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- 11/21/24
| Location: | Los Angeles |
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| Member since: | August 24, 2003 |
| Last visit: | August 11, 2008 |
CountZero has posted 3 links and 19 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.
Repeat!: (for the first time in 14 years, no less!)
posted by CountZero to basketball at 01:13 PM on May 08, 2005 - 0 comments
So whose lithuanian is better?: The Euroleague's final four tournament already provided one huge surprise when the heavily favorite host team CSKA Moscow got eliminated in the semifinals. Can the Spaniards make it two surprises in a row and defeat the reigning champs in the finals? (I hope not!) Tune in tomorrow to find out.
posted by CountZero to basketball at 02:38 PM on May 07, 2005 - 2 comments
Meanwhile, in Europe:: Israeli basketball club Maccabi Tel Aviv wins the Euroleague's championship, crushing its opponent in the finals 118-74 (oh, the joy!), and demolishing a few records on the way (of course, hosting the final four sure helped!). Traditional thinking is that defensive teams have the edge come the post-season, but this year it's been all about the offensive-minded yellow devils from Tel-Aviv. Do you see a chance for an offensive-minded team (the Mavs and Kings come to mind) to go all the way in the NBA?
posted by CountZero to basketball at 02:07 AM on May 02, 2004 - 12 comments
If it weren't for that, the Padres wouldn't have gotten to where they did. Actually, if they didn't have the benefit of playing against the other weak teams in the NL West, they probably wouldn't even have broken .500. I'm getting pretty tired of the "Weak NL West" arguement. It may have been true last year, when the whole division struggled with injuries to key players, but not this year. Last time I checked, both the Padres and the Dodgers had a better record than the Cardinals in the regular season. Sure, they both lost in the first round, but shit happens in the post season. Just ask the Yankees... :) Take a look at the standings at the end of the season and you'll see that the NL Central was weaker - having had a losing record against both the NL East and NL West. Even the Phillies, who didn't make the playoff, were a better team than the division winner. Also, say what you want about the Padres and why they made the post season, but it wasn't by beating on their NL West rivals (39-36 record inside the division, owed mostly to their domination of the Dodgers this past season).
posted by CountZero at 01:59 PM on October 10, 2006
If I had to bet I'd put my money on Carpenter at this point, but I can't say I'd be surprised if a reliever gets the nod. And I mean Wagner, not Hoffman. I still think Hoffman had a (slim) chance before that back-to-back-to-back-to-back game against the dodgers. Both of these a product of the artificial nature of the "save". Sutter and Gossage played in a time when the bullpen wasn't so strict with the hierarchal setup of starter, middle man, setup, closer. To go back to the HOF discussion - I'm not disputing your assertion that they played in different times where roles weren't as defined as they are nowadays. What I am saying, however, is that Hoffman and Rivera can only pitch in those innings that their managers put them in. The game has changed (evolved?) to the point where guys do have the specific roles that you mentioned. If we're going to use our pitchers in these situations, we might as well acknowledge their greatness at fulfilling those roles.
posted by CountZero at 03:02 AM on September 26, 2006
If you are a fan of the "save", it's important to note that Hoffman has only led the NL in that category once before this year (now twice, if 2006 ends without a surprise). Rivera led his league 3 times, Smith 4 times, Gossage 3 times and Sutter 5 times. Yes, but Hoffman has 11 seasons with 30+ saves, and 8 with 40+ saves - both are MLB records. Which is pretty amazing, since you can only save as many games as those where you're handed the lead, and Trevor played for some abysmal Padre teams through the years. Rivera is at 9 30+ seasons and 6 40+ seasons and could still pass him. Smith has 10 and 3. Eckersley has 8 and 4. Sutter has 4 and 1. Gossage has 1 season with 30+ saves and none over 40. Do you think that with the lack of a prominent frontrunning starter in the NL this year Trevor has a chance to get the Cy? For the record - as a Padres fan, I'm naturally biased on the Hoffman for the hall question. :)
posted by CountZero at 12:05 AM on September 26, 2006
I can't help but think that anything that brings large numbers of Jewish spectators together in one place is just offering up a target. It's not as if Israel doesn't already have professional sports leagues, you know. Soccer and basketball were mentioned in the article...
posted by CountZero at 03:06 AM on August 31, 2006
Thanks, wc2k2! It'll come in handy the next time I try to explain the structure of the european leagues to american friends. delicioused.
posted by CountZero at 12:40 AM on February 28, 2006
Sounds like he might be headed to the NBA next year. After winning 3 European titles in a row (with 2 different teams), Europe doesn't seem that challenging to the guy anymore. I read somewhere (Sorry, don't have an English language link) that Portland was interested in him last summer but he said no to them. However, this summer it might be a different story, since he's no longer under contract...
posted by CountZero at 07:28 PM on May 09, 2005
Also from the article: I believe that basketball has replaced soccer as the most popular participatory sport in the world. Heh. Yeah, right.
posted by CountZero at 12:57 AM on April 19, 2005
Why not rename it "The Planet Earth Angels of Anerheim?" I understand those are large markets as well. Earth Angels? already taken (somewhat NSFW image in link).
posted by CountZero at 11:20 PM on January 03, 2005
Yeah, there are nationality limits in Europe, but they're not as draconian as they used to be before the Bosman Ruling.
posted by CountZero at 01:58 AM on January 03, 2005
Kobe's one three-peat and a whole lot of class short of being the next Jordan. I think we can quietly bury that whole "Kobe vs Jordan" arguement after Kobe's performance in this series, at least for a while. When Kobe *leads* a team to a few championships, and grabs a few finals MVP awards on the way, we can start having this discussion again, but for the time being the arguement should be changed to "Kobe vs Scottie" (a match that Bryant admittedly wins).
posted by CountZero at 04:21 AM on June 16, 2004
Can anyone beat the Lakers? One an only hope.
posted by CountZero at 03:11 AM on May 21, 2004
Would you say Anfernee Hardaway and Grant Hill failed? Yes. And with that, I don't think CWebb is the only one who should be blamed for (this year's) playoff failures. Peja did not show up for the playoff, having had to carry the team throughout the season (#2 in the league in minutes played this season). Bibby has not been consistent. I can't remember the last time Vlade had a good game. And the injuries, as usual, have killed us (along with stupid fouls - thanks a lot, AP!). When it was obvious that Jackson will not come back this season, is when I knew that the Kings will once again not fulfill their potential. All in all, if anyone has to go, Adelman is the man. He's had his chances, now it's time to let someone else try (although, I must say, it would be nice to get a season without major injuries).
posted by CountZero at 03:07 AM on May 21, 2004
I was a little peeved at first when the Padres named their new stadium petco park , but looking at the list I see it's one of the better corporate-sponsored names out there. At least you can have cool nicknames for it (some of my current favorites - Animal House, the Diamond in the Ruff, the Dog Pen, and the House Ruff Built). To play at the "Office Depot Center" or the "HP Pavillion" simply sounds dreadful in comparison.
posted by CountZero at 12:39 PM on May 08, 2004
Personalized marketing ideas for the MLB clubs are offered on page 2: Boston Red Sox: "A Fistful of Dollars" In this 1964 classic, a gunslinger rides into town and immediately escalates the battle between two warring factions in an effort to get rich off the blood feud. Hey, did you see the dollar figures in Curt Schilling's contract?
posted by CountZero at 01:43 AM on May 06, 2004
MLB Suspends Umpire Winters for Remainder of Season
I have to wonder if this is just the first step. Something had to be done quickly, as the same umpiring crew will be officiating the series between the Padres and the Brewers this coming weekend.