11/05/24
September 23, 2009
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
Peter Gammons wants to add ANOTHER two teams to MLB playoffs.
posted by inigo2 at 09:01 AM on September 23, 2009
Nice idea Peter. Why stop at two? Let's add four...no...six more teams to the playoffs. That way, we can have baseball 12 months a year.
posted by NoMich at 09:24 AM on September 23, 2009
Jerry Jones, money well spent!
posted by rcade at 10:04 AM on September 23, 2009
Sven, money well spent!
posted by JJ at 10:21 AM on September 23, 2009
Nazem Kadri gave the Leafs a little taste of the potential for a skilled forward in the near future. A video.
posted by dfleming at 10:22 AM on September 23, 2009
Maybe if they shortened the season back to 154 games it would be worth thinking about.
To my un-tutored eye, the big problem with the playoffs the last couple of years has not been the number of teams in it, but introducing the really long series of off-days, to a sport in which a big part of the game, and the strategy, is based on playing every day. If they introduce a second WC team, then there will be 5 playoff teams per league, which means that at least one, and probably three, teams are going to be sitting around waiting for the WC teams to playoff. Can this be right? Because it would be really stupid and I suspect even the teams waiting wouldn't like it much.
What would be cool would be a round-robin tournament in the leagues after 154 games then - 5 teams per league, round-robin play each other three times each, play every day, after two weeks someone has won, then a world series with both winners having been through the same number of playoff games and being in rhythm. Start the world series October 1st with two three game series home-and-away, then game seven if necessary at a neutral park, preferably near my house.
Next: rumple fixes basketball without breaking a sweat.
posted by rumple at 10:25 AM on September 23, 2009
but introducing the really long series of off-days, to a sport in which a big part of the game, and the strategy, is based on playing every day
Completely agree. The idea each game of the division serieses has to be played at a unique time because America is clamoring to see Chicago vs. Tampa Bay is ridiculous. So they play some of the games during the day during weekdays, undoubtedly in a confused attempt to placate those calling for day games in the World Series.
posted by yerfatma at 10:44 AM on September 23, 2009
Fairly disturbing item (to me, at least) about a family with three football-playing sons -- triplets, in fact -- two of whom have sustained C5 fractures while playing football. In the past year.
posted by lil_brown_bat at 11:16 AM on September 23, 2009
Don Banks hits the nail on the head with Pennington.
You kind of saw the whole case against Chad Pennington as your starting quarterback on display Monday night in Miami. He can keep the chains moving and roll up a heck of a completion percentage, but he can't really stretch the field when necessary or play well from behind. And that was without question one of the worst two-minute drills in the history of the NFL that the Dolphins butchered. No sense of urgency. No sense of timing.
I like Pennington. But the Dolphins are coming up against the same realization that the Jets did. Pennington can only take you so far.
posted by cjets at 11:26 AM on September 23, 2009
Didn't Pennington hit his receiver in the hands for a potential game-winning TD?
posted by 86 at 11:47 AM on September 23, 2009
And unfortunately with Pat White named as the #2 QB, the guy who does actually look like he can throw the ball with some mustard on it, Chad Henne, is stuck holding a clipboard.
And this just to put White on the field twice and have him hand off both times.
The Dolphins need to work out that, (Dirk Nowitzki's girlfriend aside), you can't be half pregnant - either give White the proper number of snaps to make it worthwhile having him as the #2, or get Henne back in the role.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:52 AM on September 23, 2009
While that 2-minute drill was a debacle, 86 has a point.
posted by tahoemoj at 12:13 PM on September 23, 2009
Agreed. Ginn should have caught that ball.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:40 PM on September 23, 2009
Didn't Pennington hit his receiver in the hands for a potential game-winning TD?
I don't think the point is that Pennington is awful. He won some games for the Jets. There's no question he can throw the short pass with accuracy and he can occasionally throw over the top of the defense.
