04/19/24
June 08, 2015
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.
Probably should have gone and killed a deer to make things look consistent. Spikes coming back to the team was weird to begin with. This has taken it to X-Files territory.
posted by yerfatma at 01:47 PM on June 08, 2015
In certain parts of the continent, there are some people who think that this won't affect the Patriots at all. The league will turn a blind eye to it and the team won't even get a slap on the wrist. Because they're the Patriots.
posted by beaverboard at 02:11 PM on June 08, 2015
It seems a bit harsh to release Spikes before the authorities know whether he was driving his car at the time. But what the hell, the Cowboys could use another linebacker.
posted by rcade at 02:43 PM on June 08, 2015
there are some people who think that this won't affect the Patriots at all. The league will turn a blind eye to it and the team won't even get a slap on the wrist.
Wait...should this affect the Pats? As is the case with many of the world's smartasses, sometimes it is difficult to discern your actual meaning through the written word.
Seems to me that this is a Spikes-centric situation, and the Pats don't have anything to do with it, particularly now that thay've sent Spikes packing.
That being said, I'm secretly rooting for the Ginger Hammer to impose a forfeit of the 2015 Super Bowl and 10-season suspension of Belichick
posted by tahoemoj at 02:47 PM on June 08, 2015
Hell of a weekend for sports.
On Saturday alone, I watched
- Serena Williams win her 20th Grand Slam title
- the first Triple Crown winner in 37 years
- the opening match for the Women's World Cup (including a late victory for the hosts)
- an amazing Stanley Cup final game
- Barcelona claim the treble
And on Sunday I saw something happen in a MLB game that I had never seen before.
posted by grum@work at 03:02 PM on June 08, 2015
And on Sunday I saw something happen in a MLB game that I had never seen before.
It's a first for me at the MLB level, but I have had 2 or 3 arguments with coaches at the Babe Ruth or interscholastic level over this rule. The coach of the team on defense will always argue that interference must be called, even though the judgement call is that the runner was in contact with the base and did not interfere deliberately. The coach of a team on offense will always plead that it was not intentional when his runner interferes with a fielder, and will argue that interference should not be called. One call that I truly hate being faced with is interference on a batter with a catcher attempting a throw in order to put out a runner at a base. If the batter does not move into the catcher's path, there's no interference, but when the batter has swung at the pitch and falls into the catcher's path, it is really difficult to judge. I usually go by the rule "when in doubt, call them out". The rule is clear, the determining factor involves umpire judgement, and coaches are always wrong. Just ask the umpire about that last statement.
posted by Howard_T at 04:06 PM on June 08, 2015
Rewatching that, I'd say the fault is almost entirely on the shortstop. Here was my train of thought: 1) I think I'm agreeing with Howard here; the runner on second is unimpeachable, he even ducked so as to minimize interference (or at least, to not get hit by the ball). 2) Wow, that was totally the 2nd baseman's ball, why didn't he get that? 3) The 2B was even calling for it... then stopped? 4) If I recall my baseball rules, players like SS and CF have "right-of-way" on their plays, so if the 2B suddenly backed off then the SS must have called for it 5) The SS, while understandable in not realizing he couldn't reach the ball (since his eyes were in the sky) still called off the fielder who had a better angle and then couldn't make the play.
So no interference, and I'd have ruled that E-6 because it was a routine pop fly. Looking at the box score, eh, they ruled it a single, so I guess that's charitable of them. Amazingly, it was the game-winning run in the top of the 9th, so... ouch. Someone's getting extra fielding practice today....
posted by hincandenza at 05:07 PM on June 08, 2015
Reyes handled that situation so well he blocked out the shortstop from the ball and remained on base the entire time. It's like he practices that.
posted by rcade at 05:09 PM on June 08, 2015
After bashing Toronto late last week for it's frequently questionable air quality I awoke this morning of the opening Women's World Cup matches in Winnipeg to an air quality statement.
The smoke isn't heavy here but it is noticeable without much breeze to speak of. Not great conditions to be sprinting around a pitch regardless.
posted by cixelsyd at 08:07 PM on June 08, 2015
Pat Venditte may have an even cooler skill than pitching with both hands!
posted by bender at 11:21 PM on June 08, 2015
Pat Venditte may have an even cooler skill than pitching with both hands!
Reminds me of a buddy of mine who told me that he could play pool with either hand, and was therefore anorexic.
posted by tahoemoj at 10:36 AM on June 09, 2015
The pressure readings on the tires of Brandon Spikes' car look adequate at first glance. So it must have been something else.