12/21/24
October 06, 2013
SportsFilter: The Sunday 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.
I'm not (usually) a conspiracist, but I am a Michigan alum, so I'll just say that the B1G refs are totally protecting the Buckeyes, and Urban Meyer can go fuck himself for screaming to try to get that timeout back after it was the only thing that got him the four points that ended up winning the game.
Oh, and that last-second TD shifted the margin from 4 to 10, and the spread was 6.5, so I bet a lot of people got very happy in the last second.
posted by Etrigan at 11:28 AM on October 06, 2013
David Price had an interesting night on twitter.
posted by justgary at 01:27 PM on October 06, 2013
I'm not (usually) a conspiracist, but I am a Michigan alum, so I'll just say that the B1G refs are totally protecting the Buckeyes, and Urban Meyer can go fuck himself for screaming to try to get that timeout back after it was the only thing that got him the four points that ended up winning the game.
Actually, it was the tip of the ball being completely across the goal line that got the touchdown. When the reviews are called by the booth, and there is a guy whose only job is to decide if a play is close enough to merit another look, there is no reason that I timeout should ever be necessary to get a replay on a play that gets overturned. Now, I don't know if Urban Meyer knew there was a chance of getting the call overturned when he called that timeout or not, but there is plenty of precedent for coaches calling timeout ahead of an eventual review, and being returned their timeout when the call changes in their favor.
posted by bender at 02:07 PM on October 06, 2013
When the reviews are called by the booth, and there is a guy whose only job is to decide if a play is close enough to merit another look, there is no reason that I timeout should ever be necessary to get a replay on a play that gets overturned.
The booth official wasn't doing that, though -- the Buckeyes were about to go for the field goal when Meyer called time out.
I don't know if Urban Meyer knew there was a chance of getting the call overturned when he called that timeout or not
No one seemed to be doing anything but waiting for the replay official to make that call. That was a coach's challenge in all but name.
there is plenty of precedent for coaches calling timeout ahead of an eventual review, and being returned their timeout when the call changes in their favor.
I don't recall that happening "plenty" of times, but I don't recall it not happening. Either way, that time out was not in any way erroneously called and definitely should not have been given back (which it wasn't, to the refs' credit).
posted by Etrigan at 02:26 PM on October 06, 2013
No one seemed to be doing anything but waiting for the replay official to make that call. That was a coach's challenge in all but name.
Then what are we arguing about? The play was reviewed and overturned. When that happens, if the result of the replay benefits the team that called the timeout, they get the timeout back. It has not mattered if they called a challenge or if the challenge call came from the booth as a result of a decision that was made during the timeout.
I do not understand why you have stated that "the time out was not in any way erroneously called," nor do I believe it was erroneously called.
posted by bender at 10:13 PM on October 06, 2013
He didn't make a challenge, is the thing. He thought the booth would overturn the call if they only had more time to do it -- at which point he should have challenged, not called a time out. That's what the challenge system is for, but Meyer tried to play it "smart," and it should have cost him, which it did.
posted by Etrigan at 10:47 PM on October 06, 2013
Reports are that Josh Freeman has signed with the Vikings. One year, $3m.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:38 AM on October 07, 2013
In other Michigan State related news, I went to my first ever football game at the weekend, at the Big House. I bought a hat and everything: https://twitter.com/JohnMcClureGolf/media. Apologies for the self-link, but hey, it was exciting to be in a crowd of more than 110,000 people.
posted by JJ at 11:01 AM on October 07, 2013
Self-links in comments are always kosher. I'd love to go to a college game with a crowd that enormous. How was the game?
posted by rcade at 11:27 AM on October 07, 2013
In other Michigan State related news, I went to my first ever football game at the weekend, at the Big House.
I'll assume that you don't realize it, but this looks like an epic troll, on the level of talking about Man U after visiting City of Manchester Stadium - the Big House is at University of Michigan, which doesn't play Michigan State for a few weeks yet. No skin off my back, but some people will take that seriously (I reserve my ire for confusing Virginia Tech and University of Virginia).
posted by LionIndex at 11:31 AM on October 07, 2013
the Big House is at University of Michigan, which doesn't play Michigan State for a few weeks yet.
Yeah, that threw me for a second.
I saw Michigan vs Perdue at Ann Arbour a couple of years ago, and it was a blast. It's easily the biggest crowd of people I've been a part of, and even though the Wolverines stunk that year (and that game), it was still fun.
posted by grum@work at 11:44 AM on October 07, 2013
Oh shit - I've made a massive cock of that, have I? I'm fairly sure the guy who took me to the game (a colleague from our US office whose old man used to be the golf coach for the University of Michigan) doesn't read SpoFi. Guess I won't get invited back if he does.
The game, rcade, was tremendous. Ever since the NFL started getting beamed to the UK (in 1984 on the newly created Channel 4) I loved me some "American Football". Glory hunter that I am, I became a Dolphins fan. I had a number 13 shirt and everything. I swore some day I'd go to a game, but as fate would have it, until Saturday, football was the last of the American "big four" that I'd not been to a live game for.
It had something to live up to: my first basketball game saw LeBron ht a 3-pointer at the final buzzer to force overtime for the Cavs against an unbeaten Celtics team featuring Kevin Garnett. LeBron then proceeded to just wipe the floor with everyone in overtime. My first baseball game was a Jonathon Sanchez no-hitter at AT&T Park. And my first hockey game saw the Belfast Giants force an abandonment of a home game when some on-ice monkey business turned into a full scale riot in the crowd that "threatened the fragile peace process" of the entire country.
The football game itself wasn't overly close. Michigan looked comfortable to me throughout, but not so comfortable that they'll be able to do anything more than roll over and get their tummies tickled by Ohio later in the season. My big take away was that even though football seems to take a long time to play, it actually felt like it was all moving quite quickly. It had more ebb and flow to it than I expected. Not having to endure adverts during the advert breaks probably helped! I also love American sports' addiction to "noise" and the making thereof.
posted by JJ at 11:58 AM on October 07, 2013
The guy I was with told me a good story about meeting Jack Nicklaus at the Bridgestone one year at a corporate thing. He didn't tell him at first that his dad had been the coach of the Michigan golf team (presumably Nicklaus's big Ohio rival). Instead, he asked him about a story he'd heard a lot growing up about Jack driving a green at a par four in a varsity match... "Well, I did and I didn't. It was late in the season, the ground was forzen solid, we were off a forward tee, so... you know. It wasn't that big a deal. Who'd you hear that story from?"
"Well, my dad was the coach of the University of Michigan golf team for years."
"Oh really? Well, in that case, I drove that green twice that day, from the tips... AND it was into the wind!"
As my pal said: "He was kidding around, but at the same time, there was a glint in his eye that wasn't."
posted by JJ at 12:07 PM on October 07, 2013
And my first hockey game saw the Belfast Giants . . .
My sister used to live in Belfast and she swore half the cabbies in the city were Giants players.
posted by yerfatma at 12:11 PM on October 07, 2013
Wait, JJ, they let you in the US on a business visa?!?!
posted by billsaysthis at 12:34 PM on October 07, 2013
The guy from the DHS said to me this time:
"You've been here recently." "Yeah, I was here three weeks ago." "Was that business or pleasure?" "That was pleasure. I was playing golf at Bethpage." "Nice. And this time?" "Business. I'm playing golf at Merion." "Where do I get a job like yours?"
Joking aside, he then told me I'd probably be better to leave it a little longer between visits or someone less enlightened than him might start asking the wrong kind of questions and "get the rubber gloves out".
posted by JJ at 02:16 PM on October 07, 2013
I don't doubt that, yerfatma. I don't think the Giants pay so well.
posted by JJ at 02:16 PM on October 07, 2013
I love games at the Big House. I had the opportunity to go on the field (not during a game sadly) last August and it was a surreal experience. We had the opportunity to throw some footballs around and you could see people re-living some childhood dreams. I still have a couple pieces of the turf stashed away. I can only imagine what it is like for the players during game day.
I was also at the Minnesota game and I was very thankful it was not close. During the Akron game I thought for sure I would be one of the distressed individuals that they plaster all over the screen.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 11:49 PM on October 07, 2013
JJ forgot to add that his first time surfing involved a shark...
posted by owlhouse at 01:53 AM on October 08, 2013
During the Akron game I thought for sure I would be one of the distressed individuals that they plaster all over the screen.
TV producers have a knack for seeking out Avril Lavigne look-alikes whose team is losing late in the game, with clenched fists up to their faces, chewing the cuffs of their sweatshirts Tarkanian style, and with tears spilling over mascara retaining walls onto their gameday warpaint.
posted by beaverboard at 07:28 AM on October 08, 2013
JJ forgot to add that his first time surfing involved a shark...
Of course! I'm also a tennis jinx. I've seen Federer play twice in the flesh, and he lost both times. The first time was at Wimbledon in 2002 when Ancic beat him in straight sets. That was the only game he lost there for the next six years until Safin beat him in 2008, so it was one of only two he lost in an eight year stretch. The second time I saw him was at the season closing thing at the O2 in London, when he got beaten by Davydenko, who went on to win it.
The jumbotron thing at the (University of Michigan) game was very amusing anyway, but added to by the commentary from six drunk guys behind us. At one point, a small but intense pocket of focusing, bespectacled enthusiasts was shown, inspiring a cry of "Check out THOSE mathletes!"
posted by JJ at 09:24 AM on October 08, 2013
The Tigers need their bats to come to life soon or the postseason is going to come to a quick end for them. A few fun facts:
They have not scored in 17 innings.
They have not hit a home run in six games.
They have 17 runs in their past nine games.