- 05:01 PM
- 11/21/09
Even with my bias (KC fan), statistically i don't see anyway he shouldn't have won this. A nice reward for Greinke, persevering through all his issues, & finally something to be proud of as a Royals fan.
posted by brainofdtrain at 08:45 AM on November 18
This was overdue. LJ had made it clear for years he didn't want to be in KC anymore, & his demeanor & choices had worn the Chiefs' fans support for him thin for a couple years now as well.
Good move for both parties.
posted by brainofdtrain at 02:11 PM on November 09
Would anybody really dislike it if their team spent this kind of money??? I don't think so. I am not a Yankees fan, but all this payroll griping smells of envy to me.
I am a Royals fan, our owner could spend that kind of money, he doesn't, & i wish he would. I would like to buy championships & not lose 100 games every year.
Winning is fun. The Yankees played within league rules (financially speaking), & won. Why they should have to shoulder an additional level of moral obligation that no one would hate if it was their team spending like that is silly to me.
posted by brainofdtrain at 02:18 PM on November 05
I heard a great take about the trap call this morning on the radio. Assuming replay over-turned the prior ruling, what do you do with the runners? They did what they did based on that initial out call. Baseball is unlike football in that many "live calls" are made which influence decisions by baserunners in the moment.
I am not against replay, but remain unconvinced it is the panacea for bad calls by the officials. I mean, assuming they had replay for the trap call, & the 1st base ump's call had been overturned, would either side really have been pleased with how the baseruners were repositioned? I doubt both sides would be happy.
posted by brainofdtrain at 03:18 PM on October 30
Cowher??? Of course, the whole "only Vinny makes personnel decisions" would have to be axed before anyone of Shanny or Cowher's ilk would come to coach.
I wonder if the bottleneck is actually there, not Snyder. I know Snyder isn't a good guy, but if you combine a good gm with his money, how can it fail? Maybe the biggest issue to on-field success is a poor gm.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:52 PM on October 20
Well, at least Pierce had a real game this week.
I wonder if he would find it classy if the Saints said that playing the Giant's D was like a scrimmage for them.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:29 PM on October 19
Probably not a huge deal for this team, but you hate any potential distraction to the players at this time. I doubt there will be any great distraction though, since it is in both Frank & Jamie's best interest @ this point to not to make a big deal of this.
Now whenever the Dodger's season ends . . .
posted by brainofdtrain at 02:50 PM on October 15
Speaking of Champ, yesterday i heard Phil Simms say he is one of the best corners he has ever seen in his life on tape. In his opinion, if he isn't in the hall of fame, then people are crazy.
posted by brainofdtrain at 08:49 AM on October 08
I don't think that any FPP's have been made about this, but what is going on in Lawrence with the KU basketball team? They are widely considered the deepest, most talented team from top to bottom in the country this year, but they are fighting with the FB team & then Brady Morningstar gets pulled over, suspected of driving under the influence.
KU BB has never been without occasional black-eyes, but at this point can they keep it together & make a strong run this year? I am not sure.
posted by brainofdtrain at 08:43 AM on October 08
Whoops, i should have checked the locker room, where there is a more appropriate forum for this comment (The one about the HS baptism link). Rcade, could you mabye move my above comments there?
Sorry everyone, should have check there 1st.
posted by brainofdtrain at 08:21 AM on October 08
These types of threads are almost always frustrating to read, b/c there is a general unwillingness to engage in serious conversation, on all sides. Everyone thinks, deep down, that they are right, and are so convinced of their rightness that it useless to even have the conversation. Few if any really want to consider opinions different from their own. They just want to make semi-snarky comments to demonstrate their intellectual/moral superiority.
Before someone writes "well then don't read/contribute to it," I have often done so. I would love it if people really wanted to engage others in a constructive manner, hence my comments above.
Of course, this is sportsfilter, not a political forum, so maybe we should just talk sports, like rcade asked for elsewhere recently.
