04/25/24
May 02, 2010
SportsFilter: The Sunday 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.
I know we don't cover the green baize much here, but this is a bit of a scandal, coming to light just before the final of the World Snooker Championships.
posted by owlhouse at 07:44 AM on May 02, 2010
Wow, not a single post yesterday. Was that a first?
Seems like weekends are always slow. Maybe since people aren't at work they don't get a chance to post or respond too much.
posted by dyams at 09:28 AM on May 02, 2010
A year ago, I was pinned under part of the Cowboys indoor practice facility...
posted by Ufez Jones at 12:03 PM on May 02, 2010
Schteve McClaren's FC Twente wins the Eredivisie by a point, even though Ajax ends the season on a goal difference of +86, scoring an average of three goals per game.
In the Championship relegation battle, Crystal Palace survive (though for how long, given their financial woes) while Sheffield Wednesday go down to League One.
posted by etagloh at 01:11 PM on May 02, 2010
And the Reds are done, another dismal day in a dismal season.
posted by billsaysthis at 02:20 PM on May 02, 2010
I know we don't cover the green baize much here, but
While that may be true, this story is testament to the fact that snooker/billiards still holds pretty deep meaning for some folks around the world.
Personally, I've really lamented the disappearance of the pool hall in my local scene. That and/or the lack of time to spend weekday afternoons playin' skittles for dimes.
posted by Spitztengle at 03:28 PM on May 02, 2010
And another win for Halak and the Canadians. It's amazing how they can continue to win with the stat sheets so far in favor of Washington & Pitt. Very opportunistic with making the most of their scoring chances.
posted by jmd82 at 04:44 PM on May 02, 2010
Tiger missed the cut, and Rory's -15 for the weekend through 16 on the final day. Two pars for a course record (and probably to close out a 4 shot lead).
I always knew there was going to be a great golfer ripping it up on the world stage from my little town in Northern Ireland, I just always thought it was going to be me.
posted by JJ at 04:53 PM on May 02, 2010
I'm curious about the stats the NHL is keeping. On the Habs second goal, there was a shot, a save, and a rebound which scored. Minutes later, the stats showed the Pens outshooting the Habs 9-1 for the period. Am I missing something that would make either one not a shot on goal?
And what the hell is up with Sidney Crosby's primadonna act? He yipped at the ref for a good 30 seconds after Hal Gill gave him a bit of a mugging, a bit more than should have been tolerated, in my opinion. Then, on a later play he breaks his stick over Halak's goal and proceeds to throw the broken end as hard as he can at the boards. He might be the best player in the world right now, but his spoiled brat act is bullshit.
posted by tahoemoj at 06:24 PM on May 02, 2010
It's just Sidney being Sidney.
posted by BoKnows at 07:05 PM on May 02, 2010
Ya, Sid the Kid may be a rock star with the puck, but warranted or not, he definitely has a reputation as a spoiled brat. Makes it easy to cheer against him.
posted by jmd82 at 07:42 PM on May 02, 2010
And what the hell is up with Sidney Crosby's primadonna act? He yipped at the ref for a good 30 seconds after Hal Gill gave him a bit of a mugging, a bit more than should have been tolerated, in my opinion. Then, on a later play he breaks his stick over Halak's goal and proceeds to throw the broken end as hard as he can at the boards. He might be the best player in the world right now, but his spoiled brat act is bullshit.
Well, Crosby is the captain of the team, so he's allowed to talk to the refs. What gets me pissed off is watching non-captain (or alternates) yammer away at the refs. Detroit players do that A LOT, and I'm surprised that refs let them get away with it.
As for throwing the broken stick at the boards, lots of players have done that, so I don't think it's that big of a deal. At least he didn't do this.
posted by grum@work at 07:48 PM on May 02, 2010
Detroit players do that A LOT, and I'm surprised that refs let them get away with it.
Must be something in the water. Pistons players do it all the time too.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 07:50 PM on May 02, 2010
As for throwing the broken stick at the boards, lots of players have done that, so I don't think it's that big of a deal
Maybe, maybe not. The fact that he broke his own stick on the other team's goal while throwing a tantrum is more problematic. I'm not exactly screaming for a penalty as much as pointing out that he acts like a spoiled brat on the ice. It's not something any of the greats would have done-ever.
posted by tahoemoj at 09:41 PM on May 02, 2010
I'm surprised that refs let them get away with it.
