- 06:38 PM
- 12/22/24
| Name: | Hal Incandenza |
|---|---|
| Gender: | Manly-man |
| Member since: | January 29, 2002 |
| Last visit: | July 20, 2017 |
hincandenza has posted 49 links and 1,803 comments to SportsFilter and 4 links and 51 comments to the Locker Room.
Alex Rodriguez to retire from baseball: Inarguably the greatest shortstop to ever play the game, and certainly one of the greatest hitters in history, Alex Rodriguez of the Yankees has formally announced the intention to retire next Friday, and move into a position as special advisor and instructor for New York.
While the terms of the agreement with the Yankees does allow him to pursue a position on other major league teams, his dramatic loss of skill this year makes it likely he'll have played his last game some time this week, ending an often contentious, rarely popular (with fans or media), but undeniably successful on-field career. Barring an unexpected homerun barrage in the next few days, or a stint with another team next season, he'll finish just shy of the 700 HR mark and the fourth highest total of all time.
posted by hincandenza to baseball at 10:37 PM on August 07, 2016 - 2 comments
Ichiro finally reaches 3,000 major league hits: Fittingly for one of the game's most unique hitters, the slap-hitting wizard got his 3,000th hit as a triple (video) off the right field wall in the 7th inning of the Miami-Colorado game, capping an illustrious major league career.
Or possibly not "capping": while not the same electric All-Star hitter he was in those first 10 years after breaking in as a much-hyped 27-year-old rookie for Seattle in 2001- when he racked up 10 straight 200-hit seasons including the single-season record of 262- he is still a productive player this year, hitting .318 (110 OPS+) in limited playing time with Miami. Seemingly ageless, he has even said he'd like to play until he is 50, which for a player of his style and rigorous fitness regimen isn't beyond the realm of possibility, potentially adding to his already gaudy career statistics and delaying what is almost certain to be a first-ballot HoF induction.
posted by hincandenza to baseball at 10:15 PM on August 07, 2016 - 3 comments
John Oliver tackles the NCAA and student athletes: In an extended segment on Sunday's "Last Week Tonight", John Oliver delved into the issue of unpaid "student-athletes" and the onerous and exploitative NCAA money machine.
posted by hincandenza to basketball at 12:50 AM on March 17, 2015 - 2 comments
Ichiro reaches 4,000 hit milestone between Japan (1,278) and MLB (2,722 and counting).: While his production is a shadow of those early Mariners years when he was a 200+ hit machine for more than a decade (just LOOK at that rookie spike of 242 hits, or the record-setting 262 hit season), the 39-year-old Yankee outfielder continues to produce at a decent if unremarkable level.
Questions arise over how long Ichiro will continue to suit up (he's signed with the Yankees through the 2014 season), but even at his reduced performance level, if he can stay an every day player into the 2015 season he'll almost surely eclipse the 3,000 hit mark in MLB. posted by hincandenza to baseball at 10:08 PM on August 22, 2013 - 17 comments
Comment Editing: Wow, I'm not really not cool with the comment editing- chide me if you must, but if you're going to rewrite comments (and without clear indication, to boot), this site just became a whole lot less friendly.
posted by hincandenza to editorial policy at 05:57 PM on September 05, 2012 - 33 comments
This was posted on the r/baseball subreddit. I echo the question: how the living hell is this not a balk?!?
3b camera:
https://gfycat.com/BountifulInformalBuckeyebutterfly
Slo-mo shot from 1b camera:
https://gfycat.com/DownrightDeafeningEastsiberianlaika
posted by hincandenza at 08:15 PM on April 09, 2017
Just curious: I may have missed it (and was neither in the running for the win nor the Costanza) but were the final results of the NFL Playoff Pick 'Em ever posted?
posted by hincandenza at 10:06 PM on February 23, 2017
The_Black_Hand: Greg Maddux steps away from serial murder to prank Kris BryantHa! That was fantastic. You could see the point where Bryant was thinking "The fuck, I can't hit a goddamn curveball thrown by the sound guy?!?". Well sure, if the sound guy is one of the top 5 right-hand pitchers of literally all time.I hope I'm doing this right. It's been a long time.
And of course, it was... very important that Bryant took it all in good humor. :)
posted by hincandenza at 02:51 AM on February 17, 2017
Lol... I'm enjoying the post-apocalyptic ESPN reporting style you got going there...
posted by hincandenza at 04:29 PM on February 06, 2017
That Edelman catch looks like something done in CGI; the ball just floats.
As for the OT rules, yeah... I texted a buddy (die-hard Seattle fan, rooting against the Pats on principle) just as OT started and reiterated that regardless of the outcome, I think NFL OT rules are stupid- especially in the Superbowl- and the teams should have a chance to play it out.
posted by hincandenza at 11:20 PM on February 05, 2017
I am hoarse, hyperventilating, and my heart is pounding a mile a minute. The last hour has been... surreal, to say the least.
