- 08:58 AM
- 03/21/10
Clearly the league would be able to determine how much of an impact TV commercial time was built into this, so they can address that if they want...I'm guessing they won't.
Beyond that, the umpires need to stay on top of the hitters and pitchers.
Not sure how much time bringing relief pitchers in on golf carts saves, what the heck it is somewhat amusing to watch so bring it back.
On a side note, Howard, back when I was umpiring select league baseball, I called numerous balls on pitchers, and strikes on batters, that weren't ready. Some of those games were on the clock, so it was a bit easier to do. Always loved the reaction from the coach and/or parents. Like you, I'd explain the rule and they'd shut up.
posted by dviking at 07:49 PM on March 20
Best headline of the day.
Indians' Wood out with muscle strain
Sounds painful, and how'd the whole team get it???
posted by dviking at 03:16 PM on March 20
So, he used those "recreational" drugs during his playing days, and waits until he's 57 to give cocaine a try. Not buying it.
posted by dviking at 10:06 PM on March 18
All for it!
rcade, maybe each player's number should be their GPA.
posted by dviking at 12:24 PM on March 18
No no, both alcohol and cocaine are recreational drugs, says so right in the article...recreation is good us, keeps us happy and in shape...so why the issues?
On a serious note, i think rcade's timeline does explain the reasoning behind why Washington wasn't disciplined beyond what he was. I just wonder if this puts more pressure on him this year. Last year of contract, and now Ryan has more control. I think the Rangers need to be a serious contender throughout the season for him to keep his job. If they repeat their performance of last year where they played well early and then faded by mid-summer, I think he's gone.
posted by dviking at 06:12 PM on March 17
racist. No way adults living anywhere, except maybe under a rock, can be ignorant to the fact that wearing blackface make up would be considered offensive. Not the biggest issue out there, but that doesn't excuse their behavior.
posted by dviking at 02:45 PM on March 17
Last time Tiger played, his balls were getting a lot of respect, not so much anymore, we'll see how he handles that.
Mastering the art of basting by age 8 iis very impressive indeed, I was at least 7th/8th grade by the time I got a handle on it.
posted by dviking at 11:38 PM on March 16
BI, I can be tight with my money at times as well, but I don't stiff the bartenders just because they don't give me a break on my tab.
Hospitality workers earn a lower wage based on the expectation of tips. When a celebrity, and his posse, stiff them it really hurts. For someone that makes millions to do so for no valid reason is pretty shitty in my book. (for the record, a valid reason is poor service, not that Ben didn't get a discount).
Not sure that Spoiled Brat is harsh enough for me, asshole fits better.
posted by dviking at 05:13 PM on March 09
Had Emmitt played for any other owner than Jerry Jones I might not have thought his comments were funny. But, since he did, I do.
posted by dviking at 05:01 PM on March 09
maybe she's just very exacting in how she sizes people up.
fishy, very fishy.
posted by dviking at 11:54 AM on March 07
Fine, I be sure to yell "get in the hole" after every one of his shots...even the drives on par 5's.
posted by dviking at 01:55 AM on March 06
JJ, all I can say is, wow.
Jack is saying Tiger will be back for The Master's. A couple of months ago I would have agreed 100%, now I'm not too sure. A month away? At this point it would almost seem disingenuous to be playing the first week of April given what he's said recently. Oh, wait, it's Tiger we're talking about...he'll be there.
If he plays in The Master's, and I don't cheer for him, am I really a socialist??? I have a reputation to uphold, can't be letting my appearances down.
posted by dviking at 04:22 PM on March 05
He'd be owed $4.16 million in 2010, $5.12 million in 2011 and $3.4 million in 2012, so no, I don't think Jake will be living in a cardboard box anytime soon.
Wish i could get a severence package like that.
posted by dviking at 04:01 PM on March 05
I agree that the suspension should be longer than two games, however, I wouldn't expect Baylor's coach to go higher than that due to the playoffs coming up. The Big 12 is still looking into it, so we'll see. The girl from Tech may be done for the year, but would only be a 2 game suspension as well...one regular season game, and one playoff game.