Precisely why they do it. If the referees don't stop them, why would the players stop jawing at them?
Also, not as much lately, but in years past it's seemed that the Wings had a higher amount of players on their roster that were captains or assistants on other teams earlier in their careers, but weren't when they were Wings. Maybe just force of habit...
posted by MeatSaber at 10:14 PM on May 02, 2010
It's not something any of the greats would have done-ever.
2000: "Paul Kariya is a spoiled brat on ice. It's not something any of the greats would have done."
1990: "Jaromir Jagr is a spoiled brat on ice. It's not something any of the greats would have done."
1980: "Wayne Gretzky is a spoiled brat on ice. It's not something any of the greats would have done."
1970: "Gilbert Perreault is a spoiled brat on ice. It's not something any of the greats would have done."
1960: "Bobby Hull is a spoiled brat on ice. It's not something any of the greats would have done."
It's just about as popular a thing to say as "The game was better back in the old days."
posted by grum@work at 10:17 PM on May 02, 2010
Paul Kariya, Jagr, Gretzky, Perrault, ad Hull all broke sticks on the opponent's goal? I guess I didn't see those highlights. I think you're really being a Crosby apologist. He made a punk move, I can't see why you're supporting it.
posted by tahoemoj at 11:21 PM on May 02, 2010
Geez, y'all dislike Crosby so much, given his performance, you must want to just scream at Ovechkin. All Crosby does is win the Rocket Richard after reinventing himself as a goal scorer and put down another 100 point season, win the gold medal and jump into the second round at over two points per game (after putting the Pens on his back in the first round). All in the same year that he's already hoisted a Cup.
If Crosby is just a whiner, then Ovechkin is just a loser.
And the whole "greats wouldn't do that" thing has to be from people who don't recall Gretzky, or Lemieux's early career. Gretzky was famously called a cherry picking pussy who would never win anything, and Lemieux was chastised because he smoked and didn't "do" enough with his amazing God given talent. It's old news, been done before, and Crosby will be able to reflect on it in his biography a few years down the road.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:25 PM on May 02, 2010
And the Reds are done, another dismal day in a dismal season.
Derby County would appreciate that kind of dismal, if you don't want it.
posted by owlhouse at 12:18 AM on May 03, 2010
Paul Kariya, Jagr, Gretzky, Perrault, ad Hull all broke sticks on the opponent's goal? I guess I didn't see those highlights. I think you're really being a Crosby apologist. He made a punk move, I can't see why you're supporting it.
No, but they were young superstar players that were hated by many people, and whenever they did anything even remotely noticeable (break a stick, complain to a ref, etc), people would complain about them and attempt to compare them to the mythical "old school" players who "never did anything like that".
As much as you think I'm a Crosby apologist, you come off just as much as a Crosby hater.
I'm not supporting him smashing his stick. I'm just saying calling him out for it seems odd since lots of players do it and nobody seems to give a damn.
Exhibit A
posted by grum@work at 12:20 AM on May 03, 2010
I'm not supporting him smashing his stick. I'm just saying calling him out for it seems odd since lots of players do it and nobody seems to give a damn.
Sometimes accidents do happen:
Florida Panther Keith Ballard slashes teammate Tomas Vokun in the head earlier this season after a goal is scored.
Al MacInnis slashes & breaks teammate's (Darren Turcotte) hand when he comes to bench and smashes his stick down against the top of the boards after the St. Louis Blues struggle on a power play in a game in 1998.
posted by tommybiden at 01:43 AM on May 03, 2010
As much as you think I'm a Crosby apologist, you come off just as much as a Crosby hater.
I don't see that. I don't particularly like or dislike Crosby, but I can't remember the last time I saw someone break their own stick on their opponent's goal. I get he was frustrated by the way the Canadiens hemmed him in, but do something about it. Adjust and find a way to win instead of complaining the way you usually win isn't working.
No love for the Bruins/ Flyers tilt? Amazing game, and while I was frustrated the Bruins gave up a two-goal lead, it was worth it for the overtime period. Not only did the Bruins come out on fire, but NBC was so scared of running into the Kentucky Derby coverage they didn't air a single commercial during the OT.
posted by yerfatma at 10:38 AM on May 03, 2010
"No love for the Bruins/ Flyers tilt?" I am stupid.
posted by yerfatma at 11:23 AM on May 03, 2010
I get he was frustrated by the way the Canadiens hemmed him in, but do something about it.
