Comments that don't warrant a thread

[Cheech Tremendous]

I admittedly know next to nothing about women's soccer, but Hope Solo throwing her teammates and coach under the bus was one of the most surreal things I've ever seen. If someone in one of the big three sports was to do this, ESPN would have to have one of those town hall meetings to discuss it.

[hyperchord24]

I don't know. I was thinking at first that well, she can say whatever she wants because the coach and that goal tender are done and most of her teammates would side with Solo anyway. But then I noticed that the US put up no points. Surely the loss can't be put squarely on the coach's decision to pull Solo, can it?

[Black Lushus]

I love how ESPN kept putting emphasis on the one with the tattoos on their commercials...it was like "OMG SHE HAS KEWL TATTS, LET'S FOCUS ON HER!"

 

now, I also don't know shit about soccer, so can I safely assume she's pretty good on top of being tattooed to the gills?

[Maztinho]

I was watching my old high school get murdered on a televised football game of the week and the other team got a 35 point lead and the announcers started talking about the "mercy rule" where the clock doesn't stop but for time outs or touchdowns. The ensuing kick off my school took it back for a touchdown gaining some modicum of momentum, but the rule stays in effect until the point differential is back to only a 21 point lead. I never heard of such a thing, I can see it's merits, but wouldn't that basically kill any possibility of a comeback?

 

Do other states have such rules?

[MFer]

I don't know where you're at but Michigan has that same 35-point running clock rule.

[Mike wanna be]

Hope Solo has been left off the team for the third-place game. Here's hoping Scurry chokes again, just to really rub it in. Let's go Norway!

[Mik]

I'll be nice and wait for Bob Barron to talk about it more in the SNL thread but Bron Bron was pretty good on SNL.

[Hawk 34]

He's no Peyton, that's for sure.

[bob_barron]

This show was better than the Peyton show. Couldn't get into that one

[Black Lushus]

I have to admit, the Solid Gold 80s skit was pretty awesome...the rest of the show was pretty blah to me. Looking forward to your recap, Bob.

 

High School Musical 3 was pretty funny too. But not too many would get that one like Bob and I.

 

The only funny part of the Peyton show was the United Way skit.

[CanadianChris]

I couldn't decide whether this merited a separate thread or not. ESPN is reporting that Marion Jones admitted using the clear prior to the 2000 Olympics, and will plead guilty to lying to federal agents. She will probably also be stripped of the five medals she won in Sydney.

 

Story

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

I couldn't decide whether this merited a separate thread or not. ESPN is reporting that Marion Jones admitted using the clear prior to the 2000 Olympics, and will plead guilty to lying to federal agents. She will probably also be stripped of the five medals she won in Sydney.

 

Story

Almost anything is game for a thread in these parts. It seems fairly petty to strip her of medals won seven years ago, particularly when most athletes may have used and just had the benefit of being low profile enough to avoid investigation.

[Steve J. Rogers]

I couldn't decide whether this merited a separate thread or not. ESPN is reporting that Marion Jones admitted using the clear prior to the 2000 Olympics, and will plead guilty to lying to federal agents. She will probably also be stripped of the five medals she won in Sydney.

 

Story

Almost anything is game for a thread in these parts. It seems fairly petty to strip her of medals won seven years ago, particularly when most athletes may have used and just had the benefit of being low profile enough to avoid investigation.

 

Now it looks like the IOC is going the pro-wrestling route!

 

First Chris Benoit, now Marion Jones is about to become "The one whose name shall never been spoken!"

[Guest Gym Class Fallout]

Amateur athletic associations are so retarded when it comes to retroactively stripping championships. Is there no statute of limitations on these things? Let her keep her medals at this point.

[CanadianChris]

Amateur athletic associations are so retarded when it comes to retroactively stripping championships. Is there no statute of limitations on these things? Let her keep her medals at this point.

Actually, there is; it's eight years. Which is why all the East German (wo)men still have their medals.

 

The USOC is also talking about stripping the medals of everyone on the relay teams she raced on, which is really ridiculous.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

So if Jones had held out one more year, she'd be safe. That sounds even sillier.