Lastly, i am in no way above being close-minded myself at times, though i do try. Just trying to note a tendency i observe when certain topics come up here.
posted by brainofdtrain at 08:19 AM on October 08
Wow, as a big 12 fan this is tough for OSU. Although it does make it less likely (in tandem with OU's losses in noncon) that there will be a 3-way tie in the South again.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:41 PM on October 07
Also,
Kind of a tangent here, but anyone got the over/under on how many after the big 3 are gone before we remember that Doc/Danny were terrible at their respective jobs? Amazing what three future hall of famers can do to change the percpetion of a GM & the coach.
posted by brainofdtrain at 02:20 PM on October 02
I don't mind this. In a sense, the Celtics were never really dethroned. They were ravaged by injuries last year, & still made it through a round of playoff basketball. If they can stay healthy (and that is a big IF considering the age of their team), why shouldn't they have that level of expectation?
Either way, it has been a good run for them. Everyone forgets this team, with the big 3, were originally put together in the hopes to grab one immediate title. That's all. It was a desperate Danny/Doc move to save their jobs. Anything else is icing on the cake.
and cjets, isn't Sheed kind of likable in the same way ochocinco is?
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:48 AM on October 02
Wow, that made me smile. I love that.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:58 PM on September 30
Viking,
I understand that you never said verbatim "Brett has still got it." That is focusing a little narrowly on direct verbal correspondence, isn't it? I was more referring to a growing general sentiment about Favre after beating possibly the 2 worst teams in the NFL & a team from arguably the worst division in football (the AFC West might be worse, but that is another argument). These "i never said [insert phrase] verbatim" arguments are red herrings i think.
To address your points:
"BTW, many of the detractors were speaking to how it was going to take many weeks for Favre to be productive due to reporting to camp late, and how he was going to be a disruption to the team...that does not appear to be the case."
-Granted, many did say that. I will concede that; he has proven the naysayers wrong on that front, & good for him. However, this was only a part of the criticisms levelled at Favre from the beginning. One of the other main parts i referred to in my earlier post.
"As to Favre "significantly contributing" to his team's playoff demise...not sure what team you cheer for, but I'd gladly take two SB appearances, One SB win, four NFC championship games, and a 7 additional playoff appearances from 1992 to 2007."
-I am following you that he had a great run, but my point was that those SB's were a while ago, & the last several years his "gunslinger" mentality has led to INT's at the most inopportune moments. His last playoff game in Green Bay comes to mind. This has been pretty well documented I think.
Montana won a lot of SB's in his prime; did that make the Chiefs a favorite to win the AFC championship game when he was over the hill a bit? No, & they didn't. Did that tarnish his legacy? No.
At some point even the greats can't win the biggest games anymore. I think, given his age and recent health history, that is a perfectly valid concern, one not alleviated by beating down the Lions in September. That's all i am saying. I am not saying he isn't an all-time great or anything like that, or that his play yesterday wasn't fantastic. I just sensed that some are getting a little too excited at this point.
Would you agree Viking?
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:37 PM on September 28
dviking,
In all fairness, this was the 1st team, as Simmons put it, that could even be described as mediocre, much less good. Even if they are a solid team, that still is Favre's 1st win as a vike against a decent team. Before the season even started, analysts were saying that the Vikes could be 4 or 5-0 before they played anyone of repute.
No sour grapes here, just saying let's keep this "Brett's still got it" in context. He didn't play bad the 1st half of the season last year either. I'm guessing most Jets fans are okay with him being gone.
He is a hall-of-famer, an icon, and all that. In addition to that, he is also a guy who for more than a decade has significantly contributed to his team's playoff demises. All i am saying is that few were "counting him out" against the Lions/Browns in September; they were counting him out in December/January. Great play/great win today, but that does nothing to change this assessment, sorry.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:54 AM on September 28
rcade,
Maybe the beatles were wrong.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:15 PM on September 24
For those arguing about whether or not he is the greatest ever, in an espn interview earlier the same day he was inducted, he said that such a comment was unfair & potentially disrespectful to guys like Wilt & a couple others b/c Jordan never had the chance to play against him.
