Questions to be answered by the next person to post in the thread

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

Well, bear in mind (Bull in mind!) that I was 11 and a half when the Bulls won #6, so my buds and I weren't really thinking on a higher basketball level about the importance of league parity and team play. We just liked the Bulls. Simpler times.

[Slayer 0]

For quite a few neutral fans, especially in this media saturated day and age, I think the perception of a dynasty tends to evolve like so

 

1st championship - "Well that's nice. Good for them!"

2nd championship - "Well... I guess that's allright"

3rd championship - "Okay, that's enough of that..."

Beyond that - "JUST FUCKING GO AWAY ALREADY"

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

Yep. That's how it is, for better or worse. I probably can't properly gauge the rest of the country's tolerance of the Bulls because I was in the center of it, but I think that was probably the last universally tolerated dynasty.

[Slayer 0]

In some exceptional cases people might jump right from the second to the fourth. I know I was saying that even before the Aikman Cowboys' 3rd Super Bowl appearance, and it seemed like quite a few people were saying it after the Pats beat the Eagles.

[King Kamala 0]

I may be biased but I always thought outside of New England, that the Patriots for the first two championships were well respected but everybody was kind of indifferent towards them. Kind of like the NFL's version of the San Antonio Spurs.

 

And since no one's asking questions I'll ask one. What year do you see the Florida Marlins moving?

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

I think you hit it on the mark. Man, those Teamwork Teams sure do suck when you're a casual fan or disinterested in the matchup. Interestingly, other than the Spurs, who still plod through the NBA with phlegmatic cheer (and flopping), all those early 00s Teamwork Teams have made themselves sufficiently star-oriented and acceptably obnoxious commensurate with their success: the Angels overpay for your favorite small-market stars and then beat you, the Pistons walked around in wrestling belts for a while and gladly take nights off because they're good enough to get away with it, and the Patriots got Randy Moss for peanuts and ran up the score a lot.

 

Marlins will get their new park and not move. Selig doesn't like teams moving. Only teams that are owned by the other 29 and engineered to fail (sry, no Labor Day callups) actually end up moving. They'll force an eleventh hour deal through the state legislature to get their new park, just like the White Sox did.

[Guest Vitamin X]

It'd be great if Portland could get a MLB team, though. I'd instantly support them (not that diehard of a Rockies fan, considering I haven't even been following baseball that much over the past decade).

[treble 0]

Speaking of the mid 90s Boston Celtics, what was the worst season you've experienced as a fan for your favorite team(s)?

Recently, the 2004 Blue Jays. They surprised a lot of people in '03 and won 86 games, so there were high expectations. They started out the season getting swept by a Tigers team that was coming off a 119 loss season and were shit all season. They finished worse than Tampa Bay, I think that puts it all in perspective.

[Red Baron 0]

Who is the worst TV broadcaster and TV analysist out there. (Not including Joe Buck who is in a class of is own.)

[Guest Vitamin X]

Emmitt Smith has to be one of the worst analysts. I have a particular dislike for Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth, too. Fucking jackasses.

 

Why is it that everyone from the 90's Cowboys is so terrible at announcing? Aikman, Smith, Irvin, and Jimmy Johnson all bring nothing to the table. FOX should fire these people and have Leon Lett just dance around instead, if they need to have a 90's Cowboys perspective.

[Red Baron 0]

Irvin was decent for ESPN. Not the best, but he's a lot better than Emmitt Fucking Smith. Cris Collinsworth is a douche.

[JaMarcus Russell's #1 Caucasian Fan 0]

Emmitt is in the so bad he's good category, Aikman isn't bad when hes not with Buck, Irvin wasn't so bad, not great but will be forver remember by being called stupid by Tom Jackson. Collinsworth's smugness is a quailty I enjoy in him.

 

The one man that needs to be in the booth or studio when he retires is Mike Strahan. I enjoy his girly lispy voice.

[CanadianGuitarist 0]

Speaking of the mid 90s Boston Celtics, what was the worst season you've experienced as a fan for your favorite team(s)?

