- 04:58 AM
- 11/23/24
| Member since: | March 14, 2005 |
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| Last visit: | December 17, 2010 |
Adam has posted 0 links and 17 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.
Figgins may have had words with Wakamatsu that set everything off, but that's not Figgins in the "brawl". He's the guy standing in the back with "Figgins" printed on his shirt.
And I agree that he looks more confused by the throw than anything. Maybe he shouldn't have been confused, but as the story points out, the throw was to the shortstop.
"Lazy" and "brawl" are two words I never would have expected to see in a story about Chone Figgins.
posted by Adam at 11:54 PM on July 24, 2010
Perhaps the sense of entitlement is merely a symptom of that creeping Yankeeosis.
posted by Adam at 07:48 PM on May 08, 2010
It's amazing how little respect MMA gets from so many boxing personalities. It seems as if every time I watch boxing on HBO, one of the commentators makes some ignorant comment about a sport they clearly don't understand. Larry Merchant seems to think it's barbaric and lacks technique. That blowhard Jim Lampley implies that it only appeals to middle-class white guys. Floyd Mayweather Jr. says "UFC's champions can't handle boxing. That's why they are in UFC", and the UFC "ain't shit".
I've never heard the same kind of trash talk from the mixed martial artists, other than in Dana White's response to Mayweather. Most MMA personalities seem to understand that their fighters' boxing skills are not as refined as those of full-time boxers. Most of them have a lot of respect for boxers.
Boxing and MMA can, and probably will, coexist. I think, though, that more members of the boxing community should recognize MMA as a legitimate sport, and in doing so may learn a little from the UFC's success. The article's not about MMA replacing boxing; it's merely about it's growth and the general bigness of events like UCF 100. The UFC has a smaller payroll because they put together fight cards that sell the show; fans don't pay just to see the main event. Maybe if boxing promoters put together more similar events with multiple exciting bouts, they would be less dependent on the few big superstars to sell pay-per-views, and wouldn't have to pay their fighters $20 million.
posted by Adam at 10:40 PM on July 09, 2009
Cecil Adams addresses the question of Celebratory Gunfire: How dangerous is it anyway? His answer: "It has been scientifically shown that firing guns into the air for entertainment is not a good idea. Please stop right away. Also knock off with the holy wars and random violence. Thank you."
posted by Adam at 01:24 AM on July 26, 2007
LBB, that's true. I guess I just don't see the humor in a biker not avoiding what seems like a rather avoidable dog. And how is this a closed course? It seems like a road through the countryside with a bunch of spectators scattered along the side. That last part, by the way, is not entirely rhetorical. Is this really supposed to be a closed course?
posted by Adam at 01:21 AM on July 20, 2007
Hmmm... those fancy racing bikes must not have advanced dog avoidance technology like brakes or pivoting front wheels. My Huffy does.
posted by Adam at 01:04 AM on July 19, 2007
Precisely. Adam, you're missing the boat on this one. It's not about equitable representation - it's about legacy and generational difference in the black sports community. Baseball has fallen off the wagon for some reason, and the article is positing one. The stats being ignored in you post are the ones that illustrate the percentage of Black MLB players fifteen years ago, vs. today. It has gone down at almost a 2 to 1 rate. Weedy, the reason you think we missed the boat is because you hopped on the wrong one. The point was not that there should be equitable representation in sports. It was that the sports media had distorted the facts by selectively reporting one statistic in order to make a story, and that this statistic was misleading. Not only is the decline real, it's going to continue - not because "Baseball Is Now So White", but because baseball is increasingly international. While just over a quarter of major league players are foreign-born, that share is more than doubled in the minor leagues. If you're tired of hearing about American blacks in baseball, this is not the time of year for you. Jackie Robinson's historic achievement in April 1947 will make this news every single year at this time. Rcade, I'll never tire of hearing about Jackie Robinson; I'd just like to see more honesty and responsibility in journalism. This article distorts facts, as did many of the reports and commentaries that I heard at the time.
