12/21/24
January 03, 2014
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.
The best part about the Championship Belt thing is that one Appalachian State-style upset over a "belt holder" could spin off and end up giving the belt to some team that doesn't get around to playing the BCS-contenders for the rest of the year.
posted by grum@work at 08:57 AM on January 03, 2014
Indeed, the WAC passed it around (with some help from the Pac-10 and, oddly, Iowa) for a few years in the mid-'90s.
Louisiana Tech gets the next title shot. Go Bulldogs!
posted by Etrigan at 09:23 AM on January 03, 2014
Watching Saban get Stoopified last night was very satisfying, and has helped give me the vigor and fortitude needed to get back outside and continue the snow removal campaign after our two day white event.
Now I'm trying to think of what it would take to get Saban to pick up the phone if Daniel Snyder happened to call.
posted by beaverboard at 09:55 AM on January 03, 2014
Mike Ditka fell asleep during NFL Countdown
posted by BornIcon at 10:31 AM on January 03, 2014
If we want a real boxing-style belt, though, we need to have about 3 of them per division.
posted by Bonkers at 01:14 PM on January 03, 2014
Ditka could be added to the Letterman show as Larry Bud Melman 2.0
posted by beaverboard at 02:15 PM on January 03, 2014
Just a reminder that the true college football championship happened last night, and Oklahoma retained the Heavyweight Championship Belt. Congratulations to the Sooners.
Because of this (and a similar one done for the world football), I've started compiling the history of the World Ice Hockey Championship Belt.
It starts in 1920 (Canada winning at the Summer Olympics).
Things of note so far (I'm up to 1970s):
Shortest reign - USA (1 day)
Longest reign - Canada (almost 12 years, including World War II)
Craziest multiple title holder - Poland (who won the title in the B pool of the World Championships in 1972, and during preliminary rounds of the 1976 World Championships)
Most chaotic - the title changed hands 4 times in 11 days in 1969
It was nice and easy when they didn't hold a World Championships during Olympic years (up to 1972), but it's getting a little more complex. Adding in the Canada Cup and World Cup tournaments to the World Championships and Olympics will take some time to sort out.
posted by grum@work at 04:18 PM on January 03, 2014
posted by rcade at 06:25 PM on January 03, 2014
Ever wondered if 2 professional footballers could score against 55 kids? The Japanese have answered this question for you.
posted by Bonkers at 06:37 PM on January 03, 2014
It really stinks that Green Bay gets a home playoff game having won their terrible division, while San Francisco wins 12 games and has to go to Wisconsin to play in ridiculous conditions that Lambeau fans don't even want to attend. A rule that should change is if teams have to play in a wild card game, the team with the best record should get home field.
Where I live it's currently minus 1 degrees. It's so cold my dog doesn't even want to go out. Sunday at game time in Green Bay is supposed to be minus 4 degrees, going down to minus 9 by the time the game ends. With any type of wind chill, the tempurature will probably be at least 3-5 degrees colder, minimum. That's ridiculous and dangerous.
posted by dyams at 09:34 PM on January 03, 2014
Okay, I've finished the Men's Internation Ice Hockey Championship Belt spreadsheet.
Notes:
Longest continuous reign:
4689 days
Canada (April 26, 1920 - February 25, 1933)
The very first title reign.
Shortest continuous reign:
1 day
12 times, the last one being Russia (May 12, 2011)
Surprising title holders:
2x - France (including during 2013!), Poland
1x - Norway, West Germany, Belarus, Great Britain
Most times title holder:
32 times - Canada
All versions of Czechoslovakia (original, Czech Republic, Slovakia) have held the title a combined 30 times.
All version of USSR (original, EUN, Russia) have held the title a combined 23 times.
Next title game:
February 12, 2014 - Preliminary Round of Winter Olympics
Sweden vs Czech Republic
posted by grum@work at 10:09 PM on January 03, 2014
*International
posted by grum@work at 10:26 PM on January 03, 2014
Angry Bama woman attack!
Her super power is booze.
