04/25/24
Recent Posts by bender
April 01, 2022
World Cup 2022 Draw: Group A: Qatar, Ecuador, Netherlands, Senegal Group B: England, Iran, USA, Scotland/Wales/Ukraine Group C: Argentina, Saudi Arabia, Mexico, Poland Group D: France, UAE/Australia/Peru, Denmark, Tunisia Group E: Spain, Costa Rica/New Zealand, Germany, Japan Group F: Belgium, Canada, Morocco, Croatia Group G: Brazil, Serbia, Switzerland, Cameroon Group H: Portugal, Ghana, Uruguay, South Korea
posted by bender to soccer at 01:56 PM - 8 comments
August 12, 2020
Big Ten nixes fall college football season, eyes spring: Big Ten conference presidents and chancellors voted Tuesday to postpone all fall sports seasons, including football, amid the coronavirus pandemic with the hopes of playing in the spring.
May 12, 2020
An 82-game season? A universal DH? Key takeaways from MLB's 2020 proposal: MLB owners approved a proposal that aims to have Major League Baseball back in early July. Commissioner Rob Manfred reportedly plans to present the proposal to players Tuesday.
posted by bender to baseball at 09:31 AM - 2 comments
June 24, 2019
VAR Has One Job, And It's Failing Miserably At It: The most common complaint against VAR—or any form of video review in sports—in one of aesthetics. If referees insist on stopping the game for several minutes to double check every key play, the thinking goes, all the drama and intensity and emotion of the biggest moments will be lost, and the celebrations of fans will be replaced by hesitance and trepidation while they wait to confirm that what they just saw with their own eyes actually happened. It’s a fine argument, one that at least a strong minority of sports fans would agree with. But most leagues around the world have chosen to ignore it. If the game gets delayed for a bit, they’ve decided, that’s okay, because it’s a small price to pay to avoid controversy and make sure officials are making an objectively correct call.
posted by bender to soccer at 04:34 PM - 8 comments
October 18, 2018
Altuve Ruled Out on Fan Interference in ALCS Game 4: Mookie Betts tries to make a play at the wall on a Jose Altuve hit, and the umpires rule that a fan interfered and call Altuve out.
posted by bender to baseball at 09:22 AM - 20 comments
July 23, 2018
Mesut Özil is leaving the German National Football Team over DFB's reaction to a photo he took with Turkish President Recep Erdogan in May.: Mesut Özil tweeted a three-part statement Sunday regarding the photo incident, his Turkish heritage, and the backlash he has received--particularly from DFB President Reinhard Grindel. He concluded, "It is with a heavy heart and after much consideration that because of recent events, I will no longer be playing for Germany at international level whilst I have this feeling of racism and disrespect. I used to wear the German shirt with such pride and excitement, but now I don't."
posted by bender to soccer at 01:27 PM - 4 comments
July 22, 2018
TBT Announces Elam Ending to Be Used in All TBT2018 Games: First implemented during TBT’s play-in round in 2017, the “Elam Ending” – designed by Mensa member and basketball super fan Dr. Nick Elam – eliminates deliberate fouling at the end of games, ensures the final minutes are played at the same pace and flow as the rest of the game, and guarantees every game ends on a made basket. Under the rule, at the first dead ball after the four minute mark in the fourth quarter, the game clock shuts off. A Target Score is set by adding seven to the leading team’s score. The first team to reach the Target Score wins.
posted by bender to basketball at 04:14 PM - 6 comments
March 21, 2018
Greg Schiano's Kickoff Idea Takes Spotlight Again As The NCAA Mulls Over New Proposal: Schiano's Plan: Replace all kickoffs with a punting situation, including after the opening coin toss and to start the second half. So, as an example, when Team A scores a touchdown, it immediately gets the ball back on a fourth and 15 from its own 30-yard line. It can punt it back to Team B — the most likely outcome and a safer play since the bigger collisions usually happen on kickoffs. Or it can line up and go for the first down, essentially replacing an onside kick with an offensive play that would require more skill than luck.
posted by bender to football at 01:23 PM - 5 comments
January 10, 2017
It's the end of the World Cup as we know it: The FIFA Council made it official, unanimously approving an expansion of the mens World Cup field. Starting in 2026, the field will increase from 32 to 48 teams. There will be 16 groups of 3 teams, with the top two finishers in each group advancing to a 32-team knockout stage.
posted by bender to soccer at 04:12 PM - 20 comments
August 15, 2016
Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky in the Same Relay? It Could Happen.: What if there were one last event, a mixed-gender medley that teamed the nations winningest women with its most-medalled men.
posted by bender to olympics at 12:57 PM - 3 comments
June 27, 2016
Lionel Messi retires from Argentina after Copa America final loss to Chile: Asked if he were retiring, the 29-year old said, "I tried my hardest. It's been four finals, and I was not able to win. I tried everything possible. It hurts me more than anyone, but it is evident that this is not for me. I want more than anyone to win a title with the national team, but unfortunately, it did not happen." The news comes off the back of Messi's criticising the Argentine football federation (AFA) ahead of the final and revealing in a news conference on Friday that he had a backlog of complaints with the AFA.
