- 06:51 PM
- 05/18/13
Ottawa in 7
New York in 6
Chicago in 5
Los Angeles in 6
posted by bender at 10:05 AM on May 14
Pittsburgh in 4
Ottawa in 7
Washington in 6
Boston in 5
Chicago in 6
Anaheim in 7
San Jose in 5
St. Louis in 4
posted by bender at 10:23 PM on April 29
If the NFL doesn't work out for new Bengal Margus Hunt, there's always kiiking.
posted by bender at 01:35 PM on April 27
I think Bedard calls that pitch the Q ball.
posted by bender at 12:53 PM on April 12
So you're saying it's not that noteworthy then?
posted by bender at 09:59 PM on April 10
Whoops. The Detroit Free Press has some explaining to do.
posted by bender at 03:26 PM on April 10
"Tepesch became the first pitcher to post a line of 7 1/3 innings, four hits or less, and a run or less in his major league debut on a date as early as April 9 since the Cincinnati Reds' Wayne Simpson did so on April 9, 1970 at Dodger Stadium."
Ha! Despite 5(!) fairly arbitrary conditions, he still doesn't get to claim to be the only person to do that. If only he had pitched Monday...
I hate gerrymandered stats, but this one is so ridiculous that the amount of time it must have taken to look this up deserves recognition.
posted by bender at 02:27 PM on April 10
If the call had been on Monday instead of Friday, would that have been over the line for an April Fool's joke?
posted by bender at 03:10 PM on April 08
Speaking of the course, how can anyone not root for this guy to repeat as Masters champion?
posted by bender at 10:04 PM on April 02
Someday I hope to attend a game at Azteca, although I agree that the abuse shouldn't just be accepted as par for the course.
posted by bender at 10:03 PM on April 02
Here is some good footage from USA supporters at last week's USA-Mexico tilt at Azteca.
posted by bender at 12:45 PM on April 02
The back line got into a lot of tough spots, but they did a great job recovering. As I did not have particularly high expectations, I'm thrilled to come out of there with a point.
posted by bender at 09:10 AM on March 27
Wow. After the title and first line, I thought he was going to go a different way with that. More specifically, I thought it was going to be about UNM fans turning their backs on the team, but instead he is the one who bailed.
posted by bender at 10:54 AM on March 25
The extra 'B' is for BYOBB.
posted by bender at 12:11 PM on March 21
Each tournament site has a host school. If that team is in the tournament, they are not allowed to play at that site. Beyond that the committee attempts to play teams as close to home as possible, though I believe they try to avoid having a team have a "home"ish game in the first or second round against a higher seed.
In the case of Auburn Hills, Oakland is the host, so Michigan and Michigan State could play there. Likewise, as Georgetown is hosting the East region, they could not be sent there.
posted by bender at 12:02 AM on March 18
I think ChinaGrover has a point, in the hypothetical scenario presented. The netting provides an expectation of protection that is not offered in the rest of the stadium.
This article has some more details of the incident:
Rountree was injured while attending a Boise Hawks game with his wife and grandkids on Aug. 13, 2008. Rountree left his seat in the mesh-netting protected section of the stadium and was talking to someone in an area not protected by netting when he heard the crowd begin to roar. That's when Rountree turned toward the field and was struck in the face with a foul ball, according to the ruling, and the resulting injury caused him to lose an eye.
If that is an accurate characterization, I would say that it is his fault for not paying attention.
posted by bender at 03:35 PM on February 28
I couldn't agree more with Eddie Pope's comments. It would have been great if Robbie Rogers had reached this point a few years ago when he was playing with the Columbus Crew--in a city that has built a reputation of being very gay-friendly and presumably would have at least provided him a lot of support while playing at home.
In any event, good on him, and hopefully he does feel comfortable with coming back at some point in the near future.
posted by bender at 03:54 PM on February 16
I suppose writing 'proposed' wasn't exactly accurate, as I'm not sure if there are firm plans on the table, but I think the District has been trying to get the team back ever since they moved, and the prevailing opinion seems to be that it will happen sooner or later.