Recently, the 2004 Blue Jays. They surprised a lot of people in '03 and won 86 games, so there were high expectations. They started out the season getting swept by a Tigers team that was coming off a 119 loss season and were shit all season. They finished worse than Tampa Bay, I think that puts it all in perspective.

 

I forgot all about that! Halladay's disaster in the season-opener; and this was after sweeping the defending World Series champs the year prior. I'm gonna think about my answer a little more, and I'll also rescind the Raiders comment. I got thinking about that at work this evening; As bad as they were the past two or three seasons, they did show some potential here and there (they could have been 5-11 in 2006), and they did go into the bye week 2-2. I'm certainly not gonna say I'm elated over either of those, but it's no comparison to the dick-punch that was the Patrick Roy trade.

 

 

To answer the broadcaster question: How does Bob Cole still have a job? Especially with longtime CBCers Chris Cuthbert and Brian Williams having left for TSN to become bigger names.

 

My question, on that note: Announcer bias: Juvenile, or good for the fans?

[Guest Blue Man Czech]

To go back a few posts up, I don't mind Cris Collinsworth. He's the best analyst on the NBC crew. He seems to do the most prep, and has better and more articulated analysis than whatever we get from THE BUS or Smiley McFumbles. Besides, he has to seem less smug when he's sitting next to Bob Costas and Keith Olbermann. In fact, his slightly perceptible annoyance with his co-workers adds an interesting aspect to an irreparably destroyed pregame show.

 

Worst broadcasters? Hawk Harrelson for play-by-play, Brian Baldinger for color. Enough has been said about the Hawkeroo; Baldinger is just an utterly worthless meathead dope who offers nothing but poorly constructed sentences in the spirit of "what the defense of this Bears team needs to do in order to win the football game is work to prevent the run from developing" and routinely makes basic factual errors that nobody should be allowed to make, not the least of which being that Soldier Field is on Lake Superior.

 

My mention of Hawk segues nicely into the second question: it's good for the fans to a point. I think we like the idea of the broadcasters deriving as much satisfaction as we do from the team's success (I doubt most do), but at the same time, are wary of them becoming a house organ. Let's look at the announcers for the Bulls. Red Kerr cracks me up when he starts groaning at how bad the Bulls are playing (lot of that Sat. night!), or when he and Larrivee seem genuinely excited with the huge plays ("YES! NOC! RING IT UP! THE DAGGER!" & "WOWii! BEN GORDON with the....TORCH!", resp.), but when it gets into every single call being a foul that should've been called on the opponents, or a foul that the Bulls shouldn't have gotten, then it's just petty bitching. To translate across to baseball, it's the same as Hawk Harrelson and Ed Farmer verbally sulking about "that's a strike for THEM" or "there's a called strike outside the zone" and stuff like that. Homerism is a surprisingly dicey undertaking.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Who the hell is/was Fat Lever? That's my new favorite sports name.

[Vern Gagne 0]

A very good point guard who had his best years with Denver.

 

What is the best fight (boxing) that never took place?

[King Kamala 0]

As a young fan growing up in the mid 90s, I always wanted to see Mike Tyson Vs George Foreman for some reason but I doubt that's the best fight that never happened.

 

 

I'll let this question continue.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Jack Dempsey vs. Harry Wills, circa 1926. Dempsey refused to cross the color line, and the NYSBC refused to sanction any other World championship bout. That's why Dempsey-Tunney I occurred in Philadelphia.

 

Anyone else with a good answer?

[Mike wanna be 0]

The Holyfield/Tyson bout that was scheduled before Tyson's rape conviction. I know they fought twice after the fact, but that was the hot ticket for the division with both men in their primes with no distractions.

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Really tough question. It's hard to go too far back in time considering fighters were more active then, and good examples come from situations like Al put forth. I don't think Holyfield/Tyson would've gone much differently pre-prison. If anything, Holyfield was a better fighter then. I've said before that Tyson's career was effectively over post-Douglas.

 

I'm trying to think of who Ali never fought, particularly who he could've fought during his exile over refusing the draft, and coming up with a blank.

 

I'll opt for the rematch with Foreman. That could've potentially gone either way; Foreman would be mentally prