- 04:24 AM
- 04/18/24
...even if the Wings stooped so low as to acquire him... Ha ha hee. Woo-hoo. Ahhh. *wipes tears* That was a good one! The likelihood of that happening is about the same as Osama bin Laden being elected President of the United States.
posted by jmpeterson at 01:42 PM on January 17, 2003
grum, I had exactly that same experience -- up to and including "hoping" that Miami would win so there would be no controversy. But gyc makes a good point, too. Great game! And then Sunday's playoff games were great, too. What a weekend.
posted by jmpeterson at 09:31 AM on January 06, 2003
ugh, all my links are screwed up. sorry about that.
posted by jmpeterson at 11:57 AM on December 18, 2002
I really wish Martha Burk would just STFU about this She can't/won't because she's getting so much wonderful free publicity. It doesn't matter if she eventually wins or loses this battle -- she's raised the profile of the NCWO exponentially. And to play devil's advocate, the argument goes that you really can't separate "The Masters" (which is ostensibly open to the public) from "Augusta National" -- since they hold themselves to the public and reap benefits from The Masters, they shouldn't be able to defend themselves by arguing how "private" they are. But I don't buy that argument either. The best analysis of this whole issue I've heard is that they're both "right." There is no legal issue -- the question comes down to other factors society wants to promote or protect. In Burk's case, it's the fact that society believes discrimination on the basis of sex is a bad thing. In Augusta's case, it's the fact that society favors the freedom to associate with whomever we want. I tend to come down on the side of Augusta because of my libertarian streak. I just hate the notion that one group gets to decide what's "right" and compel another group -- through threats of bad publicity and boycots -- to do what the former wants. Like grum indicated, if a bunch of rich men get their jollies sitting around together, good for them. No one's stopping anyone -- Martha Burk, a group of women, a group of gay Hispanic stockbrokers -- from starting their own club and making it "better" than ANGC.
posted by jmpeterson at 11:03 AM on December 17, 2002
Ah, you're missing out, Ufez. But thanks for the props.
posted by jmpeterson at 12:00 PM on December 09, 2002
Come on, nobody wants to talk golf? Even though the New York Times angle on this thing just keeps getting better and better?
posted by jmpeterson at 01:20 PM on December 06, 2002
He's absolutely right that there will always be a Masters. Despite what Martha Burk seems to think, you can't separate The Masters from Augusta National Golf Club. It wouldn't matter if CBS went away and 99% of the pros rejected their invitations. Augusta would still defiantly hold The Masters every April. The winner might be a club pro from Boise, but he'd be don the green jacket. The problem with this entire fiasco is that you have two incredibly stubborn individuals opposing each other, and both take positions that are legally defensible. Since there are no legal issues involved, Burk argues for "the greater social good," while Hootie argues for the right to associate with whomever the hell you want. Both of those (imho) are objectives worth pursuing/defending. So which prevails? Augusta would rather lose it all than risk appearing to be pressured from the outside. For this to be resolved I think there have to be some deep behind-the-scenes negotiations in which a woman member will be admitted in a way that saves face for Augusta. I envision something along the lines of Augusta indicating that they have been exploring the idea for some time, and will take their time making a decision. A year or two down the road, with little or no fanfare, they'll admit a woman member. However, I don't think Burk will go for that (even though it would get her what she ostensibly wants). Finally, I always have to note that this is such a silly place for Burk to focus. ANGC's main discrimination is against those who are not rich and connected. That's the discrimination that excludes me, you, and Bill Gates, and 99.9999% of the population, let alone one token woman.
posted by jmpeterson at 10:38 AM on November 12, 2002
According to this site, males with Fragile X generally have an IQ in the 40-to-60 range (moderately retarded). I would suspect that this individual knew exactly what was happening -- that he was being allowed to score as a gesture of thanks for having the courage to try out for the team. I agree that this would be borderline cruel if he was under the mistaken assumption that he had actually scored by himself. But I don't think that's the case -- obviously both sides were waving him towards the end zone. Anyway, count me among those with a lump in their throat.