For DC locals, is the one-mile trek from the nearest Metro station really an imposition? I think I walked that far from the Metro going to see DC United at RFK.
I don't think a lot of fans (or at least a large percentage) take the Metro--probably a mix of the length of the walk, possibly concerns about the neighborhood through which that walk goes, and the length of the Metro ride to get there. Conversely, though, with the sea of parking lots surrounding the stadium, traffic (particularly post-game) is miserable. The stadium is also far from special.
Speaking of dumb things Dan Snyder has done, did you hear about the time he sued the Washington City Paper over this article that he didn't even read?
posted by bender at 02:05 PM on February 12
In somewhat-related news, the Mayor of the District of Columbia recently said that a proposed move of the Washington football team to a stadium to be built at the site of RFK Stadium would need to be preceded by a name change. [He eased back on that statement a bit last week, though he did still say that the name should be changed and referred to the team as the "Washington football team."]
posted by bender at 01:08 PM on February 12
Raging Bender's back, baby, but has been reborn as the Clown Question Bros. I've never done a keeper league, but no time like now to start, I suppose.
posted by bender at 03:11 PM on February 10
I agree. I hadn't been sold yet on Ohio State this season. Playing like they did last night, however, those two teams can compete with any other team in the country.
posted by bender at 11:23 AM on February 06
Walker's block on Ed Reed on the Gore TD run was devastating!
posted by bender at 08:46 AM on February 04
1. San Francisco
2. Over
3. Joe Flacco
4. Colin Kaepernick
5. Delanie Walker
6. Ted Ginn, Jr.
7. Ray Lewis
8. Ed Reed
9. Aldon Smith
10. Doritos
11: 46.3
12: 55
posted by bender at 12:40 AM on February 03
AFC
Under
Eli Manning
Doug Martin
Demaryius Thomas
Thomas Morstead
posted by bender at 12:34 AM on January 27
Or there's this Hockey Song.
posted by bender at 02:36 PM on January 19
I don't think it's an "enormous" advantage -- kickers got to use the field at halftime -- but it's definitely an unfair one since both teams didn't do it.
I think it's pretty significant in this situation. There is no question that this kicker (or any kicker in the NFL) can make that kick. So much of whether or not he does make that kick comes down to mindset and nerves rather than talent. Combine that with the fact that this is a rookie kicker in 2OT of his second career playoff game, and I think a freebie--on the actual playing surface, just a minute or two before the real kick--to ease the pressure a bit is a huge advantage.
I agree that a fine is in order, one I'm sure the Ravens will be happy to pay.
posted by bender at 03:17 PM on January 14
Agreed on the late timeouts. I think it's pretty lousy that some coaches are pulling that crap, and giving the kicker a practice kick is suitable punishment to hopefully put a stop to it.
posted by bender at 01:50 PM on January 14
Correct me if I'm wrong, but I thought the guy holding on that practice kick wasn't a player.
It was kicking consultant Randy Brown. Apparently Jay Feely chimed in that he has been told that it is against the rules to kick a practice ball on the field during overtime. Former referee Mike Pereira clarified that while it is not allowable in the rules, there is no penalty. I imagine this may be revisited in the offseason. This practice both should not be allowed and should result in a penalty. That has to be an enormous advantage to the kicker.
posted by bender at 01:16 PM on January 14
Besides, you guys are debating the wrong freebie kick. How about the Ravens' kicker getting in a practice kick in between the 1st and 2nd overtime? That, certainly, must have given him a huge advantage ahead of the real kick just moments later.
posted by bender at 08:58 AM on January 14
Agreed, and all the more bizarre given that Baltimore re-tied the game after each time that Denver took the lead. Why should the Broncos believe that 7 points was enough, particularly given how porous the secondary was? I also would have liked to see (as a football fan, not a rooting interest) Denver try to turn the final 30 seconds and 2 timeouts into 3 points. When they sat on the ball, it sure felt like the writing was on the wall.
