October 06, 2012

SportsFilter: The Saturday Huddle:

A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.

posted by huddle to general at 06:00 AM - 16 comments

It's a shock to see the Rangers become the first one-and-done in AL wild card history, but I can't say that they deserved to go deeper into the postseason more than the Orioles or A's. People wanted Orioles/Yankees and the A's tiny payroll and ridiculous rookies make them a great story.

It's weird that most Texas fans polled on the Dallas Morning News site want Josh Hamilton to leave, by a 3-to-1 margin. Yes he sucked in the final games, but he had close-to-MVP numbers, is a left-handed banger and an excellent fielder. Good luck replacing all that.

The Newberg Report thought two months ago that the Rangers looked exhausted, despite their victories, and were a concern to succeed in the playoffs. My hunch this season was that winning the West would be the most to hope for.

posted by rcade at 03:48 PM on October 06, 2012

In a previous Penn State discussion, I thought that Bill O'Brien would be doing well if he could muster 3 conference wins in the 2013 season.

He just got his second Big 10 win of the 2012 season today, and has a good chance to get at least one more in the games remaining. Heck of a job thus far under unprecedented circumstances. He should be able to start landing good prospects on the recruiting trail.

posted by beaverboard at 05:59 PM on October 06, 2012

Bathurst 1000 this weekend, and it's streaming LIVE and LEGAL on Youtube on the official V8 Supercar channel.

I realise nobody here will care as this involves neither balls nor pucks, but what the hell...

posted by Drood at 06:03 PM on October 06, 2012

I caught some of that Penn State game. They were down by 11 in the second half and came back with long drives.

Matt McGloin is becoming quite a story. He's the first walk-on to start for the school since 1949. He has 12 passing touchdowns on only two interceptions and five rushing scores.

posted by rcade at 06:10 PM on October 06, 2012

It's weird that most Texas fans polled on the Dallas Morning News site want Josh Hamilton to leave, by a 3-to-1 margin. Yes he sucked in the final games, but he had close-to-MVP numbers, is a left-handed banger and an excellent fielder. Good luck replacing all that.

Not that I trust people on a newspaper's website poll to be terribly rational, but I'd rather see the money needed to keep Josh go towards starting pitching. There are pretty real concerns about his health and I can imagine someone offering him 5-6 years. Gentry's a damn fine defensive CF and I think there's enough offensive talent in Olt and Profar to help make up the slack at the plate.

That said, booing him in what is likely his last home game in Arlington is utterly classless. Those folks ought to be ashamed.

posted by Ufez Jones at 06:32 PM on October 06, 2012

Bathurst 1000 this weekend, and it's streaming LIVE and LEGAL on Youtube on the official V8 Supercar channel.

Thanks for the warning, Drood - I can't see why anyone wouldn't want to watch a thousand kilometres of upside down touring cars driven by kangaroos, so I thought I'd add the link to the youtube stream.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 07:43 PM on October 06, 2012

Commentators just announced that spectators at this year's event are limited to only 24 beers. Or 36 light beers. Or four litres of wine.

How will they cope!?

posted by Mr Bismarck at 08:04 PM on October 06, 2012

Seeing they're in the Southern Hemisphere, shouldn't they be racing in the opposite direction?

posted by beaverboard at 08:14 PM on October 06, 2012

One commentator just called the other a goose!

It's all kicking off!

posted by Mr Bismarck at 09:24 PM on October 06, 2012

I'm starting to hate PSU. They do this to us every damn time.

posted by ursus_comiter at 09:30 PM on October 06, 2012

He should be able to start landing good prospects on the recruiting trail.

He very well might, but with the loss of scholarships that came with the rest of the penalties, he won't be able to sign many of them. Of course, with all of the sports in which Penn State competes, perhaps one or two could be snuck in on soccer or volleyball scholarships, for example, and 'walk-on' for football. I jest about that, but I would bet that it has been done somewhere.

posted by Howard_T at 10:54 PM on October 06, 2012

All Vegas sports parlors now offering complimentary sedatives and on-call defibrillation services during West Virginia football games.

posted by beaverboard at 10:59 PM on October 06, 2012

I realise nobody here will care as this involves neither balls nor pucks, but what the hell...

Bathurst is probably my favourite car race of the year. Take a good pinch of Le Mans-style endurance and add it to the no-holds-barred racing of touring cars, and you usually get something special.

posted by etagloh at 12:45 AM on October 07, 2012

There are 25 laps left and they're under safety car right now, which means all the leaders are on full tanks and fresh tyres, trying to make the green rubber last to the finish.

So it's still a good time to start watching.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:56 AM on October 07, 2012

Considering they've gone almost a thousand klicks and six hours to get here, this is a ridiculous finish - 1st and 2nd stuck to each other, 3rd and 4th stuck to each other and 1st-to-5th covered by four seconds.

posted by Mr Bismarck at 01:35 AM on October 07, 2012

Thanks Drood for starting the 'motorsports' comments. There are a couple of us stick~n~ball fans that also enjoy the nuances of racing at speeds most of us only dare to dream of Traveling. At those speeds I could have taken many more vacations seeing much more of this lovely World we occupy for such a slim amount of time.

Now if I could learn to turn right I'd be the monkeys uncle, the cats meow, the rat that stole the cheese, hell I might even be the Tim Tebow of the motor sports world.

Well except for all that 'witnessing' and I hate to get my knees dirty so kneeling is out.

posted by Folkways at 01:16 PM on October 07, 2012

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