11/23/24
July 16, 2012
SportsFilter: The Monday 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.
It has been a pretty anticlimatic tour. The green jersey just took some intermediate points without anyone else even bothering to challenge him. If the TV guys are to be believed, that means everyone else has conceded. Wiggins has looked like he's locked up the yellow barring monumental disaster for at least several days now, and there is a week to go still.
posted by apoch at 10:15 AM on July 16, 2012
I think the green jersey is over, yes, unless Sagan doesn't make it to Paris, but there are a couple big climbs coming in the next few stages that can still cause changes in the GC.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 10:48 AM on July 16, 2012
Why is ESPN giving Steven A. TV and web time to trash Jeremy Lin? If you're going to carry water for a sports franchise, maybe pick one that's semi-functional?
posted by yerfatma at 04:51 PM on July 16, 2012
The only known trophy from the 1912 World Series champion Red Sox is on sale.
posted by rcade at 05:00 PM on July 16, 2012
Pay him now, and he may ultimately cost them more than $30 million later. And this would be around the same time Melo, Amare Stoudemire and Tyson Chandler are accounting for a combined $62 million on the Knicks' books.
So, Melo, Amare, and Chandler combine for $62 million but Lin alone is responsible for their luxury tax troubles? It's so transparent that I wonder if Stephen A even bothered to rephrase his "sources from inside the Knicks organization."
posted by tron7 at 05:07 PM on July 16, 2012
Well, in the Knicks' defense, an unbiased source who knows his way around the salary cap did call Lin's offer "ridiculous". Oh no wait, that was 'Melo.
posted by yerfatma at 05:35 PM on July 16, 2012
Lin makes sense for the Knicks from a marketing standpoint, he'll sell massive quantities of jerseys. And he can play a bit.
Look, it's not as if the Knicks haven't sealed their fate already. No way they'll even win a single playoff series with the overpaid / underperforming group they've assembled.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:31 AM on July 17, 2012
It has been a pretty anticlimatic tour.
Yeah, it's had the feel (weirdly) of an Indurain-era Tour.
Yesterday's stage was one of those where the peloton at large had zero-zilch-nada desire to chase -- a short, flat stage leading into a rest day before some huge climbs. Saxo still has its full complement of riders, so had just enough muscle to send out the signal before normal service resumed.
posted by etagloh at 04:54 PM on July 17, 2012
Frank Schleck (Radioshack) has been tested positive for Xipamide, used as a masking agent. Since it's not an actual doping substance there is no legal requirement for Schleck to leave the Tour. However, the Radioshack team has pulled Schleck from the race, while the rest of the team will continue tomorrow.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:20 PM on July 17, 2012
Interesting stuff on the Tour today - five riders make it off the front and stretch their lead out to about thirty seconds.
Saxobank rider Nicki Sorensen tried to bridge the gap between the peloton and the leaders, but then got stuck in no man's land, not wanting to fall back into the pack and unable to close down the five guys working as an impromptu team up front. With the peloton sitting up and coasting behind the leaders are two minutes ahead with Sorensen still stranded inbetween.
So at this point the Saxobank team car radios start chirping and all the Saxobank riders in the peloton form at the front and start sprinting - essentially sending out a message to the leaders that if they don't let up and allow Sorensen to join then the peloton will come get them.
Suddenly the leaders slow a fraction, Sorensen gets on the back of them and the peloton all sit down again.