- 03:39 PM
- 05/09/08
| Name: | Holden O. |
|---|---|
| Location: | Chicago |
| Member since: | February 11, 2002 |
| Last visit: | May 8, 2008 |
holden has posted 25 links and 1049 comments to SportsFilter and 8 threads and 178 comments to the Locker Room.
Some Athletes’ Genes Help Outwit Doping Test. Studies suggest that about 2/3 of Asian men and nearly 10 percent of Caucasians lack both copies of a gene used to convert the testosterone into a form that dissolves in urine, calling into question the efficacy of certain drug tests.
posted on May 1, 2008 - Go to the detail view for this result
Lenny Dykstra, Financial Planner to the Stars? The fascinating post-baseball career of a man called Nails.
posted on Mar 25, 2008 - Go to the detail view for this result
BBWAA Admits Online Writers. The Baseball Writers' Association of America (already in the news this week) votes to accept into its ranks 16 online writers (most of whom previously wrote for "traditional media"); Neyer, Law snubbed; Peter Abraham, Rob Neyer and various other luminaries drop by the comments section here for some good back-and-forth.
posted on Dec 7, 2007 - Go to the detail view for this result
Baseball GMs Vote in Favor of Instant Replay. In a move sure to make at least one former SportsFilter member roll over in his grave/production booth, baseball GMs have voted to propose that MLB adopt instant replay for disputed home run calls.
posted on Nov 6, 2007 - Go to the detail view for this result
The Kick Is Up and It’s ... A Career Killer. Michael Lewis explores the job of the NFL kicker (registration or Bugmenot req'd.):
A kicker in the N.F.L. can be one of two things: the bland technocrat who does what he's assigned to do but who, even when he's exceptionally good, must accept that the coach and the team will be credited for the victory. Or he can be the little choke artist who is very nearly entirely responsible for the loss. For a kicker in the N.F.L., . . . there is no upside.
posted on Oct 29, 2007 - Go to the detail view for this result
It's been 10 years?!
That's right, 10 years since Kerry Wood tied the major league record for strikeouts in a 9-inning game.
You can watch the video highlights of the 20 strikeouts here.
posted to Baseball at 8:05 PM CDT
Heisman Winner Tim Tebow Circumcises Kids How did Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Tim Tebow spend his spring break? Performing medical and dental surgeries on impoverished children in the Phillipines -- including circumcisions. "The first time, it was nerve-racking," he said. "Hands were shaking a little bit."
posted to Football at 6:28 PM CDT
Maybe the article is just short on facts and the circumcisions were necessary to address birth defects or infections or something, but I would be curious to know why they are performing a medical procedure that is largely elective and cosmetic.
posted at 9:15 PM CDT on May 5
West Brom clinch Championship and promotion. They will be joined by Stoke, and one more team to be determined by playoffs between Hull, Bristol City, Crystal Palace and Watford.
posted to Soccer at 12:59 PM CDT
What I would like to know is how Bristol City finished fourth with a goal differential of +1, winning 8 games more than they lost in the process. I guess a couple of crooked score lines (e.g., a few lopsided losses) could affect that, but it just seems incongruous.
posted at 4:31 PM CDT on May 5
Harrison asked about shooting Indianapolis Colts star receiver Marvin Harrison was interviewed by police about a shooting near his North Philadelphia car wash this week.
posted to Football at 7:32 AM CDT
Here's more on the Belgian pistol that Harrison allegedly owns.
Wow, I'm no Second Amendment absolutist, but the logic and tone of that piece leave a bit to be desired.
"In November (2005) the Homeland Security Department issued an 'Officer Safety Alert' regarding the (BFN 5.7) with the headline 'body armor defeating handgun,'" reported the Associated Press. "The alert said the Trumbull, Conn., police department had seized such a pistol and noted that its bullets were 'advertised as being able to penetrate 48 layers of Kevlar at 50 meters.'"My guess is that a civilian (who in this case is super-rich) needs such a weapon for the same reason someone with money and a supersized ego living in the U.S. needs a Porsche G2 -- because it's the "best"/fastest/most powerful/etc. Americans, as a culture (at least in the higher reaches of the socioeconomic latter) buy stuff all the time with features and capabilities that they will never use or that would never be used in such a manner that the mid-range or lower priced model wouldn't have sufficed, from computers, to professional grade kitchens, to cars and, apparently, guns.
Why exactly would a civilian need such a weapon?
posted at 4:48 PM CDT on May 5
So it finally comes to an end. Julio Franco has retired.
The oldest man to hit a major league home run has finally retired from professional baseball. His announcement came after a Mexican minor league game. At the age of 49, he's finally hung up the spikes.
