Topic: WE LIKE SPORTS (Read 588343 times)

Storm Rider · « **Reply #2000 on:** 13 Feb 2011, 20:24 »

Quote from: Dazed on 13 Feb 2011, 14:55

Pitchers and catchers reported today.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Now begins the stretch until March 31st, which will somehow feel even longer than the last three months.

alli · « **Reply #2001 on:** 14 Feb 2011, 07:15 »

Quote from: jwhouk on 12 Feb 2011, 19:53

Wait, wait... ManU is UNDEFEATED? In EPL Play????

no, lost one

valley_parade · « **Reply #2002 on:** 14 Feb 2011, 08:48 »

Quote from: Storm Rider on 13 Feb 2011, 20:24

Quote from: Dazed on 13 Feb 2011, 14:55
Pitchers and catchers reported today.

YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

Now begins the stretch until March 31st, which will somehow feel even longer than the last three months.

Does CSN not broadcast most of the Giants spring training games? Seems like NESN's got three games a week in March for the Red Sox.

edit: RE: Goal Celebrations.

My favorite ever (and why isn't this on Youtube?!) was from the end of last season, when Chelsea hammered Wigan 7-1 to win the championship. Didier Drogba ended up grabbing the corner flag and playing it like a guitar, while Florent Malouda played air drums in the background.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #2003 on:** 14 Feb 2011, 12:59 »

Spring training isn't the same thing. Although I'm sure Belt will get a lot of playing time during ST and that will be fun to watch just to see if he lives up to the hype.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2004 on:** 14 Feb 2011, 14:48 »

He looked pretty decent from the one Fall League game I saw.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #2005 on:** 14 Feb 2011, 21:26 »

He'll probably start the season in AAA but that will mostly be to game service time so he's not Super 2 eligible down the line.

The Seldom Killer · « **Reply #2006 on:** 15 Feb 2011, 02:13 »

Fuckity, Rebecca Romero is out of the World Track Champs this weekend.

Not that the rest of the the GB aren't really good but Romero is really exciting to watch and I was looking forward to that.

Still, there's a possibility that Wiggins is going to have a crack at the individual pursuit world record.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2007 on:** 15 Feb 2011, 09:21 »

Quote from: Storm Rider on 14 Feb 2011, 21:26

He'll probably start the season in AAA but that will mostly be to game service time so he's not Super 2 eligible down the line.

And when you think you know everything about baseball, Bryan invents the term "Super 2 eligible".

Storm Rider · « **Reply #2008 on:** 15 Feb 2011, 12:33 »

Sorry, Super 2 refers to the two years of salary arbitration a player gets at the end of their 6 years of service time before they hit free agency for the first time. If a team leaves a player in the minors for a certain amount of time before calling him up to the 40-man roster, they can game it a bit so that the 4th year of service time occurs partway through a season so they can defer salary arbitration to the following year. For instance, the Giants had to pay Tim Lincecum 13 million dollars last year in his fourth year of service time because he started opening day in 2006 on the 40-man roster even though he wasn't in the rotation. They could have avoided paying that until this season if they had left him in AAA until June. It's more common with position players than pitchers. I'm not sure if Buster Posey will qualify down the line or not, since he started in AAA but was called up in mid-May so I don't know if that's before or after the cutoff.

Either way, that decision will probably not be made concerning Belt until near the end of spring training. If he completely rakes in Arizona then they might bite the bullet and just give him the starting first base job and pay extra for it in a few years' time. If he struggles or Bochy is comfortable with the opening day lineup as-is after spring training, Belt will get some extra practice in AAA and the team will save some money in the process. It's an important thing for front offices to consider since baseball has no salary cap so teams that aren't the Yankees, Mets, Red Sox, or Phillies have to watch their margins so they can still compete in free agency.

Baseball.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2009 on:** 15 Feb 2011, 12:43 »

Oh okay, so it's a bit like the whole 10 & 5 thing? Or is that for no-trade clauses?

valley_parade · « **Reply #2010 on:** 15 Feb 2011, 13:31 »

Even with Inter winning the Champions League last spring, I think the best team in Milan this season is Tottenham Hotspur.

Storm Rider · « **Reply #2011 on:** 15 Feb 2011, 13:55 »

10 and 5 is for no-trade clauses, yeah. That doesn't come up as much because most players who have been around that long and have a deal with a team for that length of time have NTCs built into their contracts anyway. That's what's making Michael Young such a headache for the Rangers right now, he's demanding a trade but has a NTC that has to be waived and nobody wants to take on his awful contract even if the Rangers could get anything of value for him. The 6-year service time with 2 years arbitration for drafted players/amateur FAs is a standard set by the CBA, as far as I know. I certainly haven't heard of any cases where younger players hit free agency before then, at least.

alli · « **Reply #2012 on:** 16 Feb 2011, 07:35 »

Ronaldo isn´t the only one retiring, Kevin Muscat just retired, don´t think he´ll be missed though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwHzCtRa2SE&feature=player_embedded#at=68

valley_parade · « **Reply #2013 on:** 16 Feb 2011, 08:39 »

Grumble grumble. Won't be home until about 4:10. Will miss most of the game.

amok · « **Reply #2014 on:** 16 Feb 2011, 13:43 »

Quote from: Ptommydski on 16 Feb 2011, 07:39

We might see Arsenal surprise Barcelona tonight too, they actually have most of their best players fit again.

