- 07:48 AM
- 11/22/09
Does anyone know what rule she broke, exactly?
posted by smithers at 09:00 PM on July 02
The Tim Tebows of the world are a refreshing change from the Greg Madduxes of the world.
posted by smithers at 07:55 AM on May 06
Baron Davis is the leader of the Golden State Warriors and their best player. Correct on one of two. While he is their most talented player, it is widely acknowledged that Stephen Jackson is their leader and emotional catalyst. And, as Davis' agent points out in the article, no other team has the cap room to match what Davis is guaranteed in his player option for 08-09 with the Warriors. So he likely isn't going anywhere.
posted by smithers at 11:13 AM on April 16
"...who must wear new suits every 10th swim." WTF? Any swimmers out there that can explain this to me? Is this normal for any swimsuit, or just the LZR? I wouldn't call this technological doping so much as a technological arms race. Wearing an old-school suit now is like bringing a knife to a gunfight. I'm sure less-wealthy countries will recall the universal values of Olympism as they're getting pasted in the pool.
posted by smithers at 08:16 AM on April 15
But the Olympics (modern not ancient Greco) were started for countries to come together in peaceful means for the purpose of freindly competition. My guys against your guys, in sport, not war. Hmmm....is it possible that binary my-guys-against-your-guys thinking perpetuates a war-like mindset? The modern Olympics were introduced in 1896 and their "peaceful competition" played out against perhaps the bloodiest century in the history of humankind. Or maybe you're right: the bloodshed would have been worse if we didn't have the salve of Olympic competition every quadrennial.
posted by smithers at 03:38 PM on April 11
Good point cjets, though a small clarification: the torch/flame was introduced in 1928 in Amsterdam and the first torch relay that traversed national borders was used by Hitler and Goebbels in 1936. And there is no evidence from Antiquity of a torch run spanning multiple city-states, either. It was a local event in which a flame was run to an altar to light a candle in homage to the gods. In neither 1936 nor Antiquity was the torch sponsored by Lenovo.
posted by smithers at 12:31 PM on April 08
Spitztengle kind of beat me to it, but the Olympics have always been about politics, long before 1980. You can look at the Cold War state-sponsored doping programs at their peak in Montreal in 1976 or Palestinian terrorism in Munich in 1972 or the slaughter of Mexican students and Black Power in 1968 or Japan's post-WWII reconstruction and coming out party in 1960 or Berlin's showcase of the Aryan ideals in 1936 ... ... or, as lil_brown_bat points out, you could right back to 1896 when Coubertin revived the Olympic Games and decided to centre competition around nation-states when there was no historical precedent for such competition in Antiquity, instead of simply making it an open competition for the world's athletes. In other words, the Olympics have always been a site of political discourse and conflict. Thinking that they ever were (revisionist nostalgia) or could be (delusional utopia) is like buying into the slick marketing rhetoric that says there are no human rights violations taking place in Guantanam...err...Guangzhou. That said, I'm sort of torn, and perhaps cautiously optimistic (in the lesser of two evils) that the market economics the Olympics will facilitate in the very near Chinese future have a better chance of changing things internally than symbolic political acts like a boycott of the Games. And that said, I still fully support any individual (ie. non-nation-state based) acts of protest, boycott or other awareness-raising activities that express a personal political response to the situation.
posted by smithers at 09:18 AM on April 08
Vinceborg would be really funny, except cyborgs can't writhe in pain, can they?
posted by smithers at 12:31 PM on March 17
Thanks BoKnows.....that was as interesting for the draconian lengths usually taken to authenticate as anything else....kind of a shadow world that most of would never have known about.
posted by smithers at 09:00 AM on March 14
or refereed Hey Spitz, I only included a referee if there was a slice of lemon or a bottle of vinegar on the table. ;)
posted by smithers at 12:56 PM on February 14
And so, using a pepper shaker as the basket, white sugar packets as offensive players and pink Sweet'n Low packets as defenders... If you've ever coached before, this speaks to you...