(crazy Julio Franco trivia inside)
posted to Baseball at 10:44 PM CDT
Best steroids-related quote ever:
"That's outrageous. God didn't create stupid people. When you go on the air and say something like that, I've got to think Andy Van Slyke was born to be an idiot." Julio Franco, Braves infielder, in response to Andy Van Slyke's accusation that he was on "the juice" (Cleveland Plain-Dealer). "God has given me a gift to play for a long time. If it was up to me, I still wouldn't be playing. But God has put me here for a purpose . . . I am on the juice. The juice of Jesus of Nazareth."
posted at 3:00 PM CDT on May 6
Mavericks begin rebuilding from the top Dallas fires coach Avery Johnson after another playoff disaster.
posted to Basketball at 2:39 PM CDT
I thought the Kidd trade looked bad at the time, but it looks even worse now.
posted at 3:45 PM CDT on April 30
Rangers forward Avery Hospitalized Sean Avery suffers a lacerated spleen in Tuesday's loss to the Pens and is out of the playoffs.
posted to Hockey at 12:11 PM CDT
Didn't Nik Borschevsky have some sort of spleen issue when he was with the Leafs?
Nik Borschevsky de-spleened an entire generation of Detroit Red Wings fans back when the Leafs and Wings played more than once every other year (seriously, WTF is up with that?) and actually met up from time to time in the playoffs. I recall after that game that the local punditry (and probably Don Cherry, for that matter) said that Niklas Lidstrom's defensive gaffe on that goal (and probably his positional, rather than physical, style of play) showed that Europeans did not have what it took to be NHL defensemen.
posted at 2:42 PM CDT on May 1
Cheerleader death renews calls for increased safety steps. "Figures show 50 percent of injuries to young women in high school athletics are from cheerleading," [state Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian, chairman of the Public Health Oversight Committee] said. "These girls don’t wear pads, and they’re pushing the boundaries at every turn. While the boys' sports, contact sports, get all the attention, there's a great deal of injuries these young women endure."
posted to Other at 5:50 PM CDT
Shotput -- I have seen reports on the soccer goalposts as well, but it was more like 22 killed in the last 15 years or 20 years or something like that.
This article from 2007, for instance, claims that there have 31 reported deaths in the U.S. since 1997.
posted at 4:52 PM CDT on April 22
MMA Fantasy Draft If every fighter in the world was suddenly declared a free agent, what order would they be selected in?
posted to Boxing at 12:56 PM CDT
Or old Van Damme movie clips.
I was going to comment earlier that my first pick in a fantasy draft would be Chong Li, but then I remembered that he almost killed Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds and I realized I just couldn't go there.
posted at 5:03 PM CDT on April 21
Does speed kill? A thorough analysis of PitchFx data reveals some interesting things about fastball speed.
posted to Baseball at 7:20 AM CDT
I agree with others that movement is a big factor in pitch success, but this article is really all about pitch location (and whether speed matters in different locations).
The author expressly states that his focus on fastballs only is intended to neutralize the effect that movement would have the results:
What about movement? To get pitches with essentially the same type of movement, I'm going to only consider fastballs. Most fastballs (from RHP) tend to have significant tailing action in towards a right-handed batter, and most have a positive spin-induced vertical movement, i.e. they fall less than they otherwise would due to gravity. Of course, not all fastballs will have the same movement, but in general terms they will be similar.
posted at 1:09 PM CDT on April 23
. . . when his hands are full of prostitutes' innards.
posted at 3:34 PM CDT on April 23
Speaking of train wrecks (and this is far from a train wreck), that reminds me of one of my favorite Maddux stories.
So Maddux is down by the tracks, totally f***ing up some hobo -- knocking out his teeth with a baseball bat, cutting him all over with a straight razor and spitting tobacco juice in the cuts, propping him up against a freight car and peppering him from 15 feet with fastballs, I mean working him hard. Just then Smoltz walks around the corner and sees this mess of a man in a heap and Maddux with this sheepish look on his face.
"Holy shit, what happened to him?" said Smoltz.
"Train wreck" says Maddux, and they both fall over laughing, just about pissing themselves from the sheer hilarity of it.
[After they catch their breath...] "Hey Mad Dog?" "Yeah?" "Damn, I'm hungry." "Let's go get some Chick-Fil-A, Smoltzie, let's go get some Chick-Fil-A."
posted at 11:02 PM CDT on April 23
Jays release Frank Thomas: After a slow start, and a dispute over benching the aging star, the Blue Jays release Frank Thomas
posted to Baseball at 11:28 PM CDT
Frank Thomas through Sunday:
.167/.306/.333, 3 HR, 11 RBI
David Ortiz through Sunday:
.160/.267/.240, 2 HR, 12 RBI
I know these two players have different projected performance levels for this season and are in different stages of their respective careers and current contracts, but this is not really about a team expecting to be in contention deciding it can't wait for a player to work through a slump barely one tenth into the season. This is about saving $10MM for next season and ridding the team of a player who maybe has some personality conflicts with those in charge and/or his teammates.
posted at 8:11 AM CDT on April 21
I think what dfleming is referring to is the Blue Jays trading Hillenbrand to the Giants (with Vinne Chulk) for Jeremy Accardo.
posted at 10:00 AM CDT on April 21
I really don't care much for the Cubs, but it's kind of sad to watch that video and think about what might have been had Wood been able to stay healthy. Just nasty movement on his fastball, a knee-buckling curve and a wicked slider; he had them all going that day.
Also worth noting that it appears he did not strike out a pitcher in that game, for those who might suggest that this is a lesser accomplishment in the NL. Of course, he did face Brad Ausmus three times.
Actually, I'm wrong on the pitcher point, as Wood did strike out Reynolds once.