Location: | Canada |
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Member since: | February 21, 2002 |
Last visit: | February 16, 2019 |
grum@work has posted 224 links and 9,219 comments to SportsFilter and 15 links and 920 comments to the Locker Room and 1 column.
First of all, a trivia question. What are the 11 different ways for a baseball player to reach 1st base safely? Answer at bottom of page. I'm the saddest fan of them all: Toronto Maple Leafs Buffalo Bills (but not so much since the Holy Trinity retired...Kelly, Thomas, Reed) It could be worse...I could be a Boston or Chicago baseball fan. The most memorable sporting event was a hockey game back in the late 80's (not sure exactly when). A friend of the family got me really nice Leaf tickets during the Xmas holidays. They were playing the Bruins, so I took my friend Joe who was a big Boston fan. After two periods, the Leafs were getting killed, 5-1. My friend was really laying on the taunting thick, and I was contemplating how I could kill him on the way home. Then, to start the 3rd period, Wendel Clark scored a quick goal. Hey, at least they'll make it respectable, is what I figured. And then another goal is scored. And another. Well, lo and behold, the Leafs tie it up and send the game into overtime (the last goal was scored with an extra attacker, by Wendel again). Then, with about a minute left in the overtime, Wendel Clark blows one past the goalie and the place EXPLODES with noise. I must have gone hoarse from the shouting. The stunned/saddened look on Joe's face the entire ride home was like icing on the cake. ... Trivia Answer: 1. Hit 2. Base on balls 3. Hit by pitch 4. Catcher interference 5. Dropped third strike 6. Error 7. Fielder's choice 8. Hitting a baserunner with the batted ball 9. A ball, pitched to the batter or thrown by the pitcher from his position on the pitcher's plate to a base to catch a runner, goes into a stand, or player's bench, or over or through a field fence or backstop, or is touched by a spectator. (Obscure rule 7.05(h)) 10. The third strike becomes lodged in the umpires equipment (not touched by the catcher). (Obscure rule 7.05(i)) 11. Pinch Runner
Ryan Reeves visits the barbershop to talk about hockey in the black community.:
"If you ever see a playoff hockey game, it's better than any other sport."
posted by grum@work to hockey at 12:15 PM on February 11, 2019 - 2 comments
"My Dad's Friendship with Charles Barkley":
posted by grum@work to basketball at 10:45 PM on December 26, 2018 - 3 comments
Plays of The Year?:
So what is everyone's play of the year?
posted by grum@work to other at 07:10 PM on December 26, 2018 - 10 comments
Baseball players are famous for cliches. Here are their most popular ones.:
This article does a heck of job. It's a breath of fresh air that finds a way to get it done. Time after time, it grabs the bull by the horns and brings something to the table. Up and down the lineup, this article was looking forward to the challenge and stepped up it's game.
posted by grum@work to baseball at 07:08 PM on August 29, 2018 - 6 comments
The Single Worst Recorded Umpire Call in Organized Baseball History:
Seriously.
posted by grum@work to baseball at 10:16 PM on July 19, 2018 - 2 comments
Do the fans in the smaller markets or less desirable cities want to keep supporting teams that have no realistic chance at a championship?
What makes a "super team" great is the talent. Talent can be hard to find, and sometimes it shows up in places you least expect it.
Would anyone have believed that perennial sad sacks Golden State (26-56 in 2009-10, Curry's first season) would become the most dominant team in the NBA later that decade?
posted by grum@work at 06:05 PM on February 07, 2019
rcade: As almost always seems to be the case the phrase "It's already happened" is used when discussing baseball.
May 30th, 1922.
Max Flack played the first game of a double-header for the Chicago Cubs.
Max Flack played the second game of the double-header for the St. Louis Cardinals.
The player going the other way, Cliff Heathcote did the opposite.
posted by grum@work at 06:01 PM on February 07, 2019
Brady was suspended for 4 games in 2016
The difference there is that EVERYONE talked about it all the time for the entire season and the playoffs.
Edelman getting busted for PED use was swept under the rug by the broadcast crew for the entire broadcast.
My favourite part is how they skip over the PED suspension entirely with this line:
The game capped an outstanding rebound season for Edelman, who missed all of the 2017 season (and the team's loss in Super Bowl LII) with a torn ACL.
posted by grum@work at 03:50 PM on February 04, 2019
That's probably the worst Super Bowl I've ever watched. Even in blowout games, at least one team is doing something exciting. This was a snore fest.
Someone tried to tell me it was "nail biter", but I said that's only true if you're biting your nails in order for them to be sharp enough to slice your own wrists to avoid the boredom of this game.
I had more fun watching/listening to a virtual concert during a game of Fortnite than I did watching that bland half-time show they presented.
So Edelman wins the Super Bowl MVP in the same season that he's suspended for 4 games because of PED use. They probably never mentioned that fact during the pre-game/game/post-game discussions...
posted by grum@work at 12:12 AM on February 04, 2019
This Week's Game
Rams by 3
This Week's Props
FIRST FG: Gostkowski
FIRST TD: Goff
PASSING: Goff
RUSHING: Michel
RECEIVING: Edelman
SACK: Suh
INTERCEPTION: Johnson (LA)
OOPS: Brady
MVP: Goff
ADS: Microsoft
Total Points: 67
posted by grum@work at 10:18 AM on February 03, 2019
Regarding the election of Edgar Martinez, this would appear to be a good omen for the eventual inclusion of David Ortiz when he is eligible.