posted by smithers at 11:07 PM on February 13
2008: Nets deal Jason Kidd for a young star (Harris), two nice young players (Ager and Diop), draft picks and financial flexibility 2009: Nets deal Vince Carter in a similar deal for 65 cents on the dollar, but get a few young prospects 2010: Nets deal Richard Jefferson at the trading deadline 2010: Nets move to Brooklyn 2010 (summer): Nets sign LeBron James to the Big Apple via free agency; the kids are now veterans; challenge for the title in 1-2 seasons There's your game plan right now...
posted by smithers at 05:13 PM on February 13
You'd better work hard for Tony Sparano, or you'll be sleeping with the fishes...
posted by smithers at 08:12 AM on January 18
Wheelchair racers have been a separate part of marathons for years. But wheeling with one's arms is not running, so it makes sense for it to be separate. As DJE points out, it is the process that is of concern here. Running with fancy new Nikes or prosthetic blades on your feet is still running. How does one go about finding that well-defined line? How can Olympism claim to espouse a universal value system, but segregate and exclude based on defining what a body is/n't? If he only had one of these blades and one "real" leg, would he have been allowed to compete? And what if they find a way to synthesize the polymer with his DNA such that it becomes one substance? And ... I could go on for a while ... yikes.
posted by smithers at 10:41 AM on January 14
He's on FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRE.....
posted by smithers at 03:38 PM on January 07
Much of the technology that Mr. Honey used, borrowed, improved upon, and invented to generate the yellow line is in use in the defense industry today. I remember talking to Juri Varangu, the Canadian contact for Princeton Video Imaging a few years ago, and he was telling me the same thing: it was trickle-down missile tracking technology from the first Gulf War. The other thing it reminded me of, while I'm at it, is the glow-puck. I'm kind of curious as to why it hasn't been utilized again. Instead of blue and red, make it gold and silver sparkles. Tracers, dude! Add it to racquetball and put it on ESPN2 at 2am....you're telling me stoned college kids wouldn't watch this? I've been wanting to do this for years now, but nobody will let me run a TV network.
posted by smithers at 04:08 PM on January 06
If you asked Bosh, he wouldn't think he should be there ahead of LeBron or KG either (particularly since Garnett has eaten him alive in every matchup this season). This video was just another step in the process of a young, shy kid gradually emerging from his shell (as 23-year-olds do) and coming to terms with his celebrity and stardom in the self-deprecating fashion that endeared fans to him in the first place.
posted by smithers at 11:40 AM on January 04
Either way, don't fire him until after the draft. He's good at that. The way I am reading it, Ainge is actually a lot like Isiah Thomas: they are both pretty big-name former players, both won championships and both are great at finding hidden talent. But neither are worth a goddam when it comes to the strategic planning and financial management of being a professional NBA GM.
posted by smithers at 03:41 PM on May 23
Am I overlooking something? I think Weedy meant something less US-centric....that in men's sports talent has migrated globally to where it most valued (in soccer, baseball, hockey, etc. etc.) for quite some time.....though maybe I am putting words in his mouth. My only question is what happens when Daddy Warbucks pulls the plug on the whole operation? I mean, my "free market" title is a little misleading if the guy is essentially just throwing leisure money around with no sustainable business model.
posted by smithers at 10:52 AM on May 17
Team sport is built wholly on the premise of just that: the team. You cannot ask a group of people to band together, grind through the practices, the games and the ups and downs of a season, travel through airports and room together on the road, share meals, banter in the locker room, work hard to come back from injuries, have everything crystallize for one run through the playoffs ... and then if some opponent takes a cheap shot at your best player, to NOT instinctively react. What should happen is that AFTER you instinctively react and take the first steps towards the conflict, you'd better regain your composure and not get involved. The PHX assistants did a great job of not letting Diaw and Stoudemire reach the fray, which dissipated their initial (reasonable) desire to protect their teammate. Suspension unwarranted. If they get there and shove, elbow, punch, then suspension warranted. I have no problem with that. That's why there must be a subjective interpretation with this rule, and not the (purportedly) objective usage of a "cross the sideline and you're suspended" policy. The NBA expects these guys to turn off the sense of "team" like a switch -- you cannot do that and still have a compelling product on the floor. We watch pro sport because of what great individuals are capable of accomplishing as a team.
posted by smithers at 08:14 AM on May 16
And he owes it all to you. While I've got you...... Laugh of the day. +1
posted by smithers at 06:55 PM on May 14
Sorry TelamarketersBeware, I took it as given that Gordon and/or Deng will make shots on any given night....Hinrich always seems to be the question mark for the Bulls team. When he is on, their emotion and focus is pretty unbeatable. As for Thomas, I hear your point, but the main reason he didn't play in the Miami series revolved around matchups...there was nobody for him to guard. I will be very surprised if he doesn't get much more time in this series, although if Nocioni is playing well, that could be negated (which is what I was referring to when I said Skiles has more flexibility offensively...ie. go big, small, shooters, defenders). Oh, and by the way Snikastyle, it's not exactly the prediction you were looking for, but...
posted by smithers at 03:51 PM on May 01
Echoing Weedy, watching the Raptors has been painful to the point of misery (while lightening my wallet in the process).... PublicUrinal, in my opinion you are right about Bosh not stepping up...I honestly believe his ineptitude has been the key to this series. I understand long and lean Mikki Moore giving him problems, but Jason Collins has essentially shut him down as well, which is inexcusable. He has become in this series what we always lamented about Vince Carter: an amazingly quick talent who settles for outside jumpers. As others pointed out, Detroit-Chicago is going to be a fantastic series. They *really* are almost identical: great jumpshooting 2-guards (Hamilton, Gordon), athletic and versatile wings (Prince and Deng) and deep in the post (Webber, Wallace, McDyess vs. Wallace, Brown and Thomas). Both teams defend like all hell and both rely probably a little too much on their perimeter game to win the championship. They even both have an Argentinian swingman coming off the bench. Keys: Chicago usually puts Hinrich on the opposing team's scoring guard (ie. Rip), which leaves Gordon to guard Billups. Chauncey is going to torch him a few times in the series, shooting over him and breaking him off the dribble. Hinrich *has* to make shots or the Bulls are f+cked. Likewise for Tay Prince. Ty Thomas has to continue his impressive learning curve, or McDyess will eat him up. The coaching matchup: I don't think the Pistons generally like Flip Saunders all that much, so we'll see what happens when the series gets tight down the stretch. On the other hand, I think Skiles runs the best stuff out of timeouts in the league, and that he has more flexibility to make adjustments as the series progresses. I also think the Bulls generally buy into what he's all about. Give Skiles the edge here. The Big Ben factor: it's relatively easy to take a gifted shooter out of his game, but much harder to take an aggressive rebounder, defender and shot blocker away -- there are fewer fine motor skills involved. He will be very motivated and will probably win a game for Chicago outright in the series with his presence. Pick: I am going with athleticism and coaching over experience.....Bulls in 6. Maybe that is why my wallet is lighter? ;)
posted by smithers at 09:25 AM on May 01
Neat idea. But for all us non-footie followers on SpoFi, how far will £ 1,375,000 actually go?
posted by smithers at 12:56 PM on April 27
Beat me to it, Weedy....Colangelo's trump card is allegedly Marc Iavaroni.
posted by smithers at 03:29 PM on April 25
Familyman: great point. alvinthefirst: though an interesting suggestion that I didn't consider, I would argue that if Crawford really wanted to influence a game for gambling purposes, he could do it a lot more subtly than that. I think even Stern isn't clear about what Stern said. No problem here....Crawford is evaluated technically as one of the top officials year in and year out. But there have been blowups -- such as the multiple technical Dallas game mentioned above -- that otherwise cloud his usually impeccable technical proficiency.
posted by smithers at 05:07 PM on April 17
I'll admit, I hadn't seen the video before, but now that I have it's even worse to me....what an abuse of power. Crawford was reading a lot of bias into that second laugh.
posted by smithers at 02:34 PM on April 17
I think the suspension was warranted, but knowing the NBA and Stern, I am surprised they made such a public spectacle of the whole thing. They are very capable of squelching the media when necessary -- why not just say the situation is under review and quietly not assign Crawford to a playoff crew?
posted by smithers at 01:15 PM on April 17
holden, you beat me to it on Benny Blanco...
posted by smithers at 02:50 PM on March 21
Who headquarters in Connecticut? SpoFi's mortal enemy, The Worldwide Leader.
