The One and Only Axel Thread

[Adam 0]

Yeah, watching last night when you blokes got all out for 180 I thought we had a chance. Seems I was wrong. Freddy Flintoff should be knighted.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Yeah he is a true modern great right now. Barring a miracle knock from Warne or Lee tomorrow then going into the next test 1-1 is going to be fantastic.

[Adam 0]

Stranger things have happened, but Warnie is incapable of not going the slog when batting. I'm just surprised that we slumped so badly, I'm reminded of a series in India about 4 years back when Steve Waugh was still captain where we won the first Test comfortably, and were in a winning position in the second before our fourth Innings batting display let us down. We ended up losing the series. I'd hate to see the Poms win the Ashes, but I suppose it would be good for the sport.

[The Czech Republic 0]

Nice Guy Adam is the worst e-fed champion ever.

[King Cucaracha 0]

 

All Hail!

[Adam 0]

We were SO CLOSE.

[Hoff 0]

I have no idea what's going on right now.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

That was the most amazing match I've ever seen, I think. Incredible.

[alfdogg 0]

I have no idea what's going on right now.

[Adam 0]

That was the most amazing match I've ever seen, I think. Incredible.

 

Absolutely. I didn't move for the last hour and a half. SO FREAKING CLOSE.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

I just fear the disappointment of that is going to drive the Aussie's on and they'll demolish us in the next test. But we'll see. I think I'd bet on either 2-2 or 3-2 to the Aussies at this point.

[Stephen Joseph 0]

 

MOOOOO~!

[Adam 0]

I said 3-1 at the start, with one draw. But with the way that this series is played, we aren't going to get to the fifth day, let alone a draw.

[NYU 0]

This is worse than the Boardum thread at The Pit.

 

And that really IS an impressive accomplishment.

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Yeah I don't see any draws likely. I think the only way England are going to get a big score is all out attack like on the first day of the 2nd test. Warne clearly, as usual, has the hex over all our batsman, with the possible exceptions of Pieterson and Flintoff (and maybe Vaughan if he actually concentrated and didnt keep getting bowled).

 

On the other side, Flintoff and Harmison are causing damage to the Aussie batsman so their scoring is limited too. Hell, even Giles is bowling well. But I think if Australia play both Warner and McGill at Old Trafford, a traditionally spinning wicket, they could really dominate.

 

I apologise to any Americans who bothered to read that

[Hoff 0]

....cricket?

[Adam 0]

Got it in one, Hoff.

 

MacGill has a really, really good bowling average, and IIRC, he played well the last time he was in an Ashes series. They NEED to play him and drop Kasprowicz, and apparently they are considering dropping Gillespie as well in favour of Shane Watson, which I think would be an awful move, because you can't just have one fast bowler, even if he is the fastest in the world.

[Ed Wood Caulfield 0]

So, wait, cricket players are called bowlers? So what are people who play bowling called?

 

Oh, you non-Americans and your non-American sports!

[King Cucaracha 0]

Only the person throwing the ball is called a bowler, the equivalent of being a pitcher in baseball I guess. Only, without the hilarity of Americans reguarly 'playing catcher and pitcher with each other'.

 

Oh, and the steroids, of course.

 

They're called bowlers, because it's an overarm throw, with more technique than just huzzing a ball at someone full pelt like in baseball.

[Hoff 0]

Yeah there's no technique to pitching a baseball, at all....

[Stephen Joseph 0]

boo-urns

[King Cucaracha 0]

Well, not that I'd knowing because I tried watching baseball once and it did nothing for me at all...but, throwing a baseball, there are different types of throws but not drastically different types of throwers. Do they put spin and stuff on a pitch? I'm not sure why you would because you're not really looking for someone to edge a ball but just to throw it real fast past them so the guy behind catches it 3 times. Or, at least, that's how it seems.

[Hoff 0]

There's absolutely different types of spins baseball pitchers use. There's your straight fastball, but even there there's a 2-seam or a 4-seam, with differences in speed and spin. There's also a curveball, which, well, curves; a slider which, y'know, slides; a sinker, and so on. Basically, each pitch has different speed and different motion, and the point is to choose the correct assortment of pitches to prevent the batter from getting a read on your timing, thus preventing him from getting a hit.

 

It takes a lot of training to learn the different pitches, how to hold them, how to move your arm, and how much oomph to put on them. For most guys it's an ongoing process full of expirimentation, especially when you factor in injuries. There's straight fastball guys, guys like Randy Johnson, and there's guys who can't throw that fast but have great movement on their pitches, like Brad Radke. But the best guys are usually the ones that can do both. So, yeah, there's a lot of skill involved.

[Adam 0]

I'm guessing a curveball would do what a fast bowlers out swinger or in swinger does. A slider would be, well, Warnie's new delivery that keeps low and straight.

 

Ed Wood, like with a baseball game's offense and defense, Cricket is played much the same way. Their is a batting team and a fielding team on the ground, and when a side is bowled out (all batsmen are out) then they switch.

 

The only advantage that baseball has over Cricket is that the game is faster, and even that would be debatable in One Day Matches.

[King Cucaracha 0]

See, I've never watches baseball that closely, so that was just first impressions. Consider me proved wrong.

 

EDIT: I also doesn't spells good neither.

Edited August 10, 2005 by King Cucaracha

[Stephen Joseph 0]

baseball > cricket

[King Cucaracha 0]

American Football > anything else, in terms of being over-hyped.

 

Also, Hoff sucks.

Edited August 11, 2005 by King Cucaracha

[Adam 0]

I agree.

Edited August 11, 2005 by Hoff

[Mystery Eskimo 0]

Baseballs don't bounce on delivery, so clearly spin is much less of a factor than in cricket. And I had something interesting to say bout that whole area but its just vanished from my head.

 

As for Aussie rules - we will never understand it here. It's like Gaelic football and hurling to us. You might as well be playing marbles, really.

 

So yeah, go England tomorrow

Edited August 11, 2005 by Mystery Eskimo

[Hoff 0]

I don't know much about cricket, but your argument seems awfully thin to me, Eski. When you think a pitch is high and inside and it breaks low, you're severly screwed. Spin is a huge factor, and control of that spin.

Edited August 11, 2005 by Hoff