[strummer]

Oh good lord trying to argue with anyone over whether "Clutchness" exists is a no win situation. I give up

[Brett Favre]

What's the argument (well, players involved)?

[strummer]

Kaz Matsui of all people

[Steve J. Rogers]

Kaz Matsui of all people

 

Let me guess, someone would take Matsui over ARod?

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

 

Richie Ashburn shills for Gillette.

[Guest Vitamin X]

Courtesy Deadspin..

 

While at a Denver-area restaurant, John Elway was cut off from alcohol after the restaurant manager claimed he tried to order his eighth glass of wine. Even if he had seven glasses, he still would have been able to legally drive at least 98 yards on streets in the Cleveland area.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

I got the 2008 Bill James Handbook in the mail today. A lot's been said about the list of 25 best young players in baseball. That list is certainly very shaky. There is a ton of good stuff in it though. I get the feeling they're desperate to stay ahead of the pack (especially given the ease of collecting statistics online). The baserunning data in the book is very useful. Jose Reyes rates as the best baserunner in MLB. Todd Helton was the worst. Mike Cameron was the best runner at going from first to third on a single. Jason Varitek NEVER went first to third on a single this season.

 

I'll have more to add as I get some time to digest all the information, probably in a blog entry.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

Mitch Williams' walk-off home runs, besides THAT one.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/nNVm" target="_blank">http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/nNVm

 

The Bill James Handbook review is in my blog, btw.

[Steve J. Rogers]

Mitch Williams' walk-off home runs, besides THAT one.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/nNVm" target="_blank">http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/nNVm</a>

 

The Bill James Handbook review is in my blog, btw.

 

Never getting over that one huh Al?

 

Actually good question, for those who were alive and a fan will probably always will refer to Bucky Dent as Bucky "F'N" Dent, so for the Sox fans here, did the 2004 championship and the 2007 championship diminish the "Aaron Boone" game from its place on the pantheon of Red Sox failures?

 

Certaintly Tim Wakefield being a part of both 04 and now 07 is forgiven for his giving up the homer, plus usually the goat horns have gone to Grady Little for Game 7.

 

Of course I can see Sox fans going with the fallacy of the predeterimined outcome by saying "Yeah, it still sucks because we would have beaten the Marlins and 2004 would have been back-to-back!"

[bob_barron]

My theory is that winning a title washes away all the pain that came before it.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

There's no real pain involved in that home run for me. It just came up in a conversation and I thought it was cool enough to share.

 

The Aaron Boone home run is part of the Red Sox narrative, circa 2003-04. After Mitch Williams the vilification of goats ended, at least as far as performance. Mental gaffs are still fair game. Tim Wakefield wasn't the goat in that game anyway. The real Red Sox pain comes from the eighth inning.

[CanadianChris]

Sox fans all consider Grady Little to be the goat in that game.

[Steve J. Rogers]

There's no real pain involved in that home run for me. It just came up in a conversation and I thought it was cool enough to share.

 

The Aaron Boone home run is part of the Red Sox narrative, circa 2003-04. After Mitch Williams the vilification of goats ended, at least as far as performance. Mental gaffs are still fair game. Tim Wakefield wasn't the goat in that game anyway. The real Red Sox pain comes from the eighth inning.

 

True, but what about the animosity towards Aaron Boone in the way animosity still exists for Bucky Dent. And I assume you have hatred for Joe Carter as well.

[EVIL~! alkeiper]

There's no real pain involved in that home run for me. It just came up in a conversation and I thought it was cool enough to share.

 

The Aaron Boone home run is part of the Red Sox narrative, circa 2003-04. After Mitch Williams the vilification of goats ended, at least as far as performance. Mental gaffs are still fair game. Tim Wakefield wasn't the goat in that game anyway. The real Red Sox pain comes from the eighth inning.

 

True, but what about the animosity towards Aaron Boone in the way animosity still exists for Bucky Dent. And I assume you have hatred for Joe Carter as well.

I don't hate Joe Carter. My feelings toward the 1993 World Series is that the Phillies put together a great run but fell short against a superior team. If the Phillies had won game six they would likely have lost game seven.