June 24, 2010

SportsFilter: The Thursday 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.

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 38 comments

I now hate ESPN3.

That is all.

posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:17 AM on June 24, 2010

Your cable provider not supported? Or some other reason?

posted by kokaku at 09:23 AM on June 24, 2010

I'm at work :-)

posted by lil_brown_bat at 09:25 AM on June 24, 2010

The streaming feed on ESPN3 is already turned on. Court 18 is packed!

posted by rcade at 09:41 AM on June 24, 2010

I hate work. Our system doesn't support streaming feed...would crash the system. Drats!

posted by yzelda4045 at 10:10 AM on June 24, 2010

If both early World Cup games end 0-0, (or any other draw with an identical scoreline), today then Italy and New Zealand will have to flip a coin to see who goes through with Paraguay.

And the very second I hit post, Slovakia score..

posted by Mr Bismarck at 10:23 AM on June 24, 2010

Italy and New Zealand will have to flip a coin to see who goes through with Paraguay

Please anything but that...

Mind you, it would provide the yin to Wimbledon's yang today I suppose.

posted by JJ at 10:34 AM on June 24, 2010

Zombie Tennis ends: 70-68. Nice gesture from the All-England Club to do a whip-round and get something for both players.

Crazy end to this morning's World Cup matches, but it's a reminder that if you don't want the Italians to win, you need them out early in the tournament, because they traditionally only show up to play at the end of the first round.

posted by etagloh at 12:01 PM on June 24, 2010

Italy and New Zealand will have to flip a coin to see who goes through with Paraguay.

I was thinking about this yesterday. Does anyone know if this tiebreaker has ever come up in World Cup play?

posted by bender at 12:04 PM on June 24, 2010

In 1990 the Netherlands and Ireland were separated by the drawing of lots, with Eire "winning" to finish second, with Holland ranked third.

However, both teams were guaranteed qualification at that stage, (1990 was six groups of four, with the top two from each group and four best third placed teams going through), so it wasn't a split between who stays and who goes home.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:11 PM on June 24, 2010

Italy has no grounds to complain, given its behavior, but the amount of faking by Slovakia at the end of the Italy match was disgusting.

posted by rcade at 01:32 PM on June 24, 2010

The fight in the net after Di Natale's goal was brilliant.

Meanwhile, how crazy does Lippi look now that Quagliarella sat on the bench watching the comedy stylings of Gilardino and Iaquinta for two games, when he appears to be the only Italian Forward informed that the intent of the game is to put the ball in the net.

I've liked Quagliarella since his season with Sampdoria, so it was a shame to see him employed so late in the tournament.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:43 PM on June 24, 2010

In 1990, Ireland got to the quarter finals without winning a single game. Not that I cared much about the nature of their progression. The fact of it was enough. Fifteen years old, touring southern Ireland unaccompanied all summer playing in junior golf events and watching football in the pub whilst drinking gallons of Guinness. I'd love to say I was being served alcohol because I was over 6 foot tall and looked older than I was, but in truth I really don't think anyone cared.

posted by JJ at 01:47 PM on June 24, 2010

Holy crap, Keisuke Honda may have just scored the goal of the Group Stages.

Absolute belter.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 02:49 PM on June 24, 2010

Only the second direct free kick goal in the World Cup? (Nigeria had one in the game against Greece, not sure if there have been others)

ESPN Gamecast should have the video soon

posted by kokaku at 02:51 PM on June 24, 2010

Is it me, or have the last few days shown players getting to grips with the Jabulani? There have been a few fine goals (and crosses) from distance just today which lay off the raw power and don't try excessive spin. The replays on Honda's goal showed how it was a 'Ronaldo' style free-kick, where you try and hit it dead centre (like a knuckleball, if you like) to get the swerve and dip, and a few people were saying that the ball was made with that kind of strike in mind.

posted by etagloh at 02:51 PM on June 24, 2010

Wow... now Endo's done it as well.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 03:01 PM on June 24, 2010

Japan appears to have mastered the Jabulani - another free kick goal.

posted by kokaku at 03:01 PM on June 24, 2010

Endo just put the lie to what I said: a classic curler all the way, up and down. Helped that the keeper was expecting Honda to take the kick, but he'd have needed a cracking save even then.

posted by etagloh at 03:03 PM on June 24, 2010

Is it me, or have the last few days shown players getting to grips with the Jabulani?

No, that's not possible.
I've been told on good authority (by many people) that the ball is abysmal and has ruined the World Cup.