I know this doesn't prove anything by itself; just some food for thought.
posted by brainofdtrain at 09:25 PM on September 15
They better do something quick. One errant kick could possibly mess up one of those ginormous screens-which would be hilarious to me, but i doubt the fans who paid three bazillion dollars to watch the game would be too happy. I mean, the price of pizzas are going to be more than $200 if one of those screens break.
posted by brainofdtrain at 02:19 AM on August 23
I agree that TW's tirades are often a bit much, but coming from Reilly this seems a bit sketchy. It felt like Reilly's column was written to try to find a way to criticize TW. TW's antics have been well known for a while; did he have no better ideas?
posted by brainofdtrain at 04:58 PM on July 22
I think that this is a great move. In my mind, a healthy Celtics team hasn't been dethroned yet (of course, given their age, they may never be full tilt again), and if Sheed doesn't work out then he can hang out with Billy Walker in a suit. Best case scenario, this puts them over the top in their conference.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:16 PM on July 20
"Racial self-identification is different than the race ascribed to you by others."
Right, and that "self-identification" is chosen by those who are looking for solidarity in their identities, both personally and in the larger social sense of where they "fit."
Tiger doesn't feel the need to be in solidarity with just one group, and i see no ethical reason as to why he should have to. His sidentity could come from being in the elite group of people called "golfers" if he so chose.
This stuff usually comes off as guilt-tripping to me. Bottom line, it is his identity, his self-understanding, and he can do whatever he wants. Just b/c he doesn't go in one particular way doesn't mean he is acting improperly. How many of us are in a real position to judge this? Do many on this board have a "[Ca]ucasian, [Bl]ack, American-[In]dian, and [Asian]" heritage? Doubtful. Even if we did, the point is that navigating the complexities of self-understanding is something we each must do, and you can't just look at a prominent indicator of racial self-identification (eg skin color) and reduce self-understanding to that.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:13 PM on July 06
At least Roddick can go to bed knowing, as Mediate said about playing Tiger, that he "threw the kitchen sink at him."
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:21 AM on July 06
Barring injuries, next year is officially over already. It least it feels that way.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:14 AM on July 04
Maybe bill,
but have had equal success to this recent tournament at different points over the last 20-30 years. A new generation is fully grown and many are still spouting this moral victory stuff.
The next generation (8-12 yr olds) are watching now, are growing up hearing that if they can kiss the ground Brazil walks on, they should consider themselves fortunate. They should just be happy they played well. This is not the mindset of people who expect to win. It is more than a talent problem, it is a systemic mindset problem. I understand that at some point you have to think this way to not give up, but we are past that now. You have to believe you deserve to be there before you can prove it to everyone else. How can the next generation believe that when most of what they heard a couple days ago was moral platitudes, not expecting to win?
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:01 PM on June 29
Thank you Aardhart.
America cannot and will not fully embrace the game if when aren't good enough to win, we cant just call a spade a spade, and instead resort to moral platitudes. It seems to me that Americans, generally speaking, like competitiveness, ownership of failures, and determination to do better. Then when we succeed, it is even sweeter. And further, it is belittling to our team to say this crap after we came so close. You undermine are love for the game while telling us should be excited by our failures.
If you want us to like this game, then call it out, dont speak condescendingly about our team, and continue to be brutally honest until we scale the mountain.
Wake up coddlers. We should be pissed. We should be unhappy. We should expect to win, not merely to avoid embarassment. Hopefully we will come out with a vengance next year and shut these kind of people up.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:23 AM on June 29
Great move by the Spurs, b/c this makes them younger (i think), which they had to become. Also, i agree with some pundits that 2 years (when Jefferson comes off the books) is how much time Duncan & Ginobli have left at best (particularly Duncan).
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:05 PM on June 23
To play devil's advocate abit, why is no one upset that the family let themself be bought off? If everyone is so sure that Stallworth would have had the book thrown at him, then why not the moral outrage at the people who were willingly bought off? It seems to me that celebrity justice is only possible where we live in a culture where it is better to be bought off than to seek retribution. So when we complain about "Celebrity Justice," let's make sure we look in the cultural mirror.