Barely needed 'em, Laurent Koscielny owned everyone. Sweet goals tho.

jwhouk · « **Reply #2015 on:** 16 Feb 2011, 15:03 »

StormRider - that was one of the reasons why the Nats didn't bring up Strasburg until June last year. They didn't want the clock ticking on arbitration until the last possible second. That and they didn't want another David Clyde meltdown, of course.

Yayniall · « **Reply #2016 on:** 16 Feb 2011, 17:17 »

Barcelona got what they deserved for taking Villa off and bringing on Keita.

amok · « **Reply #2017 on:** 18 Feb 2011, 10:46 »

Quote from: Ptommydski on 16 Feb 2011, 16:10

Yeah, decent result. Barcelona must be unhappy, they could have killed the game several times over in the first half. Just goes to show that Wenger knows what he's doing for the most part. Although they rode their luck a lot, they got a result against inarguably the best team in the world. In the first half I was screaming at Eboue but I guess that kind of physical player was needed in the end, just to disrupt play like a big comedy drunk. Quiet game for basically everybody I expected to shine and a few of Arsenal's lesser players were very good overall. Fabs and Nasri couldn't really get in the game much but Wilshere was impressive again. I can't think how he's not going to be absolutely brilliant.

Wish I'd thought to put money on the last couple of nights. I guessed the right score for this and the Spurs match and almost the right goalscorers too (had Nasri to score tonight, not Arshavin - who is incidentally having the best worst season ever?!).

One thing I was impressed by was that as you say Barca essentially dominated the first half bar the odd Walcott sprint, and one could only assume that it'd be more of the same after the break - but Arsenal totally bossed the second half despite taking ages to score. It was an incredibly even game and I would've been chuffed with the performance even if it'd finished 1-3 or so.

Eboue was fantastic given his past form at RB. Incredible to think that a guy who was subbed back off for being so goddamn terrible that a whole stadium turned on him could be reborn as such a fantastic utility player. He's now our John O'Shea-style go-to guy for filling gaps anywhere up the right hand side of the pitch, and he always puts in noticeably mature, composed and confident performances given that he's openly deployed as an emergency fill-in player. Used to cry every time I saw him on the teamsheet but he's a great asset.

Joint men-of-the-match were easily Koschielny, Woj and Wilshere though. Hell of a team. And that goal will do Arshavin's confidence a world of good, here's hoping he gets his shit together and finishes the season with a few key goals. Love that he had a t-shirt of himself celebrating to show off when he scored

The Seldom Killer · « **Reply #2018 on:** 18 Feb 2011, 13:17 »

Oh yes, a sea level record dished out by the Women's Team Pursiut team to take the gold at the Manchester World Cup. Stunning riding, very smooth and very clean. Quite surprised at the US taking bronze as they looked quite sloppy in the change overs. Perhaps not as comfortable with the steep track as they could be.

Qualifiers for the team sprint a bit dissapointing for Britain, but I think that says a lot about how other countries have responded since the Beijing whitewash rather than any decline in our own quality. I still think we stand a very good chance of a bronze though. Pendleton looks a bit pissed at missing out but there you have it. At least Varnish opened with a sub 19, which bodes well for London 2012.

Now to see whether Geraint Thomas can deliver in the Individual Pursuit. Looks comfortable and on home surf so hopefully.

The Seldom Killer · « **Reply #2019 on:** 18 Feb 2011, 13:21 »

Fuck 1.4 on the splits. Brutal.

Cock, good effort but not balanced enough. A creditable second though.

Just watched the awards ceremony. No offence intended to the Aussies here but is your national anthem a remix of How much is the doggie in the window?

Chris Hoy in the sprint for bronze, of the front in round one and from the back in round two, brilliant tactician. Kenny opened the gold fight with a hard half wheel off the front and now pushes long but held off. Into a third round to decide.

OK, Jason Kenny up for the final sprint against Sireau. One race a piece and Kenny to face down out the back where he lost by a half wheel last time. Holding a better line though and Sireau is running different tactics, not wanting to get pushed long again. Alas Kenny held off.

jwhouk · « **Reply #2020 on:** 19 Feb 2011, 21:07 »

This whole "push draft" thing at Daytona is going to be either captivating racing, or a disaster waiting to happen.