This also seems like a good time to update my tracking this season of overtime games. This season had 22 overtime games. In the week following playing to overtime, NFL teams went a combined 14-29 (plus one bye). For those of you keeping score at home, the Ravens were 1-1 this season in overtime games (now 2-1), but they lost the next week both times.
posted by bender at 09:43 PM on January 12
1. Denver
2. Green Bay
3. Atlanta
4. New England
5. Brady
6. Turner
7. San Francisco's kicker
8. Atlanta
posted by bender at 11:34 AM on January 12
Hey, both Vanderbilt and Duke went bowling this season, with the Commodores posting 9 wins total.
posted by bender at 02:24 PM on January 09
I think that should read:
I don't remember Jamarcus Russel getting hurt either.
Steve McNair, though, underwent a bit of an adjustment to increase his longevity and honestly make himself a better player. At first he looked to run very frequently, but he settled in to be a qb who generally looked to pass when he had the ball but was still very dangerous when he took off. Of course, he was also constantly injured, but just kept playing anyway.
posted by bender at 05:24 PM on January 07
I see one on the right side above the glass, but you have to scroll down so the banner moves out of the way.
posted by bender at 02:36 PM on December 17
This year's edition of Taylor University's Silent Night. Casey Coons should probably go invest in some lottery tickets or something.
posted by bender at 05:20 PM on December 10
Fair enough. I suppose kickoffs also make up a very small percentage of plays, so even one kickoff injury every few games on a kickoff could make for a much higher rate than the average play from scrimmage. I'll accept that you guys are right about kickoff injuries being buried in commercials and lesser-known players.
posted by bender at 02:51 PM on December 07
If kickoffs have to die and punts are safer, why not replace a kickoff with a punt?
That's basically what they've done here, but they've provided an (odd) alternative for the onside kick. Are kickoffs really so dangerous that they must be eliminated? I don't remember a ton of injuries from kickoffs.
posted by bender at 01:12 PM on December 07
In that case the ball needs to cross the goal line, inside the pylon.
That was not always the case, but it appears that this rule was changed in 2007. Previously, you could dive out of bounds with the ball and only some part of your body had to pass through the air space of the endzone. Who knew?
As for your safety question, I agree that it seems somewhat dubious to count out of bounds yardage on a pass to avoid intentional grounding, but I suspect this is for practicality of enforcement:
1. Unlike on a punt where the officials can position themselves in good locations to spot a ball going out of bounds, it would be difficult to accurately determine where a pass went out of bounds. That's not to say that it would always be the case, but it is preferable to reduce the gray area. 2. If the intent of the across-the-LOS stipulation when allowing the QB to throw the ball away once out of the pocket is to show that he is not so under duress as to not be able to accomplish this, throwing the ball across the line of scrimmage out of bounds actually satisfies this. Since there is no target receiver, the sideline becomes a fairly arbitrary boundary.
posted by bender at 05:43 PM on December 03
And I completely agree with grum on the unnecessary roughness. There are plenty of ways to block a guy who does not know you are coming without lifting him off of his feet.
posted by bender at 08:49 AM on December 03
What other situation in football takes into account how far a ball travels out of bounds?
A ball carrier heading toward the pylon can score a touchdown by breaking the plane of the endzone by diving past it out of bounds so long as he crosses it before touching out of bounds.
I did not see your game, so I have no idea on the safety call. Based on what you've written, I think I'd probably agree with you.
posted by bender at 08:47 AM on December 03
Why not bump it up to 68 so they can play some opening round games in Dayton?
posted by bender at 01:47 PM on November 28
That's actually just one guy. He also has a wikipedia page.
posted by bender at 10:28 AM on November 28
Toronto by 6
Chad Kackert (Random selection was a bit more complicated than flipping a coin for this one, but I got #44. I'm pleased to see in the preview that he seems to be the current starting RB!)