So no one should be able to kick it properly.

posted by grum@work at 03:11 PM on June 24, 2010

Wonder if Giuseppe Rossi is regretting his decision. He didn't make the cut for what turned out to be a woeful Italian team. Now he's playing celebrity pick-up games while the US is on their way to the round of 16.

posted by goddam at 04:08 PM on June 24, 2010

Sedin makes history with the Hart : NHL Awards handed out last night in Las Vegas.

posted by tommybiden at 04:35 PM on June 24, 2010

Is this going to be the World Cup that marks a breakthrough for global competition? 9 or 10 of the final 16 teams will be non-European (6 in 1998, 7 in 2002, 6 in 2006) or is it just a reflection of a very strong South American confederation?

posted by kokaku at 04:35 PM on June 24, 2010

San Jose Sharks sign Patrick Marleau, Joe Pavelski to 4 year deals: Marleau's deal is worth $27.6-million and Pavelski's is worth $16-million. Marleau was due to become an UFA on July 1 while Pavelski was a RFA.

posted by tommybiden at 04:38 PM on June 24, 2010

Now just trade Thornton and you're good to go, San Jose. You'd probably still be able to get a good couple of players back for him.

posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:52 PM on June 24, 2010

Turns out rcade's post a few weeks ago about R.A. Dickey being called up was a pretty good scoop. Dickey (6-0, 2.33 ERA) became the first player in Mets history to win six of his first seven starts. Whoda thunk?

posted by mjkredliner at 05:23 PM on June 24, 2010

Italy has no grounds to complain, given its behavior, but the amount of faking by Slovakia at the end of the Italy match was disgusting.

Italy? Out?

Hahahahahahaha.

posted by owlhouse at 07:28 PM on June 24, 2010

There are some great videos of fan reactions to Landon Donovan's goal. My favorite is this bar in Nebraska. Watch it a second time to see the guy at lower right seeing the goal before anybody else.

posted by rcade at 08:23 PM on June 24, 2010

That's fantastic - I can see the play in their faces... the save, the throw, the cross, the shot, the save, the goal. Love that guy in the bottom right.


I'm enjoying this world cup so far, but it's brilliant to be amidst what feels like the birth of something new here. With Ghana on Saturday and then Uruguay/Mexico to follow, there's a real possibility of a semi-final, which will send this place crazy.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 09:59 PM on June 24, 2010

There are some great videos of fan reactions to Landon Donovan's goal.

Here's a compilation of goal celebrations.

That's fantastic - I can see the play in their faces... the save, the throw, the cross, the shot, the save, the goal. Love that guy in the bottom right.

I love how all of the videos I've seen of this are nearly identical: building tension of the attack, horror in the blocked shot, total apeshit euphoria, chants of USA.

posted by goddam at 11:03 PM on June 24, 2010

Is it possible that guy was watching a different feed than everyone else? He's the only guy looking in that direction, and a bar where I occasionally watch hockey and drink (root) beer has the same weird feature -- all TVs show the same exact thing except one small screen, which is a second or two ahead.

Or he's a fucking clairvoyant. Either or.

posted by wfrazerjr at 11:27 PM on June 24, 2010

I love how all of the videos I've seen of this are nearly identical: building tension of the attack, horror in the blocked shot, total apeshit euphoria, chants of USA

Watching those videos it's a goal that will go down in history described as "YE-ARRRG-YEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!"

posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:40 PM on June 24, 2010

I think my favourite is Davis, CA - reminds me a lot of being pressed in among thousands of people in a pub for France 98 when Darren Anderton cracked one in against Columbia - that moment of vacuum and pause in the room as the ball dropped and then and bursting of elation as it was rifled into the net.

The cameraman in Kansas City makes me laugh though. "Gooooaaaaaal! Hey, nice ass."

posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:56 PM on June 24, 2010

Yeah, what presence of mind.

posted by yerfatma at 08:12 AM on June 25, 2010

These videos seem very familiar...

posted by grum@work at 08:59 AM on June 25, 2010

Is it possible that guy was watching a different feed than everyone else?

Someone suggested in the comments that he was watching a standard TV that was a second ahead of HDTVs in the room.

posted by rcade at 09:22 AM on June 25, 2010

Maybe he thought the first shot went in?

posted by bender at 10:51 AM on June 25, 2010

Is it possible that guy was watching a different feed than everyone else?

Possibly, possibly: there's a wee lag on digital cable/sat vs. analogue, which I noticed on one of the screens when watching England vs. USA. Though one could conceivably start cheering once Donovan showed up from stage right.

The reaction where I was? Pretty much the same. I'll admit that I was indifferent to the US qualifying when the matches began, but watching out of the corner of my eye, then paying more attention as the England match drew to a close, I really wanted to see a late goal.

posted by etagloh at 12:28 PM on June 25, 2010

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