- 06:16 PM
- 05/21/13
| Name: | WF Purcell |
|---|---|
| Location: | Nagoya, Japan |
| Member since: | June 22, 2006 |
| Last visit: | February 16, 2013 |
billinnagoya has posted 8 links and 70 comments to SportsFilter and 0 links and 0 comments to the Locker Room.
AP source: Yankees tell Reggie to steer clear: The New York Yankees have reportedly order Reggie Jackson to stay out of the Yankee clubhouse and avoid other team events following reports about critical comments he made to Sports Illustrated, questioning the validity of some of Alex Rodriguez's in the wake of Rodriguez's admission to using PEDs. Jackson's comments also questioned the qualifications of Gary Carter, Kirby Puckett, and others for inclusion in the HoF.
posted by billinnagoya to baseball at 08:18 PM on July 09 - 2 comments
Nakase says goal is to coach in the NBA: Natalie Nakase, a third-generation Japanese American and head coach of the Saitama Broncos in Japan's JB-League, is the first female head coach in the male league's history. Nakase, at 5'3", was a point guard during her playing days at UCLA. While she is enjoys the challenges of coaching in the JB-League, Nakase says her ultimate goal is to coach in the NBA.
posted by billinnagoya to basketball at 01:42 AM on February 27 - 1 comment
AP source: Pena, Cubs agree to $10M, 1-year deal: First baseman Carlos Pena and the Chicago Cubs have agreed to a $10 million, one-year contract, a person familiar with the negotiations tells The Associated Press. Pena spent the last four seasons with Tampa Bay. He had a down year in 2010, hitting .196 with 28 homers and 84 RBIs, down from a .227 average with 39 homers and 100 RBIs the previous year, when he was selected for the AL All-Star team.
posted by billinnagoya to baseball at 12:11 AM on December 09 - 7 comments
New to Boxing Hall: Tyson, Chavez ... and Rocky?: Two of boxing's biggest stars of the 1990s are going into the Boxing Hall of Fame. It was no surprise that Mike Tyson and Julio Cesar Chavez, who combined for 157 wins, got the nod. Tyson was the undisputed heavyweight champ while Chavez was a title winner in three divisions. The day's shocker, though, was that the name Sylvester Stallone appeared alongside the boxing legends. That's right, Stallone is going into the BHOF for his contributions to the sport through film. Stallone gained worldwide fame between 1976-2006, playing the fictional character "Rocky Balboa" in six movies. An interesting inclusion, considering the impact the character may have had in reclaiming some popularity for professional boxing at the time. Consider the fact that Abbott and Costello are enshrined in the Baseball Museum at Cooperstown (though NOT the Hall of Fame).
posted by billinnagoya to boxing at 07:35 AM on December 08 - 9 comments
Werth agrees to $126 million, 7-yr deal with Nats: The Washington Nationals signed FA Jayson Werth to a 7-year, $126 million deal. NY Mets new GM expressed his surprise, saying "I thought they were trying to reduce the deficit in Washington." Werth, in the meanwhile, in a conference call said "To just spend money wildly on people is not the point. What we're going to do is create an atmosphere ... of winning...," which begs us to ponder the obvious question: Is a soon-to-be-32-year-old, lifetime .272 batter really "werth" such a long contract that averages $18 mil. per year? (Sorry, I couldn't resist the pun.)
posted by billinnagoya to baseball at 05:25 AM on December 06 - 11 comments
Detailed proceedings for each of the five years have already appeared in the pages of this journal during those years.
Don't know where that line came from in my last post. Please ignore it. I meant to highlight this one:
Oof. That's pretty much a game-by-game examination.
posted by billinnagoya at 02:17 AM on November 23
Detailed proceedings for each of the five years have already appeared in the pages of this journal during those years.
Thanks, Grum. I knew you would come up with some statistics. And you are right, the data concerning the missed two-point conversions would surely be more interesting to look at.
The original article calls for making the PAT automatic unless the team opts to go for the two-pointer. Such a rule in my mind eliminates the possibility for a fake kick turned into a 2-point conversion play--like the fake field goal attempt or punt turned into a passing play. There may be too few cases of such a play to make it worth talking about, but it is certainly interesting to have it as an option.
posted by billinnagoya at 02:00 AM on November 23
That's three out of 672 games.
Still, it has made a difference on occasion. And it keeps the 2-point conversion a viable option/gamble late in a close game. (Grum, you got any stats on how often the 2-point conversion made a difference?)
To make it more interesting, though, football might go back to its rugby roots and make the kickers kick from a point perpendicular to the goal line from where the runner crossed the line or the receiver caught the ball. The sharper angles would certainly make it more of a challenge and less of a sure thing.
posted by billinnagoya at 05:13 PM on November 22
"He's a Ham Fighter. He can take it."
He's a fighter, not a Ham Fighter. Nippon Ham is the name of the company that owns the team. Fighters is the team nickname. Just thought I'd clarify.
Thanks, Mothball, you beat me to it.
Does anyone recall what happened to Matsuzaka in '09? He injured himself while preparing for the WBC--an injury he didn't reveal to anyone--which contributed to his disastrous '09 season for Boston, all while Boston is paying him in excess of $8 mil. and picking up the tab for his rehabilitation; and probably a major contributing factor to their second-place finish and failure to get past Anaheim in the ALCS. It's not that I don't want to see the best of the best playing in the WBC, but I would certainly understand why MLB teams would not want their players involved.
posted by billinnagoya at 07:14 PM on November 07
Good for him. It is always as inspiration to see someone overcoming personal limitations.
Two thumbs up!
posted by billinnagoya at 07:33 AM on September 24
What feloniousmonk said!