And, sadly, I'm starting to get tired of all the Earnhardt memorial stuff.

Jimor · « **Reply #2021 on:** 19 Feb 2011, 23:15 »

Only Baseball could engender an app this obsessive.

Inlander · « **Reply #2022 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 15:47 »

Oh QPR, drawing their way to the Premier League.

Also, the Super 12 14 15 Rugby season started this weekend and there's a brand new shiny Melbourne team and everyone here who isn't from Victoria or one of the other AFL states is really excited! And . . . in their first competitive game on Friday night they lost horribly, 43-0 against the New South Wales Waratahs. Oh my.

Next Friday they're playing the ACT Brumbies and I'm going to be really torn because that's my team, that's been my team since they were formed in 1996 and I was still living in Canberra. I think I'd still prefer the Brumbies to win, but I don't want the Melbourne Rebels to get flogged again.

What's nice about having a Rugby team in Melbourne, though, is that Melbourne has such a large ex-pat community: aside from all the people here from New South Wales, Queensland, and the ACT (traditionally the Rugby playing parts of Australia), at the Melbourne Rebels games so far (apart from last Friday's match there have been a few trials) you hear English accents, Irish accents, New Zealand accents, South African accents, you see masses of Islanders - basically there's a huge population of people in Melbourne who are hungry for real, proper Rugby Union who now have a full-time professional team to support. Which is nice.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #2023 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 18:07 »

I never expected the Western Force (what is up with dumb Super Rugby expansion teams with horribly dumb names? I feel like we may have discussed this before...) to be as popular as they were either, but your explanation makes a lot of sense, Perth being full of Saffas and Poms and Kiwis etc

jwhouk · « **Reply #2024 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 18:40 »

Wait a minute - WHO won the Daytona 500?

David_Dovey · « **Reply #2025 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 19:24 »

Quote from: jwhouk on 20 Feb 2011, 18:40

Wait a minute - WHO cares about the Daytona 500?

McTaggart · « **Reply #2026 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 20:37 »

Don't worry Rebels, the Force only won one game in out inaugural season and we're pretty alright now.

Also we really should have beaten the Reds on Sunday. I'm still not even sure what that last yellow card was for because I was watching it on some low res stream with some awful, awful commentators.

Inlander · « **Reply #2027 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 22:37 »

Quote from: David_Dovey on 20 Feb 2011, 18:07

Perth being full of Saffas and Poms

That's why it's so hilarious/stupid whenever the ARU insists on playing a test match against England or South Africa in Perth. They don't do it with England so much any more because ever since the 2003 World Cup final matches against England are sure-fire stadium-fillers on the East Coast, but they seem to have the Wallabies playing the Springboks in Perth every year now, and judging from the crowd noise coming across on the TV half the spectators are cheering for South Africa. A classic case of a modern-day professional sporting administrative body putting profit first: who cares if they sacrifice home-ground advantage if they sell a ton of tickets?

Inlander · « **Reply #2028 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 23:01 »

Also, let's all sit back and enjoy the sight of the Brumbies' 20-year-old rookie Robbie Coleman completely wrongfooting All Blacks/Chiefs fullback Mils Muliaina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWlQ5yFRdY#t=0m25s

Man, I could watch that all day.

McTaggart · « **Reply #2029 on:** 20 Feb 2011, 23:27 »

Sevens players play the most spectacular rugby.

Also as a Springboks supporter living in Perth I am totally OK with the Wallabies playing the Bokke in Perth regularly.

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #2030 on:** 21 Feb 2011, 06:41 »

Quote from: jwhouk on 20 Feb 2011, 18:40

Wait a minute - WHO won the Daytona 500?

Was really disappointed when WHO didn't turn out to be the World Health Organisation.

Also,

Quote from: that linked article

"I think the world's going to like him a lot."

Hahahahaha, "the world." Nobody outside the southern USA is going to know or care who he is.

McTaggart · « **Reply #2031 on:** 21 Feb 2011, 07:33 »

Nah if it was Marcus Ambrose some Australians will.

I didn't read the linked article.

jwhouk · « **Reply #2032 on:** 21 Feb 2011, 17:32 »

Quote from: Inlander on 20 Feb 2011, 23:01

Also, let's all sit back and enjoy the sight of the Brumbies' 20-year-old rookie Robbie Coleman completely wrongfooting All Blacks/Chiefs fullback Mils Muliaina:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRWlQ5yFRdY#t=0m25s

Man, I could watch that all day.

20-year-old rookies do make mistakes. Like this Trevor Bayne kid. He missed the turn into Victory Lane at Daytona.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2033 on:** 22 Feb 2011, 09:20 »

Quote from: McTaggart on 20 Feb 2011, 23:27

Sevens players play the most spectacular rugby.

Also as a Springboks supporter living in Perth I am totally OK with the Wallabies playing the Bokke in Perth regularly.

