tatum thought long and hard about not playing because he wanted to be with his son during this time of his life. In either case there is some sacrifice involved.
The take is not entirely dumb. If quarantine at the site of the games is strictly enforced, the testing regimen should ensure that all present will not have the virus. Thus, those who leave the venue can be very confident that they are healthy. When someone leaves and returns, testing and some period of separation should maintain the quarantine integrity. What I have written is true for the NBA and NHL. MLB and NFL are another story. For those leagues any player with half a brain would stay home. Those teams will be traveling with no way to quarantine or determine exposure to the virus. They are a disaster looking for a place to happen.
So make it a split decision. For the NBA & NHL, the precautions should be sufficient. Report and play unless there is an overriding concern. For MLB & NFL, this guy is dead wrong. You get paid to play and risk injuries that are part of the game. You are not paid to risk your health and the health of your family. Players in those leagues have every reason to stay home.
posted by Howard_T at 06:23 PM on July 09, 2020
I would not want to be required to memorize the rule book for this game. MLB rules and high school rules (they're different, but not greatly so) are bad enough, but Finnish baseball looks crazy.
posted by Howard_T at 10:11 PM on July 08, 2020
Boston Red Sox Mitch Moreland contemplates a new career in dental surgery.
posted by Howard_T at 02:16 PM on July 07, 2020
Happy Canada Day to all. Since I'm half Canadian from my Nova Scotian dad, I feel qualified to offer a half (assed) opinion on the term "Canuck". Here in New England it was only an ethnic pejorative when used with an adjective (dumb, stupid, crazy, etc.), and referring to a francophonic person. This was true back in my younger, drunker, stupider high school days when one of my buddies was of French Canadian descent, and he never seemed upset by it. He was also big enough to beat the crap out of most of us, so it was probably ok with him. Of late I have not heard the term used, so there's no reaction to it.
posted by Howard_T at 01:26 PM on July 01, 2020
I must be the last Patriots fan to have heard this. I said something to my wife as I read the post, and she said she had heard about it a while ago. Thanks for the information, Gail. It should become apparent fairly soon between camp and preseason just how much Newton has left. What they will do with the offense with him in there will be interesting too. It could well be that there is a good degree of similarity between Newton and Stidham. Now that Newton is not as fast as he once was, he and Stidham could be interchangeable in an offense that features tight ends, fullbacks as receivers, and a power running game built around sets with 1 or 2 wide receivers. Look for Stidham to be starting by week 8 or 9, after Newton is carried off the field.
posted by Howard_T at 12:03 AM on June 29, 2020
The Celtics recently did a webinar for season ticket members with Bill Simmons and his Dad. They mostly did recollections of their time as season ticket holders, but Simmons is a very funny guy. Because of the webinar I began re-reading his The Book of Basketball, paperback edition, which has some material that's not in the earlier hardcover. The TV business is his thing. He was a writer for Jimmy Kimmel after his ESPN gig. I know that he is a sarcastic sob from his comments in the book, but I didn't know about the "Decision" thing. It sounds like something he would do, more from self-promotion than from a standpoint of producing entertainment.
posted by Howard_T at 05:17 PM on June 28, 2020
Seattle "Gooeyducks" for the geoduck clams in Puget Sound.
posted by Howard_T at 08:03 PM on June 27, 2020
Rain water for ice? Well, at least there's plenty of that in Seattle. I'm not sure that having fans bring in water is a good idea. It might go something like,
USHER: Sir, do you have some water for us tonight.
FAN: Let me finish 3 or 4 beers and I'll get right on it.
Something about natural gas in arenas is familiar. TD Garden on a Saturday night after everyone has had the traditional supper of beans and frankfurters is a great example.
How about calling the team the Chiefs. After all, Seattle is named after Chief Seattle, so that works. Problem is they will be accused of cultural appropriation, so that's out. Maybe Olympics, for the peninsula of that name, or the Cascades after the mountains. (Colorado used this idea for a baseball team, so maybe not.)
posted by Howard_T at 05:27 PM on June 26, 2020
will some star players now do "load management"
With no playoffs ahead, there's really no reason to rest anyone. The latter half of summer is the time for training camp and friendlies. Teams often travel to play in front of their overseas fans, but the top stars will see limited minutes in these. Perhaps there might be some restriction of minutes for some, but it's more likely for injury avoidance than for rest.
posted by Howard_T at 05:20 PM on June 26, 2020
Well done, Reds. I watched the interview with Klopp after the game, and it was interesting to see what really matters to him. It was all about the players and the fans. I can understand why the players buy into his system and play so hard for him. I'm not sure of this, but wouldn't this be the latest that a championship has been clinched as well as the earliest. I speak of the calendar, not the number of games remaining. By this time of year the pre-season friendlies are only a few weeks away.
posted by Howard_T at 08:25 PM on June 25, 2020
Saw his last in Boston in February. Although he had not announced his retirement at the time, most of us sensed that it was close to the end. The basketball fans (as opposed to Celtics fans) in the stands gave him a nice round of applause. One cannot consider him one of the greats, but he certainly deserves credit for being one of the 'very good' and for giving the game his best for a long, long time.
posted by Howard_T at 03:58 PM on June 25, 2020
I am registered to attend a webinar with Bill Simmons on Monday, June 22. It is a program that the Celtics have been running during the lockdown for their season ticket members. As you all know, Simmons is the founder of The Ringer. His father, Dr. William Simmons, a long time Celtics season ticket member, will be with him on the webinar. We can submit questions, so if any of you have anything, let me know and I will try to get them in.
posted by Howard_T at 03:56 PM on June 18, 2020
SportsFilter: The Thursday Huddle
Few people would miss their child's birth for a job.
I was a civilian contractor in USS MIDWAY, homeported in Japan, in 1989. My contract was due to expire on 1 April, and my wife was due to have our son around mid to late April. She went back to the USA in January, just before we went to sea on a cruise, because she couldn't fly trans-Pacific in her 3rd trimester. I was relieved and left the ship in Hong Kong on 1 April, and flew home, arriving on the 3rd. Our son arrived on the 9th. Not quite a complete miss, but my Lamaze classes were pretty brief.
Because of subsequent travel there was a number of significant events in our son's life that I missed. It was not good, and it put a burden on my wife, but we got through it. My work could be considered a bit more important than running around on a field or in an arena, but that's my opinion. The stuff I worked on was defense related, and in a small way it helped our military stay a step or 2 ahead. There were a few times when I could have gotten my young backside killed, but my employer had me heavily insured, and my wife will never admit that she was not counting the settlement money. Since I have retired, and for a few years prior to retirement, I was able to be at home most of the time. Our son is now 31, living about 50 miles away, and we see him often. We frequently attend the Celtics games together, and what was past has been forgiven. So the lesson is that one can be forgiven for nearly anything, but forgiving oneself is very difficult.