04/19/24
January 18, 2013
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.
As a Leafs fan, I really don't know what to say about this.
posted by grum@work at 03:34 PM on January 18, 2013
No way that ends well. Unless Canadians are even more polite than the Internet likes to imagine, that will lead to some five minute majors.
posted by yerfatma at 04:05 PM on January 18, 2013
John Thomas, who as a Boston University freshman became the first to exceed 7 feet in the high jump, has died at the age of 71. Brief obit here. Thomas also won a bronze and a silver medal in his 2 Olympic Games.
posted by Howard_T at 04:39 PM on January 18, 2013
Average football game features 11 minutes of action.
posted by insomnyuk at 04:57 PM on January 18, 2013
All nine NFL head coaching vacancies went to white men, prompting talk about possible changes to the Rooney Rule. Jim Caldwell didn't even get an interview despite his past success at Indy and current success as the OC in Baltimore.
Mel Tucker was the Jaguars' only minority interview, but it was obvious to everyone he had no shot at the job.
posted by rcade at 06:33 PM on January 18, 2013
For the second time this season, the NBA has released an official statement that basically says "Yup, the referees screwed the Toronto Raptors. Oh, well!"
posted by grum@work at 07:06 PM on January 18, 2013
All nine NFL head coaching vacancies went to white men
And it's not much better at the college level, but seems to be improving more than in the pros. If candidates are willing to be patient - Charlie Strong waited over 25 years for his opportunity.
The one thing that the NFL does have over the NCAA is that occasionally, a black NFL head coach who has been fired will get another shot at a top job.
In Div. 1 college ball, only one black coach who has ever been fired has been given a second opportunity: Ty Willingham. (Which makes his legacy at Washington all the more painful to contemplate).
And the hook seems to come quicker for black college HC's who are struggling. Phillips, Embree, Gill, Prince, etc. They are on a short clock.
posted by beaverboard at 09:34 PM on January 18, 2013
No sooner did I post the above than I found out that Pep Hamilton has been hired from David Shaw's Stanford staff by the Colts to replace Bruce Arians. Any bump in the opportunities for transition from college to pros for black coaches is a good thing (back to the pros in Hamilton's case).
posted by beaverboard at 09:52 PM on January 18, 2013
Really enjoyed "Life Outside the Premiership", but given it's a Sheffield Wednesday fan who shit talks French philosophers and references Echo and the Bunnymen, maybe it was just up my alley.