All that said, if these people really did want it over and not go through the trauma, that is their right. Maybe at the end of the day Stallworth just got lucky (so to speak) regarding which families' life he drastically altered.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:49 AM on June 18
A few euphoric thoughts:
As a Pens fan, it was a great night for me. Fleury really exercised his demons tonight (or were they really just media spin all along?). Fleury's save with one tick left was amazing, not just b/c of how tough a spot he was in, but when he did it. People forget that despite his occasional lapses, when he is on, he is almost unbeatable. And tonight he showed up when it mattered the most.
Conversely, Osgood, who everyone loved, has now dropped to 2-4 in game 7's. With this postseason alone Fleury has tied him in this area of the "clutch" department.
Detroit, i freely admit that you are still easily the class of the NHL, but i am pumped that the Pens broke through, and i would be lying if i said beating Hossa & his new team on their ice after last year wasn't sweet. Let's do it again next year!
Lastly, love him or hate him, Crosby is the youngest captain to ever skate the cup. If this isn't a testament to him, then i am not sure what else would be. Hopefully the 1st of many for the kid.
(Homer post ends now)
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:01 AM on June 13
Shaq is probably right about how at this point he was more dominant, but who cares? Shaq has had an amazing career, and all he is doing is giving people reasons to not remember him fondly. Kind of sad. Also, maybe Shaq's continued behavior provides a little bit more gray to the "Kobe pushed Shaq out of LA" argument. I doubt Shaq developed this 'tude before he left L.A.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:57 AM on June 07
viking,
No analogy is perfect (that is why they are analogies). The basic point that recasting an issue interms of health is an effective way to change things, and the helmut is a good example.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:12 PM on May 24
Everyone talks about how unstoppable LeBron and Dwight Howard are (with good reason), but who is going to lock down Rashard Lewis and Hedo? LeBron can't guard three people. I think this will be a tougher series than most predicted.
posted by brainofdtrain at 04:57 PM on May 21
If i may be a little contrarian, how does anyobdy know just how long someone must be required to do penance for full acceptance by society or places of employment? All the statements by people that Vick needs to do "x amount" more time proving himself just seem to be arbitrary barometers. How do we reach those conclusions?
I thought his penalty was prison. Yes, i know that many require more to be back in society's good graces, but should they require more?
posted by brainofdtrain at 04:37 PM on May 20
What a great guy. He will be missed.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:39 PM on May 15
Why is there such animosity toward Canseco by some? He is no different than the other juicers. I wonder if people dislike him b/c he destroys (whether by actual knowledge or implication) people's fairy tale beliefs that THEIR favorite players wouldn't cheat, it is just those OTHER guys.
We shouldn't idolize Canseco, but there is no reason to defend or "like" ARod, Bonds, and all others who cheated by taking PED's more than him. Why should any of us care if he is a "nark?" One day the game could maybe actually get cleaned up, and if that happens no one could deny his role in that process. He isn't a hero by any means, but he isn't a villian either.
posted by brainofdtrain at 02:37 PM on May 08
Count,
The problem though is that many who invest their $$$ can't do anything about it (see Utah, Boise State); the system is inherently rigged. That is when a gov't should get involved. College football is a business that is unfairly nudging out competition, which the cometition can't do anything about. To me this is the definition of when the gov't should be involved.
So again when is the appropriate time for congress to get involved? I am pretty sure the consitution is not for or against 21st century college bowl scheming, but we do have other laws that are likely being violated, to the detriment of other competitors losing out on millions of dollars. How can the gov't not get involved? Just because it is sports?