posted by smithers at 03:32 PM on March 07
A point that might be of additional interest: In the 1880's Eadweard Muybridge used strobe-lit photography and other technical tricks in what was a precursor to motion pictures. He did capture sporting subjects such as horse racing and lawn tennis, though I am not familiar with him ever shooting baseball.
posted by smithers at 11:10 AM on February 27
Wow, that was one of the best columns I have read here, Crafty. Interesting, well-written, and I really learned something new. Thanks! Tell us more about this presentation at the BHOF....
posted by smithers at 06:37 AM on February 27
Well, YYM beat me to the punch in checking if my FPP satisfies the criteria for a good post. But I'll elaborate on one point -- does it encourage discussion? First of all, I can't know ahead of time that people are going to talk about shoveling snow, but I can guess that it will encourage adult discussion. The fact that it wasn't as good a thread as I'd hoped? Oh well. HuffPo in SpoFi? The internet is a big place.....I never knew what the hell HuffPo was until yesterday.....followed a link from a link from a link...it happens. Yeah, the guy was an asshole, but we dissect asshole columns all the time here; I thought there might be something interesting to discuss about sports and the environment. It certainly wasn't a troll-by-proxy, as you seem to think. I've never once trolled here before, why would I start now? The Locker Room is an area to discuss topics specifically about the site: bugs, the quality of front page links, feature suggestions, and fantasy leagues our members participate in. (Don’t discuss etiquette issues here—if you have a complaint about a member’s conduct, contact us.) The rules are pretty clear. If you don't like the thread, that's your prerogative, but take it to the Locker Room. Apologies for being quick to temper and misquoting Bukowski. And I owe you my thanks as well for your condescension: look, no typos again!
posted by smithers at 07:46 AM on February 15
Can we do a little bit better job policing ourselves? It would be great if we could try to keep SpoFi 100% sports related. This post is only incidentally sports related. Whether I agree with the article in question, it's AgendaFilter. Perhaps the article is a little thin, but asking, in effect "how would climate change affect sport?" IS 100% sports-related. I'm not trying to push an agenda, and I resent that implication, particularly since I already fucking said as much when I tried to steer the thread back on track. I got news for you Jack: every columnist has an agenda, and that's in part why SportsFilter exists -- to discuss and ferret out the bullshit. See, in the process I learned from Drood that there are racing series out there using biodiesel....I never knew that before. That's why I like coming here. In conclusion, if you don't like it, stay out of the fucking thread, take it to the Locker Room, or go back to the comfort of Barry Bonds, Terrell Owens and Michelle Wie. That's 100% sports.
posted by smithers at 05:48 PM on February 14
Hmmm....better jump in and mention that I'm not actually supporting Horton or Huffington by posting this here. I am, however, curious about the hypotheticals: while I don't believe that international and national sport will come to an end (there's too much money involved), could the NBA, for example, become a major player in trading carbon emission credits, or something along those lines? Does a major league season actually require the supply of so many airline flights, etc. that it makes a substantial difference?
posted by smithers at 11:51 AM on February 14
Don't forget the former SportsJones (god bless its little progressive heart), which was killed when ESPN came in and grabbed Royce Webb, Jeff Merron and Eric Neel. Essentially, ESPN's blog strategy 1.0 was to try and kill blogs off by poaching the best writers. As tieguy points out, TrueHoop might constitute the beginning of blog strategy 2.0.
posted by smithers at 09:22 AM on February 14
Cool story owlhouse....cheers.
posted by smithers at 07:57 AM on February 05
To be fair, yerfatma, Don Cherry (generally) just does a short studio piece once a week, rather than actual game broadcasting, which I think might be a touch easier to stay "interesting"...(which he is, no doubt). Barkley also fits into the same category, methinks. But to the human beings with flaws point, I really love the Toronto Raptors' Chuck Swirsky (pbp) and Jack Armstrong (colour). Swirsk is an unabashed homer with unparalleled energy, and Armstrong is a very knowledgeable guy who calms Chuck down without being a dick about it. For me, they are an integral part of the Raptors feel-good story this season. (Has anyone else around the league heard the Toronto guys when NBA TV does those random games from other markets? I know that I have caught a bunch of other local announcing teams that way, and a lot of them are also pretty bland. Though Red Kerr calling Nocioni "Noach" always seems to crack me up.)