There can't possibly be anyone who doesn't say GOAT now, unless they're being pointlessly contrary.
posted by hincandenza at 10:28 PM on February 05, 2017
I'm very very sad at this turn of events. :'(
posted by hincandenza at 08:18 PM on February 05, 2017
We can lock the prop bets here too? Shoot... then I'd like to add a last-minute Lock on the "Brady as MVP" pick.
posted by hincandenza at 05:18 PM on February 05, 2017
Well, I did too well last week to likely still contend for a Costanza, but can't pull off a win, so might as well double down and pick a NE-heavy set. If NE loses, I'll be too sad to care about the Costanza. :)
New England by 13, LOCK +10
Props
Pick the kicker who scores the first field goal: Gostkowski, NE +5
Pick the player who scores the first touchdown: Hogan, NE
Pick the quarterback with the most passing yards: Brady, NE +5
Pick the player with the most rushing yards: Blount, NE
Pick the player with the most receiving yards: Edelman, NE
Pick a player who will get a sack or partial sack: Beasley, ATL
Pick a player who will get an interception: Butler, NE
Pick the player who commits the first turnover: Freeman, ATL
Pick the game's MVP: Brady, NE +5
Pick the SportsFilter user who will win this contest: Rumple, SPOFI
Tiebreaker
Pick the total score of the game: 57
posted by hincandenza at 05:45 PM on February 04, 2017
Thanks for sharing, man! I've been comfortable settled in Seattle for about 22 years, but still root for the Boston teams and have fond memories of small town minor league ball.
posted by hincandenza at 09:26 PM on January 29, 2017
Huh, I didn't know you lived in Nashua, Howard! This isn't related to hockey but I felt like sharing with a fellow Granite Stater: I grew up nearby in Merrimack, and have fond memories as a child of going to Nashua's Coleman stadium in the 1980s when they had a couple of minor league affiliates (the Nashua Angels and Nashua Pirates, I believe). My dad used to do the radio broadcast for those teams when they had home games, before Clear Channel basically killed local radio. It's why I've been a lifelong fan of baseball; when I'd go to the games with him I got to sit in the press box and keep score while watching from one of the best seats in the house, get to meet the players. I even vaguely recall watching minor league legend Sam Horn (who became the mascot of the most rabid Red Sox site on the internet) take batting practice when he was on the AA Sox affiliate, and little me was in awe of those tape measure shots.
posted by hincandenza at 05:05 AM on January 28, 2017
There's a somewhat substantiated rumor that Belichick made Dion Lewis (who had 3TDs against the Texans, but a couple of bad fumbles) carry a football all week before the Steelers game, and teammates were told to try to slap it out of his hands. I wonder what he'll make Gostkowski do; the Patriots have a habit of winning or losing by a FG margin. I'd forgotten how in 2007 Bill passed up on FG attempts that in retrospect could have won that game. 14-17. Dammit. :'(
Honestly, I just need this to be a blowout, one way or another: I couldn't take another last minute lost/circus catch/fluke play. I like the Patriots' chances, since they do have a better defense than Atlanta and if anyone can come up with a shut-down defensive plan that will give Brady room to outscore the Ryan and the Falcons, it's Belichick.
posted by hincandenza at 06:54 PM on January 23, 2017
holden has unintentionally shamed me in my lack of homerism; I'd like to update my prop picks. New picks:
Atlanta over Green Bay by 7 LOCK
New England over Pittsburgh by 13 LOCK
1. Quarterback with most passing yards: Matt Ryan, Atlanta
2. Player with most rushing yards: LeVeon Bell, Pittsburgh
3. Player with most receiving yards: Julian Edelman, New England
4. Player with an interception: Malcolm Butler, New England
posted by hincandenza at 12:36 AM on January 22, 2017
I appear to be waltzing my way into the Costanza, but just in case there's a chance, I'm going to basically copy tron7's picks but put a lock on them. Not proud, but hey it's a strategy...
Atlanta over Green Bay by 7 LOCK
New England over Pittsburgh by 13 LOCK
1. Rodgers
2. Bell
3. Julio Jones
4. Micah Hyde
posted by hincandenza at 06:00 PM on January 21, 2017
What if Barry Bonds had played without a bat?
Saw this on Reddit yesterday; 2001-2004 Barry Bonds freaky stats are among the most fun stats in all of baseball history. There was a follow-up tweet that suggests some of his math was a little off in estimating balls and strikes, and that his batless OBP would more likely be around .590... so still the #1 highest single-season OBP.
That chart of all players/seasons by OPS was pretty awesome as well, and really drives home how- regardless of PED allegations- the three ultragreats of hitting are pretty much Ruth-Williams-Bonds. Everyone else is just not quite the same. There were two little stat trivia things in that reddit thread that really jumped out at me:
The Breaking Madden series was worth it if even just for the legend that was BEEFTANK.