Demophon, I believe the P stands for post.
posted by dviking at 11:50 PM on March 04
One, nature does abhor a vacuum, so any one player's departure really doesn't change much. Obviously, someone esle would had fought those fights in Ali's place, and who knows, they might have been just as classic, perhaps even more so.
Two, I believe irunfromclones statement was "You know, I don't really care if Woods ever plays golf again". He never said that Woods was unworthy of continuing his sport, just that he didn't care if Woods never came back. I'm good with that opinion.
posted by dviking at 10:56 AM on March 04
Prior to this story I had no recollection of Garry Smits. I had watched the Golf Channel, and I knew Daly had a show starting this week.
As to the editorial side of the Times-Union, I have no idea how long they had the story, but if it's more than a week I'd say their decision to run the story when they did is suspect.
posted by dviking at 04:14 PM on March 03
As to the reason he's still around after 7 times...the article states that he's still one of the most popular golfers on the tour.
posted by dviking at 09:57 PM on March 02
I have no idea, but doesn't it seem odd that of all the days to break their story they picked today? Maybe they thought his show would give their story more visibility. It's not like they had no idea his show was going to air today. I'm sure their TV guide section has the show listed. Seeing as how they had this information for a while makes me wonder about the timing.
posted by dviking at 09:34 PM on March 02
hmmm...this breaks on the same day as his new show "Being John Daly" premiers. Coincidence? Does anything in the media happen by coincidence?
posted by dviking at 08:42 PM on March 02
Wow, glad I don't work at ESPN, I wouldn't last a week.
For Selig and/or ESPN to be that lacking in a sense of humor is baffling. All statues are targets for pigeons, so to say a statue in Milwaukee is a great target for pigeons all over Wisconsin is really just stating the obvious.
It's such a non-story if ESPN lets it go, instead, now they've allienated many of their listeners.
posted by dviking at 04:45 PM on March 02
Plus, when you talk about domination, it doesn't quite fit what happened when someone was winning by 3/100th of a second. It's a win but is that domination?
In many events it was amazing how little difference there was between 1st place and 4th place. In many events the difference was still just a few 100th's of a second.
One gets a Gold Medal and a million dollar advertising payout, the other gets obscurity.
posted by dviking at 04:27 PM on March 02
nice line Tommy!
bperk, I really don't want to hash out our differing views on how the US pays for our health care system on this site, maybe we can do it over some beers sometime. After all, I think that's how our elected officials tend to do it.
posted by dviking at 09:58 AM on March 02
bperk, the bad husband thing I'm willing to overlook, if it turns out he was using PED's too, then I reserve my right to not overlook it.
posted by dviking at 09:53 AM on March 02
bperk, maybe we're talking about two different things...at a for profit hospital they are allowed to only give emergency care, but every major county that I know of has at least one hospital that will take care of the indigent beyond emergency care. Go to Parkland Hospital in Dallas, or Ramsey (at least it was called Ramsey 20 years ago when my wife worked there) in St. Paul some day. You'll see people getting treated for the flu, or other non-emergency situations at no cost. This does get passed on to the taxpayers.
Yes, they do get a bill, one they have no intention of paying. This article speaks to some of the costs hospitals are incurring. From the article: In Texas, where the state comptroller estimates illegal immigrants cost hospitals $1.3 billion in 2006, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston is considering denying cancer care to such immigrants. Cancer care isn't emergency care.
BTW, didn't learn this watching Fox, unfortunately, my wife has been dealing with cancer for the past 7 years. She uses University of Texas Medical System, and we've witnessed this firsthand.
And, besides, if the hospital is able to pass the costs on through Medicare/Medicaid, who do you suppose pays for that? Yep, the taxpayers. The disproportionate share hospital program is paid for by the US goverment, which is paid for by whom? Yep, the taxpayer.
So, the only item to be determined is if it's the federal or the local government that is going to be taxing us.
Sorry for the rant. Just so much misinformantion on this topic floating out there.
posted by dviking at 01:46 AM on March 02
Anyone that doesn't think America has quite a bit of publicly funded health care is obviously watching too much MSNBC.
Go to any major county hospital in the US and take a look at what you see. You will see an endless line of uninsured people getting their basic health care needs taken care of at taxpayers' expense. This is in addition to any Medicare/medicaid costs. But, as Weedy pointed out it's really a discussion about insurance more than it is about health care.
