11/05/24
November 18, 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.
Mr. Glanville, please reconsider. Portland State still needs you. Please do not become a commentator again.
posted by kerrycindy at 12:10 PM on November 18, 2009
I think we have had this fight before, but Blade Runner is back in the news. The studies about the benefits of his "blade legs" change more often then the one about if eggs are good for you or not.
posted by Debo270 at 12:37 PM on November 18, 2009
Bahraini middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi was stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal Wednesday and four other athletes were disqualified because of doping at the Beijing Games.
posted by irunfromclones at 12:48 PM on November 18, 2009
The NFL desperately needs Jerry Glanville back in the broadcasters' booth. I loved that guy.
posted by NoMich at 01:28 PM on November 18, 2009
Question for other Spofites:
I am trying to find post written here a couple years ago about how overrated Charlie Weis is. Anybody know where it went, I can't find it?
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:39 PM on November 18, 2009
Not sure, but you can start looking here.
posted by yerfatma at 01:45 PM on November 18, 2009
Interesting study on refereeing in basketball; if you're the team with fewer fouls, away from home and leading, watch the foul calls pile up.
posted by dfleming at 03:09 PM on November 18, 2009
Just posting my picks for the NFL this weekend and realized that the Lions are a favorite. Might want to bring an umbrella to work this week, as I believe it may start raining frogs or blood any moment.
posted by tahoemoj at 03:11 PM on November 18, 2009
Algeria beats Egypt 1-0 to advance to the World Cup finals next year. Greece beats Ukraine 1-0 in Kiev to go through as well.
Other games in progress.
posted by owlhouse at 03:21 PM on November 18, 2009
I went looking, and it turns out that Charlie Weis apparently overate on numerous occasions.
posted by beaverboard at 03:38 PM on November 18, 2009
Just posting my picks for the NFL this weekend and realized that the Lions are a favorite. Might want to bring an umbrella to work this week, as I believe it may start raining frogs or blood any moment.
Even though my Lions have abused me for years, I hang on because I love them and I know deep down they love me too. They don't want to hurt me, and they apologize as they beat me into resignation year after year. Each fall dawns a new day, and I pray it will be different this time. But after 40 years, a pattern has developed. I know I should file for divorce, but I know they can change. I just know it. Maybe next year ...
posted by smithnyiu at 04:21 PM on November 18, 2009
smithnyiu, I feel your pain brother. I'm a Bengals fan.
posted by tahoemoj at 04:24 PM on November 18, 2009
smithnyiu, I feel your pain brother. I'm a Bengals fan.
Oh, so you know. Will you be my sponsor?
posted by smithnyiu at 04:29 PM on November 18, 2009
I've yet to come to terms with my own problem. Just this season, I continue to have high hopes, although history has taught me nothing but otherwise.
posted by tahoemoj at 04:36 PM on November 18, 2009
Interesting study on refereeing in basketball
This is why the huddle is so awesome. Doubtful that this would've ever made an FPP, but I'm a huge fan of anything related to the officials. With this study, I'd definitely need to look more closely at method, but I don't think there's really anything new being said here.
"You never want to be the less aggressive team." Really?
I'm not sure exactly if this is the one that stirred some controversy a while back, but some studies, including those done by Mark Cuban, can be a bit problematic in both assumptions in their premise, and in method/analysis.
Nonetheless, I'm always excited to see officials as worthy of investigation--even if only peripherally, as these researchers indicate is most likely the case when looking for relevance to management strategies.
posted by Spitztengle at 05:48 PM on November 18, 2009
Lucky Guus got cooked today for the home folks. Talk about upsets.
OTOH, the US youth-ish team got done by the Danes. Bob Bradley is going to have to work really hard with whoever he installs as left back for South Africa, definitely the weakest link we have.
posted by billsaysthis at 05:49 PM on November 18, 2009
And France goes through 2-1 on aggregate on one of the cheapest pieces of work I've ever seen. Great play, Thierry Henry. My heart goes out to Ireland.
posted by boredom_08 at 05:52 PM on November 18, 2009
"You never want to be the less aggressive team." Really?
I think it's problematic as well. By what method do you determine who's being more aggressive?
posted by cjets at 05:59 PM on November 18, 2009
As much as the Browns suck, I'm sure the Lions can find a way to lose this weekend. They lost to the Rams.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 06:09 PM on November 18, 2009
By what method do you determine who's being more aggressive?
Check for froth around the mouth.
The method is a little flawed; they used only first half fouls to eliminate the end of game fouls which occur when a team is leading late. That notwithstanding, it's a little problematic to leave half a game's worth of data out.
posted by dfleming at 06:57 PM on November 18, 2009
While I agree with dfleming that leaving the second half out does skew the results, I'm not at all surprised to see that officials tend to want to even the game out. In the NBA it almost gives some games a "fixed' feel to them, in college I've just noticed too many times in which it seemed as though the ref's were controlling the game.
What is so hard about calling a foul when you see one, and not when you don't? Now, my officiating ended at the college intramural level, but I seriously don't remember looking at the scoreboard to determine who was ahead, nor did I ever care how many fouls I had called on one team versus the other.
All that being said, I wonder if the fact that an aggressive player that gets called for a few fouls early tends to get benched plays into this. If a player gets 2 or 3 fouls quickly they're often pulled, so it just may be the team that got a few fouls called on them taking it easy instead of the refs being biased.
posted by dviking at 07:57 PM on November 18, 2009
...and Uruguay make up the last of the 32.
posted by owlhouse at 08:27 PM on November 18, 2009
Bahraini middle-distance runner Rashid Ramzi was stripped of his 1,500-meter Olympic gold medal Wednesday and four other athletes were disqualified because of doping at the Beijing Games.
Davide Rebellin had his road race silver taken from him on Tuesday, too. Having samples kept for eight years tightens the classic race between dopers and testers: if you can't test for known doping agents at the time, you can still develop the tests and go back to the samples later.
posted by etagloh at 10:25 PM on November 18, 2009
Video of the Thierry Henry goal.
posted by cjets at 10:43 PM on November 18, 2009
As if we don't beat up refs enough, this happens. Sorry, it's kinda bad quality, but watch the replay that starts around 2:10, and has audio...
posted by MeatSaber at 11:12 PM on November 18, 2009
Attention, football television viewers - Jerry Glanville has resigned as head coach of Portland State, and could be headed back to a broadcast booth near you.
Jerry is firmly from the Tyler/Plano "I done wet my breeches" school of broadcasting. Bland, colorless, and balanced game calling is not his thing.
If you like folksy charm and off the cuff remarks that would make Goober leap out of the chair at Floyd's barber shop, you may be in luck.