But he can't throw with velocity and he can't make any throw that requires some zip on it, such as a deep out or threading the needle to a receiver.
I still think that the Dolphins went to the wildcat last year to limit Pennington's touches. You don't do that with a top ten QB. You do that with a QB that has limited skills.
posted by cjets at 12:55 PM on September 23, 2009
In an apparent bid to out-crazy new teammate Ron Artest, Lamar Odom is marrying one of the Kardashian kids after dating for about two weeks.
posted by Ufez Jones at 01:06 PM on September 23, 2009
Iif the Seahawks lose more players to injuries this year and have the same results as last year, I may have to resort to something like this. I'll send it to the trainers first.
posted by THX-1138 at 01:32 PM on September 23, 2009
If I had to say just one thing about Kolzig, it's that he was always intense.
posted by MrFrisby at 03:47 PM on September 23, 2009
I've been wondering this for a couple years now, but why is Paul Byrd still a major league pitcher? The guy throws batting practice during actual major league games. I was so happy to see him pitching for the Sox last night.
posted by dyams at 03:48 PM on September 23, 2009
Because you can't teach experience. Plus he's funny. Looking.
posted by yerfatma at 03:59 PM on September 23, 2009
Olie the Goalie retires. Hell of a career.
His memories as a Maple Leaf will fill....um......sentences in his autobiography.
posted by tommybiden at 04:05 PM on September 23, 2009
Milan fall to Udinese, 0-1. Flamini sent off again. They need Becks back.
posted by The_Special_Juan at 06:33 PM on September 23, 2009
Because you can't teach experience.
The only experience he has is getting shelled by major league hitters.
Plus he's funny. Looking.
You got that right.
posted by dyams at 06:36 PM on September 23, 2009
Not sure if it is worthy of a full post as it has been covered somewhat on this site. This article disturbed me to no end. The NFL's treatment of veterans and their dismissal of the science here is unconscionable. *Edit- don't know what happened but the link did not come out in the post. http://men.style.com/gq/features/full?id=content_10980 I guess you can copy and paste.
posted by soocher at 07:02 PM on September 23, 2009
Not sure if it is worthy of a full post as it has been covered somewhat on this site.
Only somewhat?
posted by BoKnows at 07:44 PM on September 23, 2009
Soocher -- two years ago there was this post, and rcade recently posted on head injuries in the NFL, which is still on the front page. Your article looks like a really good one.
Personally, I think this is the #1 issue in North American sports right now (at least contextual issues, not score-related one) but I know some people on this site would rather not talk so much about it. So post it at your own peril -- to me it is certainly a meaty enough, "best of web" article, which passes the FPP threshold.
PS use the little link button on the text box corner
posted by rumple at 08:02 PM on September 23, 2009
Rumple- Thanks for the advice. I tried the link button but it didn't show up. Wonder if it is a Mac issue. I don't want to over hype the issue but just thought some might like to read the article, came from a non-sport source as well so just wanted some to see it. If others think it is worthy of a FPP I am all for it.
posted by soocher at 09:26 PM on September 23, 2009
Someone's not happy after the weekend AFL results.
"Hope is tyranny".
posted by owlhouse at 11:03 PM on September 23, 2009
Someone's not happy after the weekend AFL results.
"Hope is tyranny".
I read that as, "Hope is a TRANNY." I think I gotta get to bed.
posted by wfrazerjr at 12:08 AM on September 24, 2009
Check out the missed handball call.
posted by rcade at 01:01 AM on September 24, 2009
Ironic, seeing it appeared they were playing a team made up of nothing but referees.
Seriously, who thinks it's a good idea to make yourself look like 11 inmates?
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:12 AM on September 24, 2009
Fraze: The folks up at Newcastle, for one.
Juan: The reason is not missing Becks but because they are not giving Gooch the minutes.
posted by billsaysthis at 11:29 AM on September 24, 2009
Garcia Acosta has completed 25 Grand Tours, but never raced the Giro d'Italia.