Props to, well, everyone, for not hitting her back.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 11:25 PM on January 03, 2014
If I ever hear the phrase "hurtin' buckaroo" again I will tear my ears off.
posted by Hugh Janus at 12:05 AM on January 04, 2014
All four BCS games were fantastic. This year really delivered.
That said, I hate to see the Orange Bowl end without Clemson's "interception" being reviewed. I'm not sure which is sadder, the failure to take another look at what was a dubious interception at best or the announcer's contention that it was an interception because he had possession at some point while he was rolling on the ground.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:24 AM on January 04, 2014
Oh yes. I am no fan of OSU (and particularly Meyer) but I thought Clemson played with a bit of the Dirty South there: there might not have been a game plan to bash up Miller, but that's how it played out.
The Orange Bowl is a huge fuck-off bowl of oranges? Who knew?
posted by etagloh at 12:28 AM on January 04, 2014
That Bama femme fatale has just been voted in as an honorary member of the Lee Marvin Saloon Society.
Surveillance camera images of her are also featured as part of a Weekend Guest Hall of Fame montage which is on display next to the lobby elevators at the Quality Inn in Mobile.
posted by beaverboard at 12:36 AM on January 04, 2014
"I'm not sure which is sadder, the failure to take another look at what was a dubious interception at best or the announcer's contention that it was an interception because he had possession at some point while he was rolling on the ground."
I kinda agree with you, though I also kinda think it wouldn't have mattered and doubt they would have overturned it.
I really just wish the referee analyst dude would have told Matt Millen something along the lines of "Well, Matt, I'm sure you have a lot of expertise with catching a ball, expertise you demonstrated so well in your draft choices when you were a GM" just to get Millen to STFU (sorry YYM and Etrigan and any other Lions fans for bringing up painful memories).
posted by Bonkers at 12:38 AM on January 04, 2014
That interception was close, but I think it should have been upheld on review. He caught the ball and was down before he dropped it as he was getting up again. He might have lost his grip on it earlier, but replays were inconclusive on that point.
I hate the complete-the-process interpretation of catches and interceptions. The definition of when the process is complete is one of the most nebulous things an official decides.
posted by rcade at 11:26 AM on January 04, 2014
I agree. He caught the ball. It moved a little bit when he hit the ground, but he caught it.
There was another play/call earlier in the game that seemed like a giant error by the refs. I was watching in a bar and didn't have enough sound to hear very well, but here is what I think transpired:
4th down and 7ish for Clemson, late in the first half. The receiver is pushed out of bounds around the OSU 35, just short of the first down marker. A late hit occurs and is flagged. There is an official review, I believe to check the spot, which confirms that he is short. The ruling is: (1) No first down for Clemson; turnover on downs, (2) Late hit after the play on Ohio State; 15 yard penalty, (3) 1st down Ohio State around the OSU 20.
Is this correct? I understand that this would have been the correct ruling if the penalty were, say unsportsmanlike conduct or some other dead ball foul after the play, but is a late hit really a dead ball foul? It seems to me this penalty should have been tacked on to the end of the run giving Clemson a 1st down at the OSU 20. It proved to be quite significant at the time, as a Clemson TD seemed imminent, which would have put them up 12. Instead, the Buckeyes drove down the field and scored, taking a miraculous 2-point lead into the locker room despite being thoroughly outplayed.
posted by bender at 01:53 PM on January 04, 2014
Here's an NFL game where a late hit should have been treated as a dead ball foul and not resulted in a first down. I always thought late hits moved the chains too.
posted by rcade at 02:01 PM on January 04, 2014
If that's the case, I guess the ruling that I described was correct. It seems wrong that a hit out of bounds at the end of a play should not be considered part of that play, though I suppose the ball is dead when the runner steps out of bounds. Of course for this particular situation to play out, you have to have a late hit on a 4th down play, so that situation isn't going to arise very often.
posted by bender at 06:40 PM on January 04, 2014
Just a reminder that the true college football championship happened last night, and Oklahoma retained the Heavyweight Championship Belt. Congratulations to the Sooners.