- 03:40 AM
- 11/22/08
| Name: | David Wertheimer |
|---|---|
| Homepage URL: | http://www.netwert.com |
| Member since: | May 29, 2002 |
| Last visit: | November 12, 2008 |
werty has posted 12 links and 15 comments to SportsFilter and hasn’t posted any threads or comments
Bill Walton flies coach "The seat that I absolutely must have in order to be comfortable: The right-side, aisle seat. No bulkhead."
posted on May 30, 2006 - Go to the detail view for this result
Despite constant innovation, golf scores remain unchanged. Interesting expose in the NY Times about golfers--pro and amateur--whose relentless pursuit of distance and technology hasn't cumulatively lowered handicaps. Choice pull quote: "'They watch golf on TV and then they all want to hit it far, like Tiger Woods,' said Dr. Bob Rotella, golf's best-known psychologist and a best-selling author. 'Well, good luck. They should be going to their teacher and saying, "I want to hit it like Fred Funk." Physically, they are much more like him. That would make a lot more sense.' Mr. Funk is a 5-foot-8, 48-year-old PGA Tour pro who ranks first in driving accuracy and 186th in driving distance. He is also seventh on the PGA money list this season with more than $1.9 million in earnings."
posted on May 24, 2005 - Go to the detail view for this result
"If steroids are cheating, why isn't LASIK?" The basic answers to this one are fairly obvious (legality, medical intent, theoretical limits to what can be achieved, etc.) but an interesting essay on Slate highlights a big question for the future. Will we reach a point where even genetic modification is a normal occurrence, and sports stars are formulated rather than trained?
posted on April 19, 2005 - Go to the detail view for this result
Jose Canseco, Hero A fascinating op-ed piece by Michael Chabon, who finds much more to appreciate than one would superficially expect.
posted on March 18, 2005 - Go to the detail view for this result
The few, the proud: Number of black starters dwindles in majors. A Miami Herald article notes that MLB this season will have half as many African-American starting pitchers as Antonio Alfonseca has fingers on one hand. Cause for concern? What is the cause?
posted on March 18, 2004 - Go to the detail view for this result
Olympic Traitor? Chris Kaman of the Clippers, a US citizen, obtained German citizenship and plays basketball for the German Olympic team in these Olympics. He is three generations removed from his great-grandparents who came here from the motherland. There's some dispute about whether a US citizen playing for another national team is kosher. Opinions?
posted by boredom_08 at 01:00 PM on August 18
Johnny Damon to sign with Yanks. That sound you hear is that of millions of Bostonian females wailing in unison.
posted by BullpenPro at 10:22 PM on December 21
Signing Damon isn't the most impressive move of the winter, but it is a solid maneuver for the Yanks. In all seriousness, Bubba Crosby--a 29-year-old with a .221 career batting average--is not the kind of player the Yankees put in center field. The team had to find someone more substantial, and a four-year deal (rather than Scott Boras's overreaching seven-year request) is not outrageous. Damon's stats are still solid; his batting average has increased three years in a row. I'm not sure I understand what makes him a great leadoff hitter, though, given that he's trending toward 15 stolen bases next season. Jeter has roughly equal speed and a better OBP, although he tends to hit better in the 2 slot. Still, I like the signing. As a Sox fan I think this sucks. And therein lies the extra money George paid.
posted at 08:46 AM on December 21
WS Ratings suck! Thank you, FOX! Ouch! Was FOX partly to blame for the abyssmal ratings or the two teams competing? You would think the Series would be more compelling considering the history of the two teams, but I guess not.
posted by willthrill72 at 10:01 AM on October 28
I felt like complaining about the late start times, but the 14-inning game had a peak audience in the ninth, which was midnight Eastern. So that wasn't the culprit. Part of the decline comes from the lack of Red Sox fever this year. The White Sox are a lower draw even in their home town. Had it been the Cubs, we might have seen higher ratings. No doubt marketing and positioning have an impact, but it's hard to gauge. Personally, I wouldn't wait until Saturday for Game 1 of the World Series, but that's a baseball fan's opinion, not a TV planner's.
posted at 10:28 AM on October 28
Palmiero busted? USA Today and WFAN in New York are reporting that Rafael Palmeiro has been suspended for a drug policy violation. USA Today also reports that it was immediately appealed.
mlb.com just made an announcement of their own. Wow.
posted by YukonGold at 11:42 AM on August 01
Does this now make Palmeiro a perjurer in Congress, and if so, what is the punishment?
posted at 12:22 PM on August 01
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:26 PM on February 16
Ah, I take that back. Games are still listed but the actual seats are unavailable. (Thank goodness.) Interesting that the games were still "scheduled" in the NHL's mind.
posted at 01:21 PM on February 16
posted by DrJohnEvans at 12:26 PM on February 16
Interestingly, you can still buy tickets to this season's NHL games on Ticketmaster.com.
posted at 01:19 PM on February 16
Forget labor woes. The NHL's ... Forget labor woes. The NHL's most serious problem is national TV ratings lower than Arena Football. As Tim Layden gloomily predicts in Sports Illustrated, "soon the NHL will live where track and field and skiing and swimming live, in a cable ghetto where only the truly devoted will venture in search of entertainment."