Back to sports...I think comparing the US's total population to that of Canada when talking about the Winter Olympic sports is a bit misleading. While we have 10X the population, I would guess (too lazy to research) that we don't have 10x the number of cross country skiers/curlers/hockey players/etc.. That being said, I think Canada owned the podium by virtue of their Gold medals,keeping in mind that the Silver and Bronze are really the 1st and 2nd losers.
posted by dviking at 09:10 PM on March 01
I can certainly follow the logic that just because others have issued denials and then been proven to be using PED's, doesn't mean that Tiger used them. Likewise, just because he lied about his other behavioral issues doesn't mean that he's lying about PED's. That's just basic logic.
However, when you have a man that has been proven to have lied, and has issued statements like "I knew my actions were wrong, but I convinced myself the normal rules didn't apply.", why should I give him the normal benefit of the doubt? When you marginalize your reputation you no longer get the full benefit of the innocent until proven guilty mindset.
Has anyone contacted Jose Canseco about this?
posted by dviking at 08:55 PM on March 01
Great game...one of those games that you hate to see either team lose.
posted by dviking at 08:18 PM on February 28
from another article: "We changed the way bobsleds are built around the world," Bodine said. "We did not copy any other bobsled. We looked at all of them, but we came up with all our own ideas and designs.
"In the front suspension, we use a torsion bar, where most of the other sleds use coil springs to control that suspension. Our frame is different, the shape of our body is all different, and that's all aerodynamics.
"Those things people can see, but of course, we add some things that aren't as visible that help these sleds go faster.
"I can't tell you about them."
posted by dviking at 03:34 PM on February 28
grum, I was referring to this line from the article:
"In therapy, Tiger blamed a lot of his cheating behavior on his drug addiction, saying that the drugs were responsible for impairing his judgment,"
So, if he's making that statement, I'm wondering if anyone else can speak to the medications truly altering one's judgement on such a grand, and lasting, scale. I can understand how drugs could cause impairment, but if he's saying that every time he slept with another woman it was only because he was on pain medication, I'm not buying that.
Not sure how my QB (he hasn't re-retired just yet, so don't spoil it for me) made his way into this thread, but since he is, I don't recall him sleeping around just because he was on pain killers. I think it's a pretty weak excuse for tiger to be throwing out at this stage of the game.
posted by dviking at 03:19 PM on February 28
Not sure what to make of this, however, it does strike me as "convenient" that this story broke shortly after his somewhat failed apology attempt.
His handlers didn't get the sympathy they thought they would from the staged apology, so what else can they do to shift blame...oh I know, he's addicted to drugs...see, it's not his fault...it's pain medication, legal stuff.
I've never been on pain medication so my question to those that have used them. Did they ever impair your judgement on such a grand and lingering level that you could pass off sleeping with a multitude of women as acceptable behavior? I'm not buying it.
posted by dviking at 01:33 PM on February 28
Pro bowling gets next to nothing in terms of coverage, so I'm not too surprised it didn't merit more discussion.
It may also be due to the fact that anyone that's bowled in a mixed league knows that there are plenty of women bowlers that can hold their own with the men.
posted by dviking at 01:26 AM on February 26
At least we know where the pole's been...not so much for some of these guys.
Number 4 is my favorite...
posted by dviking at 03:49 PM on February 25
The day belonged to Tendulkar who delighted the spectators with his rich strokeplay, executing breathtaking shots on both sides of the wicket
Last time I tried that I spent a week in jail for indecent exposure.
When the beginner's cricket lessons start be sure to save me a spot, I want to learn just to be able to speak it.
posted by dviking at 10:58 PM on February 24
I'm late to this conversation, so let me catch up by offering my thoughts on a few points.
I also have a concealed carry permit, and I have actually carried a handgun numerous times, several while working. Nothing against El Paso (or a few other border towns), but my trips to construction sites could get pretty scary. Originally got the gun and permit on the advice of the local police due to an agressive stalker my wife had. Point is, there are some valid reasons for guns, and not everyone that carries one is just waiting to go off.
