September 26, 2013

SportsFilter: The Thursday 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 - 11 comments

A beanball in Beantown could turn the season around for Rodriguez and Bombers

The Yankees went 18-17 since Dempster beaned Arod and 'woke' up the Yankees. Maybe it's time to rethink this theory and realize that a mediocre team isn't turned into a good team by anger.

Also, Cano is asking for 300 million contract. Good luck with that.

posted by justgary at 01:30 PM on September 26, 2013

Maybe it's time to rethink this theory and realize that a mediocre team isn't turned into a good team by anger.

Some theories only survive because we forget they were uttered if they are untrue. Throw enough shit at the wall and something's bound to stick.

I like Cano, but in no way is he worth 2 1/2 Pedroias per season for a longer term.

posted by dfleming at 01:39 PM on September 26, 2013

but in no way is he worth 2 1/2 Pedroias per season

It's been almost a year since the Yankees signed a player to a crippling contract so maybe Cano cashes in. At the same time I can't think of a single team other than the Yankees that would even be interested in Cano at anything near those terms.

posted by cixelsyd at 02:15 PM on September 26, 2013

At the same time I can't think of a single team other than the Yankees that would even be interested in Cano at anything near those terms.

Dodgers?

posted by LionIndex at 02:52 PM on September 26, 2013

Yeah, the Dodgers for a while have been rumoured to be the likely source of a stupid number for Cano - although really, the Yankees would be bonkers to sign on to something this big without seeing the market for him develop given it's probably one other team.

posted by dfleming at 03:11 PM on September 26, 2013

he Yankees would be bonkers to sign on to something this big without seeing the market for him develop

Ahem ...

ARod.

posted by cixelsyd at 04:09 PM on September 26, 2013

Make sure you're sitting down before reading what I'm about to post: Bobby Valentine's mouth cost him a gig.

posted by yerfatma at 04:20 PM on September 26, 2013

My half-baked proposal:

Make the Durham Bulls the MLB team and make the Rays the Triple A affiliate. Of course, the players will switch cities, but the name and the uniforms will stay in place. I have myself almost convinced that with a major stadium upgrade and a player swap, the Bulls could attract bigger crowds than what the Rays are currently attracting to their games. Besides, most of the Rays players are already quite familiar with the city of Durham, if not the whole Triangle area and they're probably OK with the area.

This is one of those ideas that's Colin Cowherdesque or Thomas Friedmanian. You know, sounds good at first, but turns out to be the dumbest thought ever to use up brain cells.

posted by NoMich at 05:23 PM on September 26, 2013

Interesting question: does the (relative) competitiveness of the Premier League prevent member teams from succeeding in Europe? The one bit I don't get is why the effect would be localized when big teams can buy players from any league they like.

posted by yerfatma at 05:41 PM on September 26, 2013

Only marginally to do with sport, but here's video of part of Australian TV's response to the 30th anniversary of the America's Cup victory in 1983.

From L to R, the Australia II skipper John Bertrand, the owner Alan Bond and the Australian Prime Minister at the time, Bob Hawke, and his F-Bomb joke.

posted by owlhouse at 07:55 PM on September 26, 2013

Some theories only survive because we forget they were uttered if they are untrue. Throw enough shit at the wall and something's bound to stick.

Yeah, true, but this nonsense is thrown about by writers I actually respect, and players. Even if I give in to the theory that Arod hit the home run off Dempster because he was pissed (instead of a HoF hitter facing a mediocre pitcher) the idea that 3 days later while facing another team that incident has anything to do with anything is so ludicrous in my mind that I feel I'm being punk'd.

posted by justgary at 09:36 PM on September 28, 2013

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