posted by rcade at 11:16 AM on March 18
A big problem is that hockey has high costs. Much of the USA is warm most of the year, meaning ice hockey must be played indoors at rinks with expensive ice time and 24-hour bookings. Then there's all the equipment. Baseball, football, basketball--all lend themselves to pickup games and back-alley throwarounds, which let kids play and develop and enjoy the sport at an early age. Without committed parents and some disposable income, hockey doesn't become much of a concern to children, which lessens the interest of the nation as a whole. Until Tiger Woods came along, golf suffered from much the same problem. On a macro level, I'm not sure the NHL can solve its most crucial ill, which is kids who don't play ice hockey and as a result don't develop an interest in the sport. It had better fix everything else, though, so the league doesn't fall apart.
posted at 12:53 PM on March 18
Schumachers to race despite tragic personal loss. Michael and Ralf Schumacher's mother passed away last night. She was in a had been in a coma following an emergency operation. After securing the front row, the brothers rushed to be by her bedside. The brothers had flown to Cologne to visit their mother on Saturday after securing the two top spots on the grid for the San Marino race. Their mother was taken to hospital last week after collapsing, suffering from internal bleeding. Their performance under extreme pressure yesterday, and the fact that they will race today highlights just how dedicated both brothers are.
posted by riffola at 05:23 AM on April 21
the fact that they will race today highlights just how dedicated both brothers are Or: the fact that they will race today highlights just how cold-hearted both brothers are Interpret at your leisure.
posted at 01:50 PM on April 21
Colts player speaks out against teammates, coach. "Peyton Manning must show more emotion, coach Tony Dungy is too nice and many players on the NFL team lack passion." The player? Kicker Mike Vanderjagt!
posted by werty at 12:31 PM on January 29
How bad must your leadership be for the kicker to go public with his complaints?
posted at 12:31 PM on January 29
Boston's new GM is my age... 28. What were the owners thinking? More power to Epstein though. I wish I could claim "GM of the Boston Red Sox" on my resume at this moment in life.
posted by mediaman at 10:34 PM on November 25
As my coworker said, "28 is really young to be running anything." Hey, if he screws up, my Yankees benefit.
posted at 11:40 AM on November 25
Baseball to be dropped from the Olympic Games? The IOC is looking at dropping both baseball and softball from the summer Olympic Games, because they are not universal enough. Also at risk are Greco-Roman wrestling, walking and the pentathlon. Likely to be added are golf and rugby union sevens.
posted by salmacis at 05:25 AM on August 29
Walking isn't universal?
posted at 08:51 AM on August 29
"'So, is it true that if a woman puts K-Y jelly in her vagina, it'll, like, burn up a condom?'' When the NFL gets all the rookies together for their preseason and pre-career symposium, both hilarity and seriousness ensue.
posted by vito90 at 02:48 PM on August 20
Iconomy, K-Y jelly is a lubricant, not a spermicide. Gee, and I thought this was a sports site. Heh.
posted at 10:07 AM on August 20
Here's the deal: we're going to trade all of your good players and then fire you when you begin losing. Ok ok, so I'm being unfair. The Cleveland Indians fire coach Charlie Manuel. Please bring back Hargrove. Please?
posted by elsoltano at 03:19 PM on July 12
Except Manuel wasn't "fired"--he was relieved of his duties as manager because he wanted out. According to the announcers during last night's Yankees-Indians game, Manuel demanded to be part of the rebuilding process or to be removed. The Indians are still paying his salary, as per usual.
posted at 08:56 AM on July 12
MLB teams in dire dinero dilemma. Apparently, there's a couple MLB teams that might not make it to the impending doom that will likely cut short this baseball season. El Commish does not name names, but says one of the teams "will surprise you". Could anything really surprise us anymore when it comes to America's old pastime?
posted by bcb2k2 at 12:21 AM on July 11
Re Alex's point about baseball stadiums: Sooner or later someone's going to realize even that is a sham. The owners like to say, "We need more money to be a good team, therefore we need a new stadium," but the stadium is worthless if the fans don't go; and they won't go if the teams aren't competitive. In Pittsburgh, attendance at the new ballpark is down 8,000 fans a game from last season. In Milwaukee, attendance at the new ballpark is down 10,000 fans a game from last season. New stadium, old fan news. Why? Because the teams aren't good. Not that the GMs have any relevance in the discussions at hand. How about Cleveland, where the previously sold-out-all-season Jake has had an attendance drop of 7,000 fans a game? How about Baltimore, where the previously sold-out-all-the-time Camden Yards has had an attendance drop of 1,000 fans a game (plus however many they lost the year before)? Oh, yeah--it's because the teams aren't good. All hail the smart local fan who stays away from the field when the team is boring. And don't get me started on Detroit, the "small-market club" owned by the same man whose Detroit hockey club has the NHL's second-highest payroll. I am a huge baseball fan, but the major leagues' incredible myopia extends so far and wide that it's hard to enjoy anymore.
posted at 10:00 AM on July 11
Last night NBC profiled a softball player who "defected" to Russia to play in these Olympics, too. She's 31 and didn't make the US team. Other athletes have done it as well.
On the one hand, dyams is right--if he's not good enough to play for Team USA, the US shouldn't care if he plays elsewhere. From a patriotic angle, though, it's quite a contrast from, say, Lopez Lomong or Bernard Legat, who are proudly competing as US citizens after coming to America to pursue their dreams.