04/26/24
October 31, 2013
SportsFilter: The Thursday 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.
How do you tamper with a cricket ball?
posted by yerfatma at 12:32 PM on October 31, 2013
It's amazing that in the last 5 years, a Boston-area team has won each of the major sports titles.
To put it into perspective, New York-area has double the teams and has to go back to 1973 to grab one of each. Chicago would have to go back to 1985.
posted by dfleming at 01:34 PM on October 31, 2013
It's worth taking quality and continuity of coaching and front office into account. For the most part that is; things fell apart for the baseball team the minute Valentine was hired.
In a reverse version of the "how many wins is a coach or manager worth" discussion, has anyone computed the overall negative effect that Valentine had on the Sox compared to Tito and Farrell? Stats as well as wins and losses.
posted by beaverboard at 03:25 PM on October 31, 2013
How do you tamper with a cricket ball?
Interesting article. When bowlers could clearly be seen picking at the seam, I remember commentators using all sorts of euphemisms like "He's removing the grass seeds". Everyone knew what was going on. In grade cricket, we used all sorts of shenanigans to keep one side of the ball shiny, including, ahem, artificial substances like sunblock and shoe polish. The sunblock is on your face and arms anyway...
The other point hinted at in the article is that bowlers are using these methods to try and restore the balance with the batsmen, who are favoured by dry, flat pitches. But whatever you do to a ball, it is almost irrelevant if there's a bit of movement off the pitch, or a bit of dampness in the air. In the long run, we'd be better off with groundsmen who prepared fair pitches in the first place instead of tracks that favour big hitters. Some of the crowd might enjoy six after six, but a real contest between bat and ball - that's cricket.
posted by owlhouse at 03:36 PM on October 31, 2013
It think it's time the city/area stop hogging the limelight...
So, grum, are you bragging or complaining? Either way, it's a remarkable run. The common denominator seems to be the 2001 Patriots philosophy of each player being a member of the team and subordinating his own interests to those of the group. Good coaching/managing is part of this, but the heart of it is having the strong personalities in the dressing room to exemplify the philosophy and insist that others follow.
posted by Howard_T at 07:31 PM on October 31, 2013
Oh, I'm complaining. As a Leafs/Jays/Bills/Raptors fan, it's been a VERY dry run (20+ years and counting since a title of any kind).
posted by grum@work at 08:02 PM on October 31, 2013
Dude. Your heyday was in the early '90s. It would be really awful if you were only in your early 20s still.
posted by NoMich at 08:15 PM on October 31, 2013
16 Reasons To Root Against The Evil Canadians At The Winter Olympics
posted by tommybiden at 08:57 PM on October 31, 2013
2002 Patriots Super Bowl Champions
2003 Red Sox, Game 7 ALCS
2004 Patriots Super Bowl Champions
2004 Red Sox World Series Champions
2005 Patriots Super Bowl Champions
2007 Patriots AFC Championship participants
2007 Red Sox World Series Champions
2008 Patriots Super Bowl participants
2008 Celtics NBA Champions
2008 Red Sox Game 7 ALCS
2010 Celtics NBA Finals participants
2011 Bruins NHL Stanley Cup Champions
2011 Celtics Eastern Conference Finals, Game 7
2012 Patriots Super Bowl participants
2013 Patriots AFC Championship participants
2013 Bruins NHL Stanley Cup Finals participants
2013 Red Sox World Series Champions
That's 17 times in the last 12 years where a Boston-area team has been (at worst) one win away from the title game/series.
It think it's time the city/area stop hogging the limelight...