November 06, 2015

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.

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 5 comments

Jonathan Lucroy, recipient of a public service Bob Feller Award, was saluting the veterans on MLB Network this morning when he said, "They died for us to be able to play a game for a living."

I appreciate the sentiment, but this construction makes me cringe a little. Surely there's a better way to recognize soldiers who sacrificed their lives in war for your country than to draw a direct line from that act to your chance to play a sport. Wars don't decide who gets to play pro sports or not. The losing countries have sports too.

posted by rcade at 09:39 AM on November 06, 2015

Preliminary stat of the day: Last coach to get another NFL HC job after leaving #Lions was Buddy Parker in 1957. 16 coaches have come, gone since then w/out resurfacing

(Except Dick Jauron, who was the interim Lions coach for five games after Steve Mariucci was fired and went on to be the head coach of the Buffalo Bills.)

((It also ignores George Wilson, who coached the Miami Dolphins for four years before the NFL-AFL merger.))

The last Lions HC to HC anywhere else was Buddy Parker, who coached the Steelers for eight years without making the playoffs. Before him was Bo McMillin, who led the Eagles to a 2-0 record before being diagnosed with stomach cancer, retiring, and dying of a heart attack six months later. Then there was Dutch Clark, who HCd the Cleveland Rams to four mediocre seasons. Before and after Dutch was Potsy Clark, who HCd the Lions to an NFL title in 1935, left the team, came back for one year and went 5-5-1.

((Wilson never made the AFL playoffs with the Dolphins.))

No former Detroit Lions head coach has gone on to lead a team to the playoffs, not even the Lions.

posted by Etrigan at 10:16 AM on November 06, 2015

Also, two opposing Super Bowl Coaches - Billick and Fassel - never resurfaced.

Always wondered whether Jauron's haunted look came from coaching the Lions or the Bills. Or from the grim, foreboding years he spent at Yale. The rainy weekends, all that gloomy architecture...

Meanwhile the eternal Sunshine Twins retreads Wade and Norv traipsed their way through the league, seemingly at will.

posted by beaverboard at 12:22 PM on November 06, 2015

Disciplining NFL referees just a PR move by Goodell regime

posted by beaverboard at 02:59 PM on November 06, 2015

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