My work with the Texas Rangers got me into the clubhouse on a few occassions...about 6 years ago they had an archery set up in a spare indoor hitting cage. A couple of the normal round targets and one full sized foam deer. Not sure which players used it.
While I no studies to back this up, a law enforcement officer explained it this way...the presence of guns doesn't necessarily deter some people, it's more the guaranteed absence of guns that attracts them. He thought this went a long toward explaining the sicko's that shoot up churches that they have no real beef with.
posted by dviking at 12:42 AM on February 24
I think he's just jealous because she looks better in red than he does.
posted by dviking at 12:05 AM on February 24
I lived in Irving during the summer of '98 when it was 100+ degrees for 50-some-odd days in a row, or some similarly ungodly weather record.
I minded it. :)
Can you come back for a visit? It snowed in Dallas again today, 25 degrees lower than normal...I'm ready for summer.
As to Tiger, I'm amazed by how much press this guy is getting, including on sites like this, given that so many people feel that what he did is none of our business. I do agree with Jenkins on one point, I have a hard time imagining Tiger coming back as a humbled man. He had an aura of respect and invincibility about him that I doubt will still be in place. I know that his caddie is saying that he won't allow hecklers, but how many guys can he fight at one time? Should be interesting.
posted by dviking at 07:55 PM on February 23
I was forced to watch about 20 minutes of the skating last night, as a reward I was treated to several lines from the announcers that one rarely hears at a sporting event.
"It was a nice routine, but I just don't think we got to understand what really motivates them"
"Their costumes say a lot about their agressive personalities"
and my favorite..."she had her baby when?"
posted by dviking at 08:52 AM on February 23
cjets, if a figure skater in Daisy Dukes is wrong, I don't want to be right Or, as I learned on this very site recently, Daisy Mae's.
Just one more reason why I struggle to call this particular event a sport.
posted by dviking at 04:57 PM on February 22
no need to aplogize to me.
I'm not a big fan of use of terms like trailer trash or ghetto trash when used literally, so I probably shouldn't be for their use in a humorous setting as well.
I just thought that Tiger had behaved in a rather trashy way, so the line used seemed appropriate.
posted by dviking at 06:20 PM on February 21
wow, didn't mean to offend anyone that may, or may not, be living in a trailer.
It's a fairly commonly used euphemism, but to be be fair, not everyone that lives in a trailer is trash, nor does everyone that is trash live in a trailer. Glad we cleared that up.
BTW, if you want to know when this site used ghetto references, here's a good start
posted by dviking at 07:43 PM on February 20
LOL, while I didn't write it, "common trailer park man-whore" is a pretty funny, and fitting, description. Trailer trash is trailer trash, anyway you slice it.
As to the difficulty rating on this apology, I'd give it a 7. Had to admit his failings to the world, and in front of his mother. The carefully choreographed and controlled script/location/time/spectator list/etc keep it from being rating any higher.
posted by dviking at 02:21 PM on February 20
Of course, it's hard to press domestic violence charges when you're the perpetrator.
Assuming of course, that it was all Elin...not saying it wasn't, but who knows? The authorities don't seem too interested, which given the high profile of the case isn't too surprising, so I guess I'll leave it at that.
As to the TW branded crap, maybe if we all stop buying it things will change. I wasn't in the market for a TAG watch anyway, so I guess all I have to do is to stop buying Nike golf items. Done.
posted by dviking at 01:38 AM on February 20
I buy his apology, and I do believe he is truly sorry for his actions and that he is trying to change the course of his life.
What I don't buy is his statement that there was never any domestic violence involved. He was driving as fast as he could to get away from something, and the busted out windows on both sides of his Escolade just don't back that up. Maybe it's none of our business because Elin and the authorities haven't pressed any charges, however, that doesn't mean that I have to buy it.
At this point, I'm looking forward to seeing how the tour reacts to him coming back. Prior to the incident he was given a fair amount of leeway on the course, and his sometimes boorish behavior was tolerated. I doubt that will be the case going forward, and it should be interesting to see how he handles that.
posted by dviking at 10:46 PM on February 19
In the White footage, White's coach and several other members of his entourage all had visors propped on their foreheads. Why do those guys need visors? They're not competing.
I just thought it was similar to why baseball managers wear the full uniform, which is to say that I have no idea why.
Actually, I'm sure those goggles come in handy at times. Keeps the wind off your face, and while it was dark by the time the event ended the tinted shades were probably needed earlier.
posted by dviking at 01:15 AM on February 19
I just finished watching about 90 minutes of Olympic coverage, and if the focus on the medal count that has you upset is the 10 second McDonald's Medal Count that Costas recaps, I think you're being a bit dramatic.
posted by dviking at 11:28 PM on February 17
The problem is, I'm so sick and goddamned tired of my own native US focusing on the medal count as the pre-eminent measure of Olympic meaningfulness.
I don't have a problem with any country keeping a tally of how they're doing, medal-wise. It's sports, we tend to keep score. It's not the pre-little league sports where competing is all that matters. They award medals to the top three competitors, so why not keep track?
If it was just the US that was keeping track I'd see your point, but it's not, so I don't.
posted by dviking at 08:12 PM on February 17
great point cjets. I can understand a course that penalizes a lesser competitor, but not one that kills them.
posted by dviking at 07:18 PM on February 13
from the article cjets linked to: The technical officials of the FIL were able to retrace the path of the athlete and concluded there was no indication that the accident was caused by deficiencies in the track."
While officials did not fault the track, they did make alterations to the course. The Whistler Sliding Centre has created concern since opening in 2007 for its high speeds and frequent crashes.
So, if an athlete doesn't run a perfect route they run the risk of death? And, that's not a design flaw? I understand that the luge is a dangerous sport on any track, but given this track's short, yet dangerous, history, I think the technical officals screwed up.
posted by dviking at 02:27 PM on February 13
I couldn't believe how many times they replayed the crash on NBC last night, and from my viewing position (having dinner at a sports bar) it didn't look like they did much in the way of warning viewers to the graphic content. Given the numbers of families, and thus children, that should have been expected to be viewing the program at that time, I was shocked by this.
They replayed it at least three times, and even threw in a very bloody shot of a EMT working on Kumaritashvili. Overboard, sensationalistic journalism if you ask me. But, that seems par for the course these days.
posted by dviking at 11:31 AM on February 13
To me it's not about how far he flew before he hit the pole, but more about that he easily flew that far. I'll assume that he wasn't going far beyond record speed, and as such, if it was possible for him to fly that far, the run design is flawed.
I'll be surprised if they cancel the events, I'll bet that they just add padding, or a wall, in that area.
.
posted by dviking at 05:34 PM on February 12
Given that the owner of the Twins at the time was a racist, might make it easier to believe that the coach was as well.
However, if Rod Carew is on record as stating that race was not involved, I'm inclined to go with that.
posted by dviking at 08:24 PM on February 10
okay, now we're completely off the original points so time to move on.
As I said earlier, and I truly mean this...Enjoy the celebration, the Saints won the Super Bowl.
posted by dviking at 06:16 PM on February 10
ummm, seriously....my line was....The Saints have a much stronger following than Tulane does, much like the Cowboys have a stronger following than TCU or SMU...so if that somehow wasn't clear I apologize. I do not think Tulane or SMU or TCU have as strong of followings as the Saints or Cowboys...everyone feel better?
However, to say that any of those schools..or the others on the list on my prior post...don't have strong, loyal followings is misguided. They all have strong regional followings...especially Tulsa...much as Tulane does.
posted by dviking at 02:39 PM on February 10
Thanks for the link...I wouldn't have guessed that Tulane (25,000+ average) ranked ahead of the following schools in football attendance:
San Diego St.
Northwestern
Colorado St.
UNLV
Washington St.
Tulsa
Marshall
SMU
Those aren't exactly bottom feeder teams, and keep in mind that this past year was one in which some of the games that are big draws for Tulane were on the road (LSU being a huge home game for them drawing 60,000 some years).
My point in bringing volleyball into the discussion was only to show that it had as much bearing on this discussion as basketball does. That is to say, not much. It's a football city, I think we agree on that.
The Saints have a much stronger following than Tulane does, much like the Cowboys have a stronger following than TCU or SMU. I'll grant you that, but to dismiss any of those schools as not have strong followings would be misguided.
posted by dviking at 10:31 PM on February 09
(tulane draws an average of 1,500 fans at basketball games, the local minor league baseball team draws more).
