11/05/24
October 05, 2009
SportsFilter: The Monday 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.
There are six winless teams in the league at this moment
..and one undefeated team that should not have a win(Denver) give it up for playing Cleveland, Oakland, Cincy, and the Cowboys with Romo who hung more guys out to dry then a dry cleaner. HE looked bad again. He almost pulled it off at the end but was awful till that point.
posted by Debo270 at 09:02 AM on October 05, 2009
A team with four wins should not have a win?
posted by rcade at 09:21 AM on October 05, 2009
A team with four wins should not have a win?
Their record is very misleading. The Defense looks good but They really have not played anyone unless you count the cowboys, and i dont.
posted by Debo270 at 09:24 AM on October 05, 2009
An interesting chat with Theo Epstein
posted by kokaku at 09:55 AM on October 05, 2009
Winning in the NFL is too difficult to say that a 4-0 team should be 0-4 simply because of who they played. The Cincinnati Bengals are 3-0 since losing to the Broncos, and the Cowboys' defense is playoff caliber. Denver's accomplishment should not be dismissed. My compliments to their rookie coach in oversized clothes that make him look 8 years old.
posted by rcade at 09:57 AM on October 05, 2009
How all 30 NHL teams got their names.
posted by rcade at 09:58 AM on October 05, 2009
The Broncos' opponents so far are 6-6 against the rest of the league, which would be tied for 15th in a 30 team league. Not exactly chum.
posted by dfleming at 10:07 AM on October 05, 2009
Reporting from Broncoland, everyone here in Denver is just as surprised as the rest of the country. Most of the local sports guys were predicting a 4-12 record and expecting the worst defense in the league.
posted by tron7 at 10:29 AM on October 05, 2009
Inspired by Jagsnumberone, I bought tickets to Sunday's Jags game. I picked a good time to jump back on the bandwagon. Jacksonville fans still hold a grudge against Tennessee Titans Coach Jeff Fisher for calling our stadium his "home field" after three wins in 2009, including the AFC Championship, and beating him never gets old. I think I heard a "Fisher sucks" chant start up a half-dozen times.
Before the game, we ran into somebody handing out cards from True to the Teal, a volunteer effort to help keep the team in Jacksonville.
posted by rcade at 10:53 AM on October 05, 2009
How all 30 NHL teams got their names.
I'm not trying to stir the pot here, (re)igniting the whole mascot issue, but it's reading something like this (interesting as it is, thanks for the post, rcade) that really makes me shake my head at how some folks will fight so passionately to keep "controversial" names and mascots. When you think about how some of these names came to be in the first place, I question how one couldn't think: what's the big deal about a name change?
Looking back at the historical record, one of the most popular team names was the Victorias (obviously, a tribute to the queen). Winnipeg and Montreal (both named Victorias) played off for the Stanley Cup at least once. That name has clearly fallen out of vogue now. I rest my case.
posted by Spitztengle at 10:57 AM on October 05, 2009
Minneapolis Lakers - about as sensible a name as one can imagine. Los Angeles Lakers??? The closest thing to a lake in Los Angeles is some billionaires swimming pool. Then again, it is California.
posted by pullmyfinger at 11:37 AM on October 05, 2009
I wonder how the Nashville Predators do when they run Date Night promotions.
posted by beaverboard at 11:56 AM on October 05, 2009
Not the best week so far at 7-6 ATS, but if the Packers come through tonight, I'll be laughing all the way to the pay window for the third week in four tries. Plus it would be nice to be .500 on Locks. *rolls eyes*
I had someone ask about that discrepancy (as my record on my blog shows 1-2 for Trifectas), and it comes from legally betting ProLine through the Ontario Lottery & Gaming Commission. The lines come out on Wednesday or Thursday for the weekend action and sometimes can be up to a field goal off the Vegas lines. When another pick presents itself as a better choice for the three-play, I substitute it for my least certain pick in The Hoser Trifecta.
posted by wfrazerjr at 11:57 AM on October 05, 2009
New Jersey Devils: Given that New Jersey has never been known for its mountains, the team needed a new nickname after the Colorado Rockies relocated to the Garden State in 1982.
So they not only moved east but also switched sports?
posted by billsaysthis at 12:05 PM on October 05, 2009
Minneapolis Lakers - about as sensible a name as one can imagine. Los Angeles Lakers??? The closest thing to a lake in Los Angeles is some billionaires swimming pool. Then again, it is California.
This would be more damning if not for the existence of the Utah Jazz.