Also, how are gov't officials sticking their hands in the pot by doing this? And even if they were, could it really be any less than the BCS conferences who are getting extra dough hand over fist? At this point i have seen no evidence to lead me to think that this will get worse by politicans getting involved. Most people (this may or may not be you count) are using this excuse of the gov't wasting time to merely cover their anger at how the system that their BCS conference team unfairly benefits from could be taken from them.
posted by brainofdtrain at 09:43 PM on May 02
Yeah, i don't understand the vitriol at Congress for stuff like this. Maybe it is based out of nostalga for the good old days when it was just a game. This is big money involved. If sports, even college sports, has become a business then this of course the gov't should get involved.
posted by brainofdtrain at 04:42 PM on May 02
Count,
If you were being screwed out of millions, you would appreciate congress' intervention. So would anyone. I think what i wrote earlier is germane to your concern:
If the gov't doesn't intervene until something is a crisis, everyone blames them for their inactivity; if they are proactive, then some gripe about misplaced priorities. Maybe some people just want to gripe (don't know if this is you txsoccermom, just a more general observation here).
So to flip the question around, when is the appropriate time for congress to act?
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:11 PM on May 02
rcade,
Agreed. It is not like TCU & Utah are flukes; they have each been very competitive nationally for several years, and BYU has a good tradition to draw on to solidify it's place as a perennial contender. Those three alone can compete with the top three of most any other conference, and i highly doubt that the teams at the bottom of the MW are that much more inept than say Iowa State.
To me it seems pretty straightforward; if we want genuine competition (both athletically and economically), everyone has to be provided equal opportunity to succeed. Not necessarily equal everything (you can't make kids like the topography of Utah more than Florida), but equal opportunity. There is no way the BCS provides that.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:39 AM on May 02
txsoccermom,
I agree that this may not be the most pressing issue at the moment, but there are few things that are the cash cow that college football is. If we ever wanted congress to be proactive about economic matters, then sports isn't a bad place to start.
If the gov't doesn't intervene until something is a crisis, everyone blames them for their inactivity; if they are proactive, then some gripe about misplaced priorities. Maybe some people just want to gripe (don't know if this is you txsoccermom, just a more general observation here).
I'm well-aware that many of these politicians are seeking face time, but their motive is less important to me in this instance than the (hopeful) result that the system is fixed (or at least switched to a superior format). If mere gamesmanship and political gain is the means, then i think in this instance the ends justify them.
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:35 PM on May 01
Bo,
That's definitely a possibility. That said, many great players have a year where they just lose the edge. They still want to compete, but for many their body just all of the sudden quits working as well. At that point, they never really get it back. For most backs this happens around 30, but i am not sure if this drop off is as dramatic for tight ends.
I wouldn't be surprised if Pioli just saw the writing on the wall. That said, if anybody can be a pro-bowler in their late 30's it is TG. No one at his position takes care of himself better.
Really, in the grand scheme of things it doesn't matter a ton. The Chiefs aren't going anywhere for a year or two, so it is not like the deal will come back to haunt them when TG blisters KC in the Superbowl. Further, even if TG's production drops a ton at least the Chiefs have somewhat respected his wishes to send him to a contender to finish out his career. In my mind, everyone wins (except probably Cassell, assuming TG would still produce well this year).
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:57 PM on April 23
You know, as someone who has watched TG throughout his career i find it hard to believe that is all he is worth. Surely he is still worth more than that.
At the same time, i also find it equally hard to believe that Pioli doesn't have a good reason behind this move. Maybe TG is closer to being done than we would like to believe.
So, i don't know how to take it. Either way, good luck TG.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:31 PM on April 23
Three Thoughts:
1) Ference's hit was brutal
2) The last 15 seconds of the clip were hilarious
3) Avery is an idiot
posted by brainofdtrain at 05:18 PM on April 07
I hope he goes, and Xavier Henry and some of his other recruits that chose Memphis over KU have a change of heart!
(Homer post over)
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:05 AM on April 01
BoKnows,
The Part 2 link has been removed from Youtube. I think part one was enough to convince me that this cop was out of line.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:04 AM on March 28
Also, to further BI's point, maybe we should hold coaches a bit more in contempt than the evil corporate suits for the sad physical health of NFL veterans. They deserve better compensation no doubt, but why do we not ask where the coaches were when these guys were playing when they shouldn't have. Maybe we should take a cut out of their pensions to cover the veterans medical cost?