posted by Adam at 08:05 AM on April 24, 2007
With Jackie Robinson Day calling attention to the experiences of African Americans in baseball, the sports media seemed determined to manufacture a story about the “crisis” of racial inequity in the national pastime. Story after story bemoaned the fact that only 8.4% of big-league players were African American in the 2006 season. I’ll help flesh out the demographic picture of Major League Baseball beyond this one number. According to MLB, “27.4 percent of the players on last year's Opening Day rosters were from foreign countries.” This means that only 72.6% were born in the United States. Some simple algebra shows that 11.6% of American-born baseball players were African Americans. According to the 2005 American Community Survey of the U.S. census, 12.8% of the American population is Black. This makes for a difference of 1.2& between the United States and Major League Baseball. In other words, the percentage of Black players in Major League Baseball mirrors the general population pretty closely. Does a 1.2% disparity constitute a crisis? I get the feeling that other groups of Americans are more underrepresented than Blacks. Although the number of Asians and Latin Americans in baseball continually increases, how many Asian-Americans or Hispanic-Americans do we see? Nevious quotes a few interviews to make his point about inequity, but seems to ignore some significant realities. The very title of the article, “Why Baseball Is Now So White”, is ludicrous. The 27.4% of MLB players born in foreign countries are not coming from Europe. The number of Black players may be decreasing, but that’s largely because baseball is becoming more diverse, not less. I’ve worked in urban Los Angeles high schools for 10 years, and I see more support from Major League Baseball than any other professional league. The Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities (RBI) program supports young baseball (and softball) players in year-round tournaments. The NFL, on the other hand, is as absent from the high schools as it is from Los Angeles as a whole. As in most areas, opportunities to participate in baseball exist in this country. If kids or their parents are participating in basketball (less expensive) or football (more expensive) leagues instead of baseball leagues, it’s usually because they’re making a choice, not because they’re being forced out of baseball.
posted by Adam at 03:41 PM on April 22, 2007
I can just imagine if a baseball player had made the same comments about Sharon when he was ill if this would be so acceptible. It's not really the same thing. If the Israeli people wanted to see Sharon go, he could be voted out. That's democracy. The only way Fidel's leaving office is in a box, so I can see why those who feel oppressed would like for him to be dead. I guess that's the downside of being a dictator for life.
posted by Adam at 03:32 PM on August 03, 2006
Of course he has naturally high testosterone levels. We Americans are just extra manly. Yearghhhh!!!
posted by Adam at 03:42 PM on July 28, 2006
I dunno Spitz... your response seemed pretty freakin' enlightened, and I didn't even shoot beer out of my nose. I would just say that while the Tomahawk Chop might be exploitative and degrading, it's undoubtably goofy and I'd be happy to repeat that to any Braves fan. There is, however, no chance that I'm going to walk up to an All Black prop and tell him he looks goofy doing his team's haka. How's that for a profoundly unenlightened response?
posted by Adam at 01:38 PM on July 28, 2006
Amateur, I couldn't tell from the story what the race was of the player who was killed, but I also got the impression that the Delicious (but seemingly unsavory) chairman was accusing Rawsonville of causing Loots' death by slinging racial slurs (considerably less deadly than a boot to the head). My point was that the source is not necessarily trustworthy, and that his comments shouldn't be taken at face value.
posted by Adam at 02:02 PM on June 27, 2006
I played rugby for years. I'm not sure that I agree with all of the people describing it as "brutal". It's highly physical, but you don't really expect to be kicked in the head (at least not intentionally). Don't get me wrong... you're going to take a few blows, but this guy obviously stepped way over the line. As for the comments about race and apartheid and the decline of sports and society in general, let's remember that the allegations of racism were from the team that was suspended in a lame attempt to excuse their player's inexcusable behavior. It doesn't necessarily mean that racism was really the cause of this incident. It certainly doesn't mean that It doesn't mean that white ruggers are running around looking for heads of color to kick in. You simply can't draw conclusions about the state of South African rugby based on Bryant Gumbel's take on European soccer leagues.
posted by Adam at 01:26 PM on June 27, 2006
Remember when a touchdown celebration was a simple spiking of the ball? Even that seemed to bug some fans, but at least a spike seems like it could be a genuine celebratory action fueled by an abundance of adrenaline and emotion. I think that the problem with the "celebrations" we see out of Owens and Johnson is that they're not really celebrations. They are shows performed for the TV audience. These guys have pushed the envelope, and over time, we've become desensitized to the point where any genuine celebration that doesn't involve an elaborate stunt (or at least a dance) is largely ignored. Let's wait a couple of decades and see what happens after a few generations of players have had time to idolize and out-do today's notorious showman athletes. Twenty years from now, when today's Pop Warner stars score their NFL touchdowns, maybe we'll get to see a marching band, strippers, and a live circus act with hippos leaping through flaming hoops as the player stands on one leg in the middle of the field and juggles defensive backs. Now THAT'S a celebration.
posted by Adam at 01:29 PM on December 30, 2005
Giants accuse Rockies of cheating
Can someone who knows more about this than I respond? Is the storage of balls in the Coors Field humidor actually required by MLB rule? Even if someone believes that the Rockies are using non-humidorified balls, it seems a bit nutty to suggest that they would somehow be able to slip them in only when they're on offense.