posted by smithers at 09:44 AM on February 02
TBH....I got that point, but I don't understand its relevance to the issue at hand. Whether or not he "succeeds" academically by somebody "giving him a chance", he goes on to the NBA and makes a pile of money. One has nothing to do with the other, especially since the FPP was about him getting waived, not about him receiving his degree because somebody gave him a chance. If anything, Prop.48 slowed him down from attaining his true success as a professional basketball player.
posted by smithers at 04:30 PM on January 31
Both of those guys were prop 48, by the way. Shows what can happen if you work with somebody. Umm....how, exactly? Prop.48 has to do with academic performance, not basketball performance. It is my understanding that the athletic capabilities of Prop.48 casualties are never in question. And this has nothing to do with SummersEve's post, but I just don't get the Eddie Jones love-in....decent player, decent career -- now go count your money and hope that Shaq and Wade can drag your ass to a title.
posted by smithers at 11:21 AM on January 31
it's real easy to tell when a 240 pound power forward goes flying backwards after being touched by a 165 pound guard,he's faking. Not true. I am (a little over) the guard weight you list, and I can knock guys over in the 220-240 range when I go to the basket, and I am nowhere in the vicinity of strength that the NBA guys possess. It is all about balance at the moment of impact, and not an automatic "fake" as you might suggest.
posted by smithers at 08:46 AM on January 26
@Weedy: "A lightning rod over the years for sports radio hosts, football experts, talking heads and snarky columnists like myself, ...".
posted by smithers at 01:48 PM on January 22
So all SpoFi needs to do is run the Ron Mexico name genorator in a thread a couple times a year to pull the lurkers into our little web of sports paradise. Too cool! I'm sure that Mr. Mexico himself will be happy to oblige us with the opportunities... btw, first name only gives me Karl Hong Kong.
posted by smithers at 01:06 PM on January 19
I couldn't think of a clever comment to write so I could sign my alias.....so I'm just going to sign it anyways. Alfred Alaska (aka Jorge India)
posted by smithers at 03:47 PM on January 18
I like Indiana's side of the deal. Addition by subtraction. Plus, Murphy might be able to stretch defences out with his shooting and allow O'Neal some more room to work in the post. I still think Dunleavy's best basketball is ahead of him, and perhaps in Carlisle's system (very different from Nellieball) he will flourish. I would hate losing Jasikevicious, though, and I think he might prove to be the X-factor off the bench in an up-tempo system for the Warriors.
posted by smithers at 08:53 PM on January 17
Once again, rcade jumps out to the early lead for SpoFi Link Title of the year.
posted by smithers at 02:54 PM on January 13
A team traded for a player based on an All-Star Game performance?
posted by smithers at 09:02 AM on December 20
TBH, that is too funny.
posted by smithers at 06:28 PM on December 19
I dunno how I got it for free....I'm certainly not a subscriber.....any help here?
posted by smithers at 03:35 PM on December 15
Hey, Jesus got snippy a few times in the Gospels too. People still worship Him. In one of the non-Synoptic Gospels, Thomas asks to see the Superbowl rings on His fingers. It got cut in post-production. Thank you for turning a non-thread about a non-story into my laugh of the day.
posted by smithers at 02:37 PM on December 14
Those posts are part of a path, not a stopping point. Well put, chico...
posted by smithers at 04:24 PM on December 07
Once again, a wc2k2 gem....thanks for the link!
posted by smithers at 03:49 PM on December 01
It's always about the celebrity athletes and their sex lives.....jeez.
posted by smithers at 03:48 PM on December 01
Why is the absence of Homo Ludens a good thing, UncleToby?
posted by smithers at 11:16 AM on November 29
mkn: I might be the bald guy in the back left of this photo. I finished 9th that year (well, I lost in the round of 16 anyways)......whooo, 9th in the world, baby!
posted by smithers at 12:35 PM on November 12
Dallas Mavericks Acquire Shawn Marion in Four-Team Trade
I'm guessing a small group of contract lawyers are about to wake up with massive hangovers and blurry memories of celebrating getting paid for pushing this clusterfuck through the pipes.
still laughing ......
[/out of the woodwork]