SportsFilter: Chicobangs's blog

The Life And Death Of The English Football Song:

chicobangs — Tue, 23 Sep 2008 11:20:05 -0400

Popmatters explores, with examples, the history of the terrace chant, its sporadic forays into the recorded music world and the popular music charts, and its occasional (sometimes even successful) crossing into American culture, providing (among other high and low lights) the darkest moment in Walter Payton's storied career.

An Open Letter From Roger Ebert To Jay Mariotti

chicobangs — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 17:11:54 -0400

Mariotti is an easy target at the best of times, but his abrupt departure from the Chicago Sun-Times, right after they paid his way to China for the Olympics, left his most distinguished now-former colleague more than a little out of joint. And no one writes a screw-you letter like Roger Ebert.

What do you get the hockey fan who has everything?

chicobangs — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 14:29:49 -0400

Well, Graeme Patterson in Halifax has hooked up a synthesizer/organ to a table hockey game."The sk1 somehow had each key hooked up to each player (eg: A=goalie, C#=right winger etc...) and when the keyboard was played they would move around and such." (More pictures here.)

Dave Zirin interviews Ralph Nader

chicobangs — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 13:27:58 -0400

about the idea of a fan's bill of rights, the NBA referees' scandal, and the still-growing dangers of taxpayer-funded stadiums.Before Ralph Nader was the guy no one wanted to be stuck talking to at the Presidential Election party, he was one of the most important consumer watchdogs the United States ever had. Here, the always-excellent Dave Zirin brings out the childhood Lou Gehrig fan in him, and lets the erstwhile politician get a few things off his chest.

An incredible collection of photos

chicobangs — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 13:26:32 -0400

from yesterday's Turkey vs. Switzerland rain-soaked Euro 2008 match, courtesy of Alan Taylor's phenomenal photoblog at the Boston Globe.

"...one of the most ungentlemanly, sneaky, just plain rotten things I've ever seen..."

chicobangs — Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:31:49 -0400

On April 11, 1975, the New England Whalers and Minnesota Fighting Saints set a WHA record with a bench clearing brawl that resulted in 217 minutes in penalties. (In a playoff game.) To commemorate the occasion, the Whalers released a 7" single featuring Bob Neumeier & Bill Rasmussen's gleeful blow-by-blow commentary of the fight. The audio is actually kind of amazing.

Ooooops:

chicobangs — Tue, 27 May 2008 11:45:16 -0400

The Spokane Chiefs win the Memorial Cup, and then promptly snap the trophy in half.

The Danny Gallivan of Finland:

chicobangs — Mon, 12 May 2008 07:41:14 -0400

Or so the New York Times says. Frankly, and this piece admits as much by the end, Antero Mertaranta's announcing style transcends language and communicates a crazed enthusiasm for the game the same way the great Rick Jeannaret does.

'I'm A Diehard Atlanta Braves Fan. Does That Make Me A Jerk?'

chicobangs — Mon, 14 Apr 2008 11:29:10 -0400

Or more to the point, where is the line between cheering for a perennial overdog and being inconsiderate toward one's fellow fans, both of your team and of others?

<b>Fantasy Hockey League Roundup!</b>

chicobangs — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 09:38:53 -0400

Inside: Final standings, a sincere congratulations to our fatherly champion, and an apology.

<b>Open Other End:</b>

chicobangs — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 10:22:49 -0400

Our own Ben Saunders, whose South-Pole-on-foot trip has been postponed a few times in the last few years, seems to have decided to go for a speed record to the North Pole instead. wc2k2, that investment might just pay off after all.

Back In The Swing:

chicobangs — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 12:51:13 -0400

In February 1962, Sports Illustrated sent the illustrator Robert Weaver to cover spring training in Florida. He then created a series of paintings that appeared in the March 5, 1962, issue of the magazine. The drawings that follow are from his sketchbook.

Russia Is Luring Back NHL Stars:

chicobangs — Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:20:47 -0500

"the Soviet Union [was] a hockey superpower for decades that was bleeding talent profusely. The sport had all but disintegrated there by the early 1990s as the empire that spawned one of the most successful sporting industries in the world melted into decrepitude. Most hockey players of international merit left Russian clubs, which began to fester in an atmosphere of poverty, gangsterism and occasional violence." But thanks to a national economy that's starting to regain its footing, as well as the exodus of former NHLers like Oleg Tverdovsky and Alexei Yashin, the Russian Super League is beginning to bring hockey back to the forefront of the Russian sporting landscape.

<a href="www.tsn.ca">NHL Trade Deadline Aftermath Thread</a>:

chicobangs — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:02:10 -0500

Hossa to Phoenix! Hossa to Pittsburgh! Huet to Washington! Leafs dump everyone without a no-trade clause for draft picks! Minnesota now consists entirely of goons! The Ducks get better! The Panthers give up!

The Ricky Roma of Golf:

chicobangs — Mon, 28 Jan 2008 10:12:07 -0500

In which Joel Waldfogel provides statistical (and literary) proof that when Tiger Woods is in the field, he makes everyone else play worse, whether he's on his game or not."It's generally agreed that people work harder when they are paid for performance. Anyone who has ever languished in a Paris cafewhere service compris translates roughly as "the Republic of France mandates a minimum 15 percent tip regardless of service quality"can appreciate the power of incentives. But the effects of incentives appear to be muted when the incentives are based on relative performance and the competition is tough."