I'll bet that Women's volleyball isn't much of a draw either, just not sure what the basketball or volleyball attendence numbers have to do with this discussion.
Tulane's football games draw well over 20,000 most weeks, with 28,000 not uncommon. The Tulane UAB game I took in 6 or 7 years ago had a crazy crowd of Green Wave fans in attendence, very fun crowd!
posted by dviking at 03:49 PM on February 09
justgary, my point was, and still is, that the people throwing out terms like renaissance were way over the top. Just heard another media type claim that now this will give the citizens of New Orleans the national respect they deserve...That's the drivel I'm talking about. If you're saying that it will be a moral boost, sure I'll buy that. Just don't think it will make a difference a few months down the road. Life moves on.
that because you take trips to the area you know better than those that live there Never said that, and you know it. Besides, I see you found it convienent to not mention the humanitarian work I've done in the city. Working with the folks to rebuild those areas taught me a lot about the city, and it's people. So, perhaps you could stop being insulting as well.
LSU is huge in N.O., and Tulane has a large, loyal fan base as well.
posted by dviking at 10:43 AM on February 09
The sports page will most definitely move on...seriously you're not debating that.
As to the city, it will move on too. The euphoria of a Super Bowl win doesn't pay bills, nor clean up parks, nor stop crime, or rebuild homes...the things that city needs. It's new mayor may be a step in the right direction, and I think he'll leave a far more lasting mark on the city. The people I know on a professional basis are in the service industries (hotel/restaurants/suppliers) and they're already past Mardi Gras in their planning. Many of them are locals and they're excited, but none speak of any great change due to this. It's a feel good moment, reality will have a way of creeping back into play. I'll check back with them in a couple of months and see if anything they say changes my mind. I'm there again in March, so I'll check it out.
BTW, your comment about N.O. not having a college following makes me wonder if you've spent much time there. Tulane, Loyola, & U. of N.O. all have their fan bases, and while LSU is a bit up the road, it gets big time play there.
posted by dviking at 01:38 AM on February 09
I take it you haven't spent much time in new orleans
Actually, I've spent a lot of time in N.O. . Over the past 16 years I've been there dozens of times. I went with 20 of my workers in the weeks after katrina to help out. I have spent time there with both my own company and with Habitat for Humanity. We rebuilt several homes, two parks and did numerous site cleanups. I was there again in the fall of 2008 to help install playground equipment that an organization I'm involved with purchased. At that time we also painted several schools, and helped relocate a nursing home. By a conservative estimate (and looking at a few years' worth of tax returns) I've donated $12,000 and about 300 hours to help that city. The city did treat us to a very nice reception...on the Saints' field!
My business dealings have taken me there for several weeks at a stretch multiple times, and I visit the city numerous times each year, so don't be condensending you may not know of what you speak.
Every city that wins a championship has a party, a parade, gives the key to the city to a player/coach, and then they move on. I seriously this will be much different. The sports page will most definitely move on...the Olympics, followed by March Madness, and baseball will ensure that.
As to comments made by the Vikings...I think you're quoting what fans said more than what the Vikings said. I don't necessarily speak for Brett Favre.
posted by dviking at 12:11 AM on February 09
justgary...what statements made by the Vikings are you alluding to?
I don't remember any statements made by players other than to bad officiating (which was supported by the league).
Sure, there was the whole discussion regarding that last touchdown in the drubbing of the Cowboys, most of it on sites like this as opposed to from the actual palyers, but not regarding the Saints game. I suggest you let that loss to the Vikings go...I think the Cowboys have.
As to the topic of people giving this game way too much meaning, I think it's mainly been over-the-top media types more than anything else. I heard someone talking of this being a renaissance for the city. Having lived in several cities that won major championships, I know that the euphoria fades quickly. With the Olympics starting, the sports page will move on, and with Mardi Gras the city will move on. Enjoy the celebration, they won the Super Bowl!
posted by dviking at 11:06 PM on February 08
Northern Iowa Knocks Off No. 1 Seed Kansas
Awesome win for Nothern Iowa! Love March Madness, anything can happen.
Well, anything except me winning my pool...seem to have lost my winning team today.