Under
253
posted by bender at 12:27 AM on November 24
When you miss twice as many shots as the rest of the team takes, it's time for someone to take the ball out of your hands.
posted by bender at 11:46 AM on November 21
His teammates did combine for an otherwise respectable 41 points. I wonder how many shots they took.
posted by bender at 11:08 AM on November 21
the conference shall be known as (wait for it) --- The Big 10-4, good buddy.
I hail from the Big 10, and I approve this message.
posted by bender at 06:13 PM on November 20
And just think, if it weren't for some free tattoos in Ohio a couple of years ago, Notre Dame and Ohio State would be 1 and 2 right now.
More specifically, if it weren't for OSU stupidly appealing the sanctions when they were already looking at a .500 season (and probably planning to hire a new HC anyway), they'd be #1 right now.
The shenanigans of last season and the resultant sanctions aside, as an OSU alum, this year's Ohio State team is the worst 11-0 team I have ever seen. They can score some points--though they didn't yesterday--but the defense has been suspect all season, and injuries have hurt further on both sides of the ball. Incidentally, I actually think that Notre Dame is the one team in the title discussion that Ohio State could possibly beat in a championship game.
posted by bender at 11:25 PM on November 18
Montreal by 5
Calgary by 1
Ray
BC
posted by bender at 05:16 PM on November 15
I'll join in, too.
posted by bender at 10:39 AM on November 14
[I was going to put a joke here, but I decided it may be in poor taste.]
More seriously, though, if the factor is that this is really a contribution of having to play extra time and accruing more wear and tear, then certainly playing the full 15 minutes of OT is the worst case scenario for the regular season, so I would still put SF at a disadvantage, unless we get another tie, which would be AMAZING!
posted by bender at 11:37 PM on November 11
Speaking of overtime, earlier in the season, I decided to track the record of teams playing one week after going to overtime. This tie doesn't exactly jive with my spreadsheet (although it doesn't really cause a problem as long as one of them doesn't tie again next week), but I do have a mid-season update. Overtime teams have improved a little bit from their 0-8 start, but they are still only 4-15 the week after playing in overtime (the Eagles had a bye after their OT game, thus the odd number). I would not bet on the Niners (vs. Bears, MNF) or the Rams (vs. NY Jets) next week.
posted by bender at 10:19 PM on November 11
If they manage to stay undefeated, will some combination of K State/ND/Oregon be allowed to play for the title over some non-undefeated SEC team?
posted by bender at 07:45 PM on November 10
Thanks, DJE. I fully expect my coin-flipping luck to flip and net me the Costanza in the playoffs!
Toronto by 18
Saskatchewan by 3
Calgary's kicker (What the hell is a single?)
Under
posted by bender at 07:47 PM on November 07
Maybe the Royals would be competitive if they were playing cricket?
posted by bender at 03:44 PM on November 02
Unless perhaps you believe your team enjoys a strong homefield advantage and that losing a home game (if that's the case) is a substantial loss.
posted by bender at 12:24 PM on November 02
I haven't watched poker in a while, but I really enjoyed that they aired the final table [almost] live, and not knowing the hole cards of the players made the analysis of the commentators (particularly Esfandiari) much more interesting and enlightening.
posted by bender at 12:30 PM on October 31
Holy crap! I was watching and went to bed at 12:30 with my DVR set to record another 2 hours. Thanks for the heads up.
posted by bender at 12:06 PM on October 31
Hamilton by 4
Calgary by 4
Winnipeg by 15
Saskatchewan by 14
posted by bender at 12:12 PM on October 30
What do they call the Japanese championship series since World Series is already taken?
posted by bender at 06:19 PM on October 29
SportsFilter: The Wednesday Huddle
The Falcons and the Vikings have been toying around with some new design concepts for stadia. I hope that Falcons idea is feasible--I would go there just to take a tour. (I would, however, leave that picture of the basketball configuration out of the slideshow. Ugh, I hate basketball in an enormous football stadium.)