Not the best week so far at 7-6 ATS, but if the Packers come through tonight, I'll be laughing all the way to the pay window for the third week in four tries. Plus it would be nice to be .500 on Locks. *rolls eyes*
I hope someone took my recommendation in the Hoser Picks thread of betting the under in Tampa-Washington. That call was almost too easy.
posted by holden at 12:15 PM on October 05, 2009
Not the best week so far at 7-6 ATS, but if the Packers come through tonight, I'll be laughing all the way to the pay window
I had a pretty good week ATS. Vikes win and cover tonight, I'm a rockin' 13/14 on the week. Why this never happened when I used to actually lay money down each week is beyond me. Something about a fool and his money soon being parted?
posted by Spitztengle at 12:36 PM on October 05, 2009
So they not only moved east but also switched sports?
No, these Colorado Rockies. I had forgotten that Don Cherry was bench-boss for this squad one season too.
posted by Spitztengle at 12:48 PM on October 05, 2009
A-rod hits 2 HRs and gets 7 RBI in a single inning in October ...
Somewhere there's a lab tech busy performing sample work today.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:58 PM on October 05, 2009
Mark Sanchez was flagged for a cut block on Jonathan Vilma during the Jets loss.
posted by rcade at 01:19 PM on October 05, 2009
"Actually, I was surprised [Sanchez] (cut me)," Vilma said in the Saints locker room... It was kind of dirty."
[Obvious punchline here]
posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:42 PM on October 05, 2009
...the Cowboys' defense is playoff caliber
Were you watching the same game as I was? I love my 'Boys but the defense and Tony Romo, did not play well at all yesterday. Brandon Marshall simply cannot do what he did yesterday in the open field if the defense is playoff quality and no one tackles him. Romo had his usual bad game with no TD's for the second straight week. What ran thru my mind yesterday was, "So T.O. was the problem last year? I think not."
posted by BornIcon at 03:17 PM on October 05, 2009
Anyone know the story behind this Seahawks-Saints photo?
posted by rcade at 03:24 PM on October 05, 2009
Anyone know the story behind this Seahawks-Saints photo?
Ken Hamlin on Donte Stallworth from 2003, I believe.
posted by holden at 03:36 PM on October 05, 2009
They really have not played anyone unless you count the cowboys, and i dont.
Debo, how'd that Steelers/Bengals game turn out? You really think a team that, but for one of the luckiest plays I've aver seen, would be 4-0 isn't anyone? I'm not calling them superbowl contenders or anything, but give a little goddamn credit where it's due.
posted by tahoemoj at 03:38 PM on October 05, 2009
Drogba proves (again) he is the world's best striker. Sets up two goals in a huge 2-0 win against Liverpool. Torres is a non-factor for Liverpool.
posted by The_Special_Juan at 04:29 PM on October 05, 2009
In a tournament no-one cares about, Australia beats New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy.
posted by owlhouse at 05:10 PM on October 05, 2009
A-rod hits 2 HRs and gets 7 RBI in a single inning in October ...
In a meaningless game. Did anyone get pictures of what signs he was flashing and who was flashing him back to tip the pitches?
posted by graymatters at 05:54 PM on October 05, 2009
Cameron Wake has a great game for the Dolphins (blatantly daring to use the derogatory name in full) ... and it is a moment worth celebrating for CFL fans who do not think that the league is second-rate. Another proving ground, maybe ... but it is nice to see guys who do well in Canada do more than practice reps down south.
posted by Spitztengle at 05:59 PM on October 05, 2009
@spitzengle: Pretty sure that whoosh you heard was my humor doing a buzz pass on your head ;)
posted by billsaysthis at 06:04 PM on October 05, 2009
Meanwhile, seriously, Don Garber is going to go to Europe next week to lecture club executives on how wonderful the MLS single entity model is and that it should be widely adopted. And monkeys will concurrently fly out of his trousers.
posted by billsaysthis at 06:05 PM on October 05, 2009
...closely followed by a team of Wall Street execs advising the EU on financial management, no doubt.
posted by owlhouse at 06:09 PM on October 05, 2009
Best line I heard all weekend was by Keith Olbermann, "When Tony Romo sat down, he missed the bench."
Heh.
Also: the Steelers tried their best to blow a 28-point lead last night. Their defensive play late in the game does not bode well.
Also also: the Saints are really, really scary. Like, ho-lee shit how do we stop them scary.
posted by BitterOldPunk at 07:15 PM on October 05, 2009
Also also: the Saints are really, really scary. Like, ho-lee shit how do we stop them scary.
I'm really looking forward to the Saints/Bucs games.
posted by bperk at 10:01 AM on October 06, 2009
The Hoser picking the Pats over the Ravens in yesterday's action was a gutsy call. I would not have had the courage to make that call.
Once again, a Parcells team led by a backup QB has found a way to demoralize the greater metropolitan Buffalo area. I did not see that coming.
Lots of chunky game scores in the NFL yesterday, fanning the flames in my old AFL-loving heart. Those Houston-Oakland shootouts of bygone days...sometimes you can't tell by the score whether you're watching pro football or girls' high school basketball.
There are six winless teams in the league at this moment - which is the most I can remember there ever being after four weeks. And Carolina would be even more winless, except they had a bye week this week.