posted by bender to soccer at 09:17 AM - 5 comments
September 29, 2015
Fifa scandal: Jack Warner banned for life by FIFA: More than four years after quitting football, the governing bodys ethics committee today announced the outcome of an investigation into Sepp Blatters disgraced former vice-president, who is also facing criminal charges in the United States over an alleged 100 million fraud. Warners ban begins at the same time as Fifas ethics committee examines evidence that could lead to the suspension of Blatter and Michel Platini over a 1.3m suspected criminal payment to the Uefa president.
September 29, 2014
Brady Hoke's Dangerous Incompetence So Bad ESPN Announcers Denounce It: Michigan quarterback Shane Morris took a nasty, and illegal, hit to the skull in the fourth quarter of last night's loss to Minnesota. Not only was Morris immediately re-inserted into the game, but Wolverines head coach Brady Hoke claimed " I didn't know if [Morris] had a concussion or not." Over-the-top deadspin headline aside, there is a growing demand to relieve Coach Hoke of his duties in Ann Arbor that isn't even based on the team's 2-3 start to the season. The university released a statement last night defending the team's handling of the situation, though not referencing the suspected head injury.
posted by bender to football at 12:39 PM - 16 comments
August 18, 2013
Alex Rodriguez attorney accuses Yankees of hiding MRI results: Joseph Tacopina, the attorney representing Rodriguez in his appeal of a 211-game suspension for his involvement with Miami-based Biogenesis and performance enhancing drugs, said the Yankees hid MRI results from Rodriguez that showed a torn labrum in his hip in October 2012, an injury that would eventually require offseason surgery and sideline the third baseman for the first four months of the 2103 campaign. Rodriguez hit just .120 (3-for-25) during the 2012 playoffs for the Yankees, who lost the ALCS to the Tigers.
posted by bender to baseball at 08:50 PM - 12 comments
August 01, 2013
Sochi Athletes Subject to Anti-Gay Law: Russian Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko warned Thursday that athletes and visitors to the Sochi Olympics will be subject to the country's laws against promoting homosexuality, contradicting a statement from the International Olympic Committee that the government had promised they would be exempt.
posted by bender to olympics at 08:49 AM - 2 comments
February 21, 2011
Mark Cuban Working on His Own College Football Playoff: Mark Cuban wants to create a playoff for Division I-A college football, and he's willing to offer schools millions of dollars to make it happen. Hes formed a limited liability company called Radical Football.
posted by bender to football at 08:48 AM - 5 comments
December 13, 2010
Big Ten Conference Reveals New Logo and Honors Football History with Division Names and Trophies: The Big Ten Conference today made several announcements that complete a series of decisions prompted by the upcoming addition of the University of Nebraska - Lincoln as the conference's 12th member school. The conference revealed a new logo to be used for all sports beginning with the 2011-12 academic year and also unveiled names for its two football divisions and a list of names for 18 trophies to honor coaches, teams and student-athletes starting with the 2011 football season. The LEGENDS Division will include Iowa, Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Nebraska, and Northwestern, and the LEADERS Division will include Illinois, Indiana, Ohio State, Penn State, Purdue, and Wisconsin.
posted by bender to football at 02:08 PM - 26 comments
October 04, 2010
Why CONCACAF Is Killing the Best Rivalry in North America: They're killing the most important rivalry in American soccer. That's [Grant Wahl's] unavoidable conclusion after speaking to Chuck Blazer, the general secretary of CONCACAF, who confirmed that he expects FIFA to approve a new regional qualifying format for World Cup 2014.
posted by bender to soccer at 02:30 PM - 5 comments
July 13, 2010
2011 NCAA Men's Basketball Championship: to begin with four first-round games as entire tournament to be nationally broadcast across four networks for first time. The Division I Men's Basketball Committee today announced plans for the 2011 NCAA "First Four" to showcase the expanded field for the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship.
posted by bender to basketball at 01:13 PM - 1 comment
February 01, 2010
League announces 2000s NFL All-Decade Team: This decade's 53-player team is comprised of two quarterbacks, four running backs, one fullback, four wide receivers, two tight ends, four offensive tackles, four guards, two centers, four defensive tackles, four defensive ends, six linebackers, four cornerbacks, four safeties, two kickers, two punters, two kick returners and two punt returners. Current New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick and retired Colts coach Tony Dungy also were chosen for the team.
posted by bender to football at 12:14 PM - 11 comments
January 02, 2008
Ice Bowl is one for the ages: The consensus about the Ice Bowl, aka the AMP Energy NHL Winter Classic? It was cool.
posted by bender to hockey at 10:35 AM - 42 comments