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:49 AM on March 26
But even if he doesn't, his bad behavior on the Niners, Eagles and Cowboys must be taken into account when looking at his stats as well. I think that the voters remember that and keep him out.
True, but to play devil's advocate, if he does clean up his act and gets a ring somewhere, whether with buffalo or someone else, then he will become a story of redemption, and no one loves those types of stories more than the mdeia. With that type of makeover then he would almost certainly be in.
So maybe we are in a position where it is best to wait and see. In my mind, he could go either way. He has to know he has got one more chance to not screw up, and either resign with the bills or with a prominent contender, and get his ring. I hope he does turn it around.
posted by brainofdtrain at 07:42 PM on March 10
Apparently, Trent Edwards is a glutton for punishment.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:20 PM on March 10
bperk,
good points. BI, if Chris Carter isn't in, then there is no way you can know for sure that T.O. is in the Hall.
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:14 PM on March 10
tselson,
Yeah, maybe you're right about that. Probably a brief fall into his frustration at being traded, which honestly i don't blame him for.
posted by brainofdtrain at 12:04 PM on March 09
Awesome. KC is lucky to have him whether he has much in the tank or not. He will teach that very young team about class and other crucial intangibles necessary to be successful in the NFL.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:54 AM on March 07
Man where is this guy going to play next year??? Oakland maybe?
posted by brainofdtrain at 03:19 AM on March 05
bperk.
Are you intimating that at the age of 26, i am now an "old-man?"
posted by brainofdtrain at 01:38 AM on March 05
rcade,
I see your take. I think you and i just don't view this stuff the same, but like i said above i am not sure if this is more than a preference issue. I am unsure if there is a right or wrong on this issue.
And i have to admit, when Kenny hit Owens i enjoyed it. Of course, that may be more due to the fact that I've never been an Owens guy.
Thanks for discussing.
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:10 PM on March 03
I think that hurts the league by making it less entertaining on TV, which is all that really matters in terms of popularity.
You may be right rcade, but i guess i don't understand how watching a 30 year old man pull out a cell phone, resucitate a ball, or sign the ball with a sharpie makes the touchdown more entertaining.
I know they are stereotypical examples, but did anyone watch Jerry Rice or Emmitt Smith and think "if only they had done the dirty bird, now that would have been entertaining!"
Honestly, I think that these matters are ultimately subjective. For every person that thinks such actions are entertaining there is a person a bit more like me who would be turned off by such actions. Further, each person defines excessive celebration differently. I think that is the reason the NFL has decided to be so conservative on this.
posted by brainofdtrain at 08:59 PM on March 03
A thought on the title of the post: I think it is funny that many fans will criticize the "No Fun League" and yet be more passionately devoted to watching and financially investing in it than in the other "more fun leagues." Maybe the NFL just gets that their "boring, squeaky-clean image" in the end makes them more popular and financially profitable. If the NFL is "no fun," then why is it hands down the most successful league in America right now? One last thought. Which is more "fun": making a big play or the dance afterwards? I think most of us would agree that we enjoyed Santonio Holmes' actual catch more than we did his celebration. I think people need to quit piling on the nfl for their policy on this. If you think cheesy dance moves are the height of fun, then go to a high school prom.
posted by brainofdtrain at 11:57 PM on March 02
dviking, Unless you or the author of the article can see into Goodell's soul for his motives, or know him really well, then the collective bargaining argument is conjecture. I mean, unless Goodell has said as much to either the author or to someone the author has spoken with, this is just an assumption.
Furthermore, i wonder what bitterness, or need for a controversial story, is driving the author. Of course that would just be unfair to the author and conjecture too. That is why it is good that we do more than assume what people's motives are.
posted by brainofdtrain at 10:05 AM on February 26
dviking,
the problem with your argument is that it is relative to other income levels. While to you Goodell is giving up nothing, someone starving in a third world country probably could similarly dismiss you or i if we gave up the same amount.
posted by brainofdtrain at 03:05 AM on February 26
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
Question for other Spofites:
I am trying to find post written here a couple years ago about how overrated Charlie Weis is. Anybody know where it went, I can't find it?