SportsFilter: The Friday 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.
A little word on the Lantern Rouge:
Bert Grabsch of Team HTC-Columbia has a 3 minute 42 second "lead" over Adrianao Malori of Lampre-Farnese for the Lantern Rouge. With stage 19 the last time there will likely be much difference, let's look at some of their history. In 2008 Grabsch won the Time Trail Championship in Germany and the UCI Road World Championship, and won the German Time Trail Championship again in 2009. Malori won the U23 Time Trail Championship in 2008. They are both clearly accomplished Time Trialists, so barring any accidents the results will likely hold.
posted by apoch at 07:42 AM on July 23, 2010
Jens Voigt crashed in Stage 16 when his front tyre exploded on a descent. His team cars were too far ahead to get a bike back to him, but when the sag wagon appeared, he refused to get in it. Instead, he borrowed a bike - a junior bike with old-fashioned toe-clip pedals - and used that for 20km until he caught up with the team car. After the stage, he seemed chirpy enough. "Obviously, I have had better days than this, but I'm still alive. It's better than last year, you see, last year at this time of the race, I was in hospital already. This time, I'm still on my bike, didn't crash on my head, didn't crash on my face, so things could be worse."
He has five stitches in his elbow, suspected broken ribs and is covered in road rash, but he's determined to make it to Paris this year.
posted by JJ at 09:40 AM on July 23, 2010
Jens Voigt might be the toughest guy in the peloton. It's hard to think of anyone who rides harder, more selflessly, and through more crashes.
posted by apoch at 10:07 AM on July 23, 2010
An Orioles fan spends two minutes running around the field without getting tased.
posted by rcade at 10:52 AM on July 23, 2010
posted by ursus_comiter at 11:04 AM on July 23, 2010
I saw that Henry goal coming the minute it was announced that he make his first start against Spurs. He has a history of doing that (and the look on their faces was priceless).
posted by trox at 11:33 AM on July 23, 2010
In Soviet Russian soccer, goal score you...but in Canadian youth soccer, if you score 6 goals more than your opponent, opponent beat you...
posted by MeatSaber at 11:39 AM on July 23, 2010
French Football Association suspend entire national team World Cup squad for one game.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:50 AM on July 23, 2010
French Football Association suspend entire national team World Cup squad
bonne chance to that move ... Soccer knowledge and sense must be mutually exclusive in France.
posted by cixelsyd at 12:35 PM on July 23, 2010
bonne chance to that move ...
The next match is an away friendly against Norway, so it's not like they're potentially throwing away Euro 2012 points. It also gives Blanc a bit of a breather from the publicity. If I were with the Norwegian FA, I'd be a bit miffed.
posted by etagloh at 02:06 PM on July 23, 2010
An Orioles fan spends two minutes running around the field without getting tased.
But! But! I thought everyone's life was in danger when a fan runs onto the field.
posted by grum@work at 05:45 PM on July 23, 2010
Maybe this is only interesting to soccer watching amateurs like me, but Thierry Henry scores in Red Bull debut.
posted by littleLebowski at 07:14 AM on July 23, 2010