"There's No I in Clemens"?????? Bullspit!!! I'm sure rcade was being ironic with his title--Clemens uses the first-person pronoun eight times just in the quotation cited.
And the sad thing is that he would have had it, too, (like Bonds) if only his ego (and/or maybe his greed) hadn't gotten in the way.
posted by billinnagoya at 09:33 AM on September 12
Hugh, if you didn't hear it, what Ichiro did say was 「そいう無駄な質問に時間を裂けないでほしい。」 (I would prefer that you didn't waste our time with such unimportant questions.) Always the gentleman！
I like your "rephrasing", but you're missing something. Remember, Ichiro is from Aichi-ken. In Nagoya-ben it would probably come out more something like あっほ！なーにきぃーてる、おみぇ？そんなばかな質問するにゃ！！ (Stupid! What the f**** do you think you're asking? Don't ask such nonsense!)
My apologies to those who don't speak or read Japanese. I am not a professional translator, like HJ, but I am 1) a long-term resident of Nagoya, central Japan, 2) an avid baseball fan, and 3) in particular, a Chunichi Dragons fan (to borrow a phrase from Tommy Lasorda, "cut me and I'll bleed [Dragons] blue"). Whether it be here in Japan with the non-Japanese players in our leagues, or in the Majors with the Japanese players, I always find it amusing to listen to what the ballplayer actually says and how the translator handles it. Often there is a big gap, as the translator opts for discretion over literal accuracy.
And, because Ichiro has gone to the "Evil Empire" (I am originally from the NYC area, and a National League fan--NY Giants first, and then the Mets), his stock has lost a great deal of luster in my eyes. Leaving the Mariners for the Yankees would be the equivalent of leaving my beloved Dragons for the Yomiuri Giants (Evil Empire, Part 2).
posted by billinnagoya at 06:55 AM on July 25
God forbid that the league or the individual owners should be forced to consider the fans who actually put the money in their coffers--especially when there is an additional dollar to be made elsewhere. The hell with those fans in Jacksonville, San Diego, St Louis or wherever else: there is more money to be made in LA. Why settle for, for example, $250 mil when we can get $300 mil elsewhere. After all, in the end it is the bottom line that counts most. Some people can never make enough money.
posted by billinnagoya at 07:16 AM on July 02
Are you being obtuse or are that thick?
Take your pick. It must be one or the other.
Why do we have to have this conversation every time?
Have we had it before? Sorry I missed it. I'll try not to burden you again.
posted by billinnagoya at 08:12 PM on June 14
To really compare with the offensive implications and simplistic stereotyping of "Fighting Sioux", wouldn't Notre Dame need to be called the "Drunken Irish"? Then how would you feel about it?
You know, I am not convinced that the "Fighting Sioux" is indeed intended to be the sort of stereotypical slur that you are asserting. Of course, I could be wrong--but then again, you might be, as well.
More to my point, though, is that people will find offense where they wish to find it. In the end, therefore, it may be wisest to either abandon team nicknames and mascots altogether or to limit choices to some officially approved list plain vanilla list.
And, bperk, you have a point worth considering.
posted by billinnagoya at 07:11 PM on June 14
* indicates potentially offensive logo as well
That's around 5%.
Chicago Blackhawks *
Boston Celtics *
Cleveland Indians *
Atlanta Braves *
Kansas City Chiefs
Washington Redskins *
Off the top of my head, I'd say you forgot the Los Angeles Dodgers (Trolley Dodgers was a denigrating nickname for Brooklynites) and the New York Yankees (originally a sobriquet for the unsophisticated and sometimes naive upstate New Yorkers--several theories on etymology; all derogatory). I don't know: do you suppose any Catholics, particularly of Hispanic origins, are offended by the San Diego Padres? And how about Notre Dame's Fighting Irish?
Obviously, some names are offensive, like the Redskins, and should be changed. Others, however, seem to me intended to honor certain groups, like the Blackhawks, or laudable qualities associated with those groups.
I am not settled on the issue, but neither am I ready to make blanket condemnations of all these team nicknames. As an Irishman I personally am not offended by either Notre Dame or the Boston Celtics (just the pronunciation--it is "hard"C, like a K); quite the opposite, in fact.
posted by billinnagoya at 06:14 PM on June 14
Ah, deja vu all over again. It's 1962; we're at the Polo Grounds, ...
posted by billinnagoya at 05:48 PM on April 16
What a match!!! And what a finish!!! I don't blame the television official for the no-try ruling--though I am sure many England fans do--as none of the video angles I saw were conclusive. But I agree with Mr. Bismark: it would have been interesting to see if Flood could have handled the pressure on that tough angle for the tying conversion points.
posted by billinnagoya at 10:54 PM on February 26
Darvish is good--closer to the real thing than Matsuzaka was. But it is still buying a pig in a poke. While there are quite a few major league quality batters in the Japanese leagues, there are even more of minor league quality.
That would be a ridiculous offer to make to a player without a single season in the majors.
Let alone a player who has never thrown a single pitch in a major league game. Still, Tellum is probably going to demand the moon and the stars--and he'll probably get it. Go figure.
posted by billinnagoya at 02:00 AM on December 20
Oscar Pistorius Suspected in Girlfriend's Death
At this point nobody (except Pistorius) really knows what happened. So, why the rush to either condemn or defend/justify/excuse him? Of course, he is an individual who has overcome tremendous adversity and become an inspiration to many--but that does not mean he can't be a creep as a person (think Lance Armstong). At the same time, there are also plenty of Jerry Plunketts out there (i.e. James Cagney character in the movie, Fighting 69th) who are often royal pains in the a$$, but when it really counts can be pretty noble.
Let all of the information come out first.