I did randomly stumble upon the Australia v England match from the US leg of the World Sevens Thingy this past week. Fun stuff.

edit:

Tottenham 1-0 AC Milan
Blackpool 3-0 Tottenham

Ergo, Blackpool > AC Milan?

jwhouk · « **Reply #2034 on:** 22 Feb 2011, 16:51 »

That it would be, if this was the BCS and not UEFA.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2035 on:** 23 Feb 2011, 05:53 »

I just don't get how a team can play such inspiring football in the Champions League and then play miserable against very beatable teams at home.

I guess they are the "typical cup team".

valley_parade · « **Reply #2036 on:** 23 Feb 2011, 07:13 »

Oh. yeah.

Tom Huddlestone, hey?

valley_parade · « **Reply #2037 on:** 23 Feb 2011, 08:53 »

I mentioned Huddlestone speficially because when we saw Spurs this past summer, I remember him being an absolute beast of a man. I think it was Bill Simmons that said he looked like an NFL linebacker, and I can't disagree.

The Seldom Killer · « **Reply #2038 on:** 24 Feb 2011, 05:59 »

This is a friend of mine celebrating a silver in the Evandale Penny Farthing Road Race.

Apparently the first three ladies were in a bit of a penny-peleton, which sounds pretty frightening.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2039 on:** 24 Feb 2011, 11:22 »

Well travelled, .....lady-chap.

Where are her top hat and monocle, though?

BeoPuppy · « **Reply #2040 on:** 24 Feb 2011, 11:25 »

I find it very comforting to know that someone out there things that kind of a race is a good idea. Gives me hope for the human species.

The Seldom Killer · « **Reply #2041 on:** 24 Feb 2011, 11:59 »

She also won the Knutsford Great Race team prize with her partner who came third in the above race.

Yeah, I really like the of beat and fringe sporting activities as well.

I kind of posted this in response to Khar's We Hate Sports thread. All he really does is rant about high profile, well funded, heavily advertised team sports. Sport is about so much more than that but I think he just doesn't get it. Pity really, sports can be such a great outlet for creativity.

see also: Smithfield Noctunes

Inlander · « **Reply #2042 on:** 25 Feb 2011, 05:16 »

Being in a crowd of 14,000 people who've been waiting years for a professional rugby team to call their own witness their new team's first win against all expectations and literally in the last minute of the game after the team had lost its only other competetive match 43-0 the previous week is a pretty special experience.

(Awesome game between the Melbourne Rebels and the ACT Brumbies in the Super 15 tonight.)

valley_parade · « **Reply #2043 on:** 01 Mar 2011, 13:31 »

CMON UNITED. COME. ON.

valley_parade · « **Reply #2044 on:** 01 Mar 2011, 13:37 »

And now it's desperate frustration. 2-1 down in stoppage time, Giggs booked and Vidic sent off.

However, congrats to Giggs for tying Bobby Charlton's record for league appearances. 606!

David_Dovey · « **Reply #2045 on:** 03 Mar 2011, 13:39 »

So, depending on how big my paycheck is tomorrow, I think I've finally got enough spare cash floating around in my account to justify dropping some bank on a Rangers jersey.

The questions I ask you, knowledgeable Internet types, are as follows:

1) Which player? I'm currently going and back and forth between Mats Zucarello and Henrik Lundqvist. I really like the way Zucarello plays but he's still young and a lot can happen, including him getting traded away. Lundqvist seems fairly entrenched at the Rangers and is fairly popular but also kind of an obvious choice and I definitely prefer Zucarello. But being not especially flush with money means the approx. $200 this is gonna cost me is a fairly significant expenditure and I don't wanna drop it on something I regret. Other player suggestions are welcome, given good reasons why.

2) Do I go for the regular home jersey or the new 3rd jersey with the darker blue and "New York" in place of the usual "Rangers"?

the_pied_piper · « **Reply #2046 on:** 03 Mar 2011, 16:22 »

Go for the home jersey but personally, I wouldn't get any name put on it. Or maybe get your own name on it.

David_Dovey · « **Reply #2047 on:** 03 Mar 2011, 19:01 »

I dunno man, I feel like that's corny

Inlander · « **Reply #2048 on:** 03 Mar 2011, 19:09 »

Yeah putting your own name on a replica professional sports team jersey is a desperately sad-sack move.

jwhouk · « **Reply #2049 on:** 03 Mar 2011, 19:16 »

I don't know about that - if you're a fan of the team and not of a player, putting your own name and number on the jersey is a statement that you're there for the team through thick and thin.

And, you don't end up with what happened to me: I purchased the jersey of one of my favorite players on the Preds - and 24 hours later, he was traded to Colorado. :/

THESE FORUMS NOW CLOSED (read only)

Author Topic: WE LIKE SPORTS (Read 588343 times)