I think it was more frustration that a penalty wasn't called at that instant (rightly or wrongly), than general attitude about the game.
posted by grum@work at 12:44 PM on May 03, 2010
I understand the references to the early Gretzky/Lemieux years. I remember that Hockey Digest, for years on end, tried to convince their readers that Gretzky was no Brian Trottier. I remember the charges of laziness to Lemieux and cherry picking to Gretzky, I just feel this is different.
This isn't Ovechkin and his "hot stick" celebration. I didn't like it (hey-neither did your boy Sid), but I'm not Don Cherry either. The game evolves and different attitudes and mores evolve with it. There is room for fun and exuberance in today's game, that's fine. I do, however, think that acting childish on a consistent basis has never and will never be an acceptable part of the game. And when the perpetrator is the poster child for the new NHL, it stands out as glaring. Announcers are constantly telling me that Crosby represents all that is good about the game of hockey; I don't deny his skill, I even admire the way he plays. He's not afraid to mix it up in front of the net or in the corner, and is brilliant in tight spaces with the puck. I'm far from a hater. The spoiled child act is not one of his positive attributes.
It has nothing to do with old time hockey, Toe Blake, Eddie Shore or Reggie Dunlap. Everyone who has ever played a team sport has played with the primadonna who cried when things didn't go his way. It's embarrassing for Crosby and the NHL when he behaves like a spoiled child.
posted by tahoemoj at 01:12 PM on May 03, 2010
His petulance is so damn overstated it's comical. Folks gotta find something to dislike and judge.
This kid spent his 21st birthday on the deck of a Canadian Warship sharing the Cup with returning servicemen and women. Yeah - he's a spoiled child.
I tell ya what. If he's still breaking his stick when he's 25 (a full three years from now, I know that suggesting that he's only 22 with the pressure of a team and city on his back is just deflection) I'll re-evaluate, but he's done so much more, and some of you just kept the bitch torch lit. Well it's your torch. Own it.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 06:08 PM on May 03, 2010
Yeah - he's a spoiled child.
Often times on the ice, he is. I cast absolutely no aspersions on the man's personal life. He might be a great guy, I've never met him, I don't know, and I've never hinted otherwise. This kid spent his 21st birthday on the deck of a Canadian Warship sharing the Cup with returning servicemen and women.
I'm honestly impressed. It has nothing to do with what I or anyone else feels is childish behavior on the ice, though.
If he's still breaking his stick when he's 25...
You mean, when he has a chance to grow up?
And what the fuck is "keeping the bitch torch lit"? Crosby acted childish in a high profile, nationally televised game yesterday, and I commented on it. I've never made a negative comment about him in the past. If you want to worship the guy and feel that he's good enough to act like a spoiled child on the ice, that's your business. Calling him out for acting that way is in no way keeping any sort of a torch lit.
posted by tahoemoj at 07:35 PM on May 03, 2010
Really, he's often breaking his stick on the opponents net? Do you think he complains to the refs more than anyone else in the league? Is he number one there?
I don't think there is overwhelming evidence to that effect. I think it's entirely overstated and any objective examination of the guy's game, and professional conduct comes up pretty much aces. Unless you're from Philadelphia.
I just find it a bit suspect is all. Here's a guy who does basically everything right, including win at every fucking level, and work countless overtime hours selling the league and doing charitable events. But, no "Look! He complained on the ice about a call! He's an embarrassment! He's the worst whiner in the history of fucking ice!"
That is a bitch torch. Not to mention that the league is lucky their poster boy isn't Ovechkin. He punched a fan in the airport and can't get out of the second round (he will of course, eventually). I think it's pure player hating on Crosby to call him a whiner.
BTW in the interests of full disclosure, I am Sidney Crosby.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:15 PM on May 03, 2010
It's just Weedy being Weedy.
posted by BoKnows at 09:38 PM on May 03, 2010
Sidney Crosby is an amateur, per Weedy's profile.
posted by apoch at 10:28 PM on May 03, 2010
Does this mean Sidney Crosby is made of wood? Or a 12 year old girl from Norwich?
posted by MeatSaber at 11:12 PM on May 03, 2010
He certainly looks like a 12 year old girl from Norwich.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 01:31 AM on May 04, 2010
Wow, not a single post yesterday. Was that a first?