04/18/24
July 29, 2011
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.
There will be no Commodore 64 on the Red Wings next season.
posted by rcade at 11:13 AM on July 29, 2011
Saw that yesterday rcade. Definitely disappointing.
posted by insomnyuk at 11:25 AM on July 29, 2011
Also disappointing that there are no players named Apple, Vic, Nintendo, Playstation, or Turbografx to pick cool numbers.
posted by grum@work at 12:29 PM on July 29, 2011
Mike Danton signs with Swedish team
Danton's been playing in my hometown (Halifax) for St. Mary's the last two seasons, so I've had plenty of opportunities to see him play.
I remember watching Joel Ward play in the same league a few years ago, and to me, Ward was almost always the best player on the ice. Danton, if it wasn't for his reputation, is nearly invisible. He skates pretty well and takes care of the puck, but he's got almost zero offensive game even at the college level. He has a reputation as a leadership type in the dressing room, but that's not enough to survive on.
I have a tough time believing his pro comeback will be more than a tour of Sweden/Switzerland for a couple of seasons before he's officially done. He was a borderline NHL player before and he's a forgettable college player now.
posted by dfleming at 01:11 PM on July 29, 2011
So King Bernie has fucked over UK F1 fans by splitting the coverage with Sky meaning if you want F1 in HD and don't currently have Sky you're going to need to spend 600 quid to get the service.
Way to screw the fans Bernard!
posted by Drood at 04:05 PM on July 29, 2011
From the second test match between India and England today...
From the BBC live text commentary :
"Broad charging in, the crowd roaring, the three slips crouched, palms together and out in front. Big in-dip, and Laxman will wear that bang on the samosas.He'll need a minute here - in fact, he'll need more than a minute, he's hit the deck with a look of anguish that every man in the place can empathise with. The physio's coming on. What's he going to do, whisper commiserations in his ear?"
The same incident from the Guardian :
"Broad beats Laxman with an inswinger that nips back and clatters into VVS' box. Ouch. "He's down for a compulsory eight count here," deadpans Bumble. The physio comes out, but as Bumble says "there's not much he can do, other than offer a bit of sympathy." Even Nasser is at it: "there's still two balls left..." he waits a beat... "in the over.""
I'm not sure if I like cricket, or just the commentary.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 04:41 PM on July 29, 2011
I don't like cricket commentary. I love it.
posted by JJ at 05:45 PM on July 29, 2011
I think I'd love cricket commentary if I understood a word of it. I think I've deciphered this one. Evidently the batter was struck in a very tender part of the anatomy by a pitch that bounced into him. Had this been baseball, the batter might have been able to do the soprano part of "God Bless America" in the 7th inning stretch. No cups in cricket?
We have really everything in common with America nowadays except, of course, language.' Oscar Wilde, The Canterbury Ghost, 1887.
posted by Howard_T at 09:58 PM on July 29, 2011
No cups in cricket?
Yes, there are Howard. Still hurts like buggery with a direct hit or off an inside edge, though.
In my old under 12s team, we only had two boxes in the whole kit, so the outgoing and incoming batsmen used to do a swap on the way to the wicket.
posted by owlhouse at 11:48 PM on July 29, 2011
" No cups in cricket?"
Cups in cricket are akin to a bullet proof vest - they'll save your life, but you won't be in a hurry to get shot again.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:42 AM on July 30, 2011
Just think of the physics, Howard: same speeds, much heavier missile. And larger too: if it gets in there, you aren't going to be able to let it hit your bad side.
posted by yerfatma at 09:09 AM on July 30, 2011
Sent the thread to my BiL, got this Ben Dirs quotation in return:
"Oh my life, that's pitched on a length, jagged back and caught Gayle slap bang in the orchestras. Down goes the big man in a heap - his missus will be weeping into her Mothercare catalogue. A few sniggers from the England fielders. What is it about a man getting hit in the testicles by a very hard ball travelling at 88mph that makes other men laugh? That's not a rhetorical question, I want answers."
posted by yerfatma at 09:05 PM on July 30, 2011
...same speeds, much heavier missile. And larger too...
I was under the impression that a cricket ball was slightly smaller than a baseball. Either way, it's still a major ouchie when one gets in there at speed. I have a great story about an umpiring colleague who took a foul ball straight to the cojones, that I'll tell some time when it is appropriate. By the way, the Oscar Wilde quote was from The Canterville Ghost, not Canterbury, as I erroneously wrote.
posted by Howard_T at 09:48 PM on July 30, 2011
According to Wiki a baseball is a quarter inch larger, but a cricket ball is a half ounce heavier.
The nature of the sport, especially the length of innings/(at bats), gives you much more opportunity to be hit with a cricket ball however.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:28 AM on July 31, 2011
Mike Danton signs with Swedish team