That was a mandate from a few voters: If you guys don't vote in Edgar, how the hell can you vote in Ortiz?
posted by grum@work at 07:13 PM on January 23, 2019
Breakdown of balloting (revealed vs anonymous):
Full ballot: overall, then (tracker/anonymous)
Mariano Rivera 100% (100% / 100%)
Roy Halladay 85.4% (92.7% / 76.4%)
Edgar Martnez 85.4% (89.7% / 80.1%)
Mike Mussina 76.7% (81.6% / 70.7%)
Curt Schilling 60.9% (70.1% / 49.7%)
Roger Clemens 59.5% (70.5% / 46.1%)
Barry Bonds 59.1% (70.1% / 45.5%)
Larry Walker 54.6% (65.8% / 40.8%)
Omar Vizquel 42.8% (38.0% / 41.9%)
Fred McGriff 39.8% (39.7% / 39.8%)
Manny Ramrez 22.8% (25.2% / 19.9%)
Jeff Kent 18.1% (17.5% / 18.8%)
Billy Wagner 16.7% (17.1% / 16.2%)
Todd Helton 16.5% (17.5% / 15.2%)
Scott Rolen 17.2% (20.9% / 12.6%)
Gary Sheffield 13.6% (13.7% / 13.6%)
Andy Pettitte 9.9% (6.4% / 14.1%)
Sammy Sosa 8.5% (11.1% / 5.2%)
Andruw Jones 7.5% (8.1% / 6.8%)
Michael Young 2.1% (1.3% / 3.1%)
Lance Berkman 1.2% (0.9% / 1.6%)
Miguel Tejada 1.2% (0.0% / 2.6%)
Roy Oswalt 0.9% (0.9% / 1.0%)
Plcido Polanco 0.5% (0.0% / 1.0%)
Anonymous voters still hate Bonds/Clemens/Schilling, didn't believe the hype for Walker, but liked Vizquel, Kent, Pettitte, Young, Berkman, Tejada, Oswalt, and Polanco more than revealed voters.
posted by grum@work at 12:29 AM on January 23, 2019
Side note: I would have voted for Rivera for the HOF if I had a ballot, so this isn't a statement that he shouldn't be in the HOF. I just think it's weird that the voters decided HE was the one that should get the first 100%.
Now that someone has finally done it, I fully expect it to happen again. Derek Jeter seems like the obvious choice, and then it's pretty slim pickings until the 2024 ballot.
However, I'm putting all my hopes into Larry Walker getting a big push in his final year on the ballot in December, but with 21% to make up, it's going to be tough.
posted by grum@work at 12:19 AM on January 23, 2019
BUT the dude was the undisputed greatest reliever of all time
Matt Stairs is probably the undisputed greatest pinch-hitter of all time.
Among players with at least 350 pinch-hit appearances in their career, Matt Stairs (507 PH appearances) put up the highest OPS (.829) among all of them, and it isn't even close. Nobody else with at least 350 pinch-hit appearances even breaks .790 OPS.
posted by grum@work at 12:11 AM on January 23, 2019
I egregiously left out Hank Aaron from my list of "should have 100% of the vote before Rivera" players.
posted by grum@work at 11:48 PM on January 22, 2019
Not Ted Williams.
Not Babe Ruth.
Not Willie Mays.
Not Stan Musial.
Not Mickey Mantle.
Not Ken Griffey Jr.
Not Ty Cobb.
Not Cy Young.
Not Honus Wagner.
Not George Brett.
Not Mike Schmidt.
Not Yogi Berra.
Not Johnny Bench.
Not Greg Maddux.
Not Pedro Martinez.
But a failed starting pitcher who threw only 1238 innings (which is just about the same number that Babe Ruth threw in his career) is the one that gets 100% of the HOF vote.
posted by grum@work at 06:38 PM on January 22, 2019
...I was watching it at a friend's place while playing poker while my girlfriend was working a night shift at the hospital. Since then:
- got married (celebrated my 16th anniversary)
- bought a new house (paid off the mortgage on it)
- had a child (celebrated her 5th birthday)
- lost most of my hair
posted by grum@work at 04:36 PM on January 21, 2019
The non-call on the pass interference near the end of the game may be one of the most egregious non-calls in NFL history.
You could have called pass interference OR helmet to helmet OR targeting a defenseless receiver (as he never even ONCE looked at the ball in flight before hitting him).
posted by grum@work at 07:50 PM on January 20, 2019
Saints by 14
Chiefs by 3
1. The quarterback with the most passing yards. Brees
2. The player with the most rushing yards. Gurley
3. The player with the most receiving yards. Hill (KC)
4. The team that will score the most points. Saints
5. A player who will get a sack or partial sack. Donald
posted by grum@work at 08:04 PM on January 19, 2019
Ryan Reeves visits the barbershop to talk about hockey in the black community.
Can we get a mod to fix the post title so it has his correct name (Reaves)?
I fumbled on that part of the post.