posted by jmpeterson at 02:25 PM on October 31, 2002
No. He is aloof. He is more interested in self than team. He is also a supremely talented baseball player. Most articles I read about Bonds refer to all of those things. To suggest that Bonds isn't painted more sympathetically because sportswriting is a haven for "unreconstructed Boorish White Males" is, at best, simplistic and, at worst, stereotypical and racist.
posted by jmpeterson at 01:50 PM on October 25, 2002
One can only hope. But it'll go to arbitration and his fine will be cut by some outrageous percentage. PJ was an asshole that deserved what he got from Sprewell Do you really mean he deserved to be choked? I don't care what flavor of asshole he was, no one deserves that.
posted by jmpeterson at 08:54 AM on October 22, 2002
I don't actually believe there's much preventing women from competing in any sport, assuming they have the talent to compete. To use golf as one example, the PGA Tour has no rules prohibiting women from participating. Presumably a woman with sufficient talent could try out at Q school and earn her tour card. And with respect to individual sports (racing, swimming, etc.), I think that if times reached parity, there would no longer be separate competitions for "men" and "women." But if you eliminated all gender distinctions now, wouldn't that have a catastrophic impact on women's sports? At least now the fastest female swimmer gets recognition in the Olympics. If the race was gender-inspecific, and that same female finished 43rd (or, more likely, couldn't make the team), what kind of recognition would she get?
posted by jmpeterson at 04:29 PM on October 07, 2002
The TV issue is tinfoil hat-style speculation. I would be willing to bet that if you looked back on past Ryder Cups -- excepting 1999 -- you'd see that captains almost always saved their best players for the end. And while in hindsight it's obvious that Torrance front-loaded the matches, I don't think it was a foregone conclusion that he would do so. Another thing -- Curtis Strange is a broadcaster for ABC, which is a rival of NBC. I don't think Strange would go out of his way to help NBC's ratings. Yet another thing -- Curtis Strange is way too competitive and proud to think of anything other than winning. If he made those pairings for TV ratings, I think he would have hung himself in his hotel room last night. All that aside, it was a fantastic tournament. My hat's off both to the European team and to the European fans. Excellent all around. (On reconsideration, I don't think I'll take my hat off to Sergio Garcia, though).
posted by jmpeterson at 09:54 AM on September 30, 2002
because they're a bunch of prissy cheats You got any backup for that claim, etagloh? Are you talking about Mark O'Meara replacing his ball 1/8 of an inch in front of his mark? At least the U.S. team isn't a bunch of prissy whiners after a loss (cough ... Mark James ... cough)
posted by jmpeterson at 10:40 AM on September 24, 2002
Hey, FB, really sorry those ladies of yours couldn't finish what they started. I suspect that was just a preview of what's in store this week. I'm only sad that I don't think there will be much drama on Sunday -- the U.S. will have it wrapped up by about the fourth singles match.
posted by jmpeterson at 10:29 AM on September 23, 2002
I know it's probably just because they're the home team, but I have to believe the Red Wings are the best example of this year in and year out. I attribute a lot of that character to Steve Yzerman, who leads by example.
posted by jmpeterson at 10:01 AM on September 19, 2002
Interesting ... AGC has actually done a great job rehabilitating the City of Detroit's public courses (or at least the two I've played). Of course, that's not exactly the same as running a private club.
posted by jmpeterson at 09:32 AM on September 18, 2002
With the shuttering of Tiger Stadium and the retirement of Ernie Harwell, Detroit Tigers baseball will be barely recognizable from years before (except, of course, for the crappy team). I'll never forget nights spent driving up north and listening to Ernie call a whole game, or tuning in on a radio late at night after I was supposed to be sleeping. No matter where you were, if you could hear Ernie, it felt like home. He will be missed.
posted by jmpeterson at 11:35 AM on August 28, 2002
That's absurd. I couldn't believe I wasn't reading The Onion.
posted by jmpeterson at 03:18 PM on August 27, 2002
In order to answer the question, you have to define "sport." Not that this is the "one true answer," but dictionary.com says that the Ameritan Heritage dictionary defines "sport" in part as: 1. Physical activity that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often engaged in competitively. 2. An activity involving physical exertion and skill that is governed by a set of rules or customs and often undertaken competitively I guess under those definitions, it would qualify as a sport. I don't know whether I would go so far, but I also don't think anything that uses a subjective scoring system should be automatically disqualified, either. Diving comes to mind.
posted by jmpeterson at 11:47 AM on August 27, 2002
btw, via Romanesko's Media News
posted by jmpeterson at 04:38 PM on August 15, 2002
"As far I know, Najeh is innocent," Sharpstein said Monday evening. "He was at the wrong place at the wrong time..." Yeah, "squatting in her closet defecating into her laundry basket" definitely counts as being in the wrong place at the wrong time.
posted by jmpeterson at 12:05 PM on July 09, 2002
The most ominous thing in the espn article is that both sides (supposedly) enjoy unanimous support from their respective constituencies. I don't see a strike being avoided, and I think the repercussions will be greater than '94.
posted by jmpeterson at 09:48 AM on July 08, 2002
Well, the Chicago press didn't think much of Reilly's interview style, and there's been a lot of teeth-gnashing among the media, too.
posted by jmpeterson at 02:42 PM on July 02, 2002
tj: "I said that he couldn't stand up to Detroit's firepower in an earlier thread, I was wrong." Of course, the goal posts seem to be doing a lot of the work for him. squaly: "...this habit of playing "series" between two teams. What's wrong with just a final?" The thought is that the "wrong" team can win any particular game by luck, but that the "best" team will win over time. Benreuther: "I think it could have been a backbreaker." Oh, it was a backbreaker. Just not for the Wings.
posted by jmpeterson at 08:12 AM on June 10, 2002
Corpse: "There should be a no tolerance policy with them though, as soon as something like this is spotted, they should be removed from the stadium and have their money refunded."
posted by jmpeterson at 03:20 PM on May 31, 2002
I guess I should be sad, but like you said, it ain't the first time ol' Kenny's waved the white flag. I used to respect his plain-talking ways. But for the last several years he only speaks in cliches (most of his own making). I just wish he'd take Steve Melnyk with him into retirement.
posted by jmpeterson at 02:03 PM on May 31, 2002
Of course, Joumana Kidd doesn't even have to leave home to be abused. I'm not implying that she deserves the verbal abuse, but there's something awfully ironic about Jason complaining that fans are heckling his wife when he pops her in the face at home.
posted by jmpeterson at 02:00 PM on May 31, 2002
Actually, based on your quote this was a case of "SUV profiling," not racial profiling. How do we know it wasn't a Mexican gang?
posted by jmpeterson at 12:14 PM on May 29, 2002
Bullshit. This isn't profiling at all. First of all for a 200 pound man, .08 corresponds to four drinks in an hour, not "like, one beer." Second, you missed the point of the story. Randolph's BAC was actually half of the .08. He was arrested for underage drinking, not driving while drunk. I don't know about you, but where I grew up (and went to school) a lot of people were nailed for underage drinking -- white and black. In fact, like Mr. Randolph, I attended the great Michigan State University. Of course, that's probably where he learned to drink. I'm not saying I agree with the severity of the underage drinking law, I'm just saying there's no reason to suspect he was treated more harshly than anyone else.
posted by jmpeterson at 11:42 AM on May 29, 2002
I hate to say it, but this one ranks right up there with the most boring Masters of the last 10 years. It's disappointing because you can usually count on drama on the back nine, but this year there was none. The only comparably bad recent tournament was 2000 when Vijay won. Even Tiger's blowout in 1997 was exciting because so many records were at play.
posted by jmpeterson at 12:20 PM on April 15, 2002
I don't know, gov. The Masters has always reached out to foreign players long before most other tournaments. I don't think it would be uncomfortable if Cabrera won at all. I doubt there's any "anti-Argentina" sentiment. I think it would be less revolutionary than Tiger winning in '97.
posted by jmpeterson at 08:04 AM on April 12, 2002
Well, Verplank fades at the finish of the first round. How about Greg Norman? Could this be the year? Wouldn't that be a story? I cannot wait for Sunday!
posted by jmpeterson at 02:06 PM on April 11, 2002
Detroit Tigers Reach World You-Can't-Be-Serious
Hey, commander, 68 was a great series,a classic. Can Detroit reactivate Mickey Lolich for this series? Actually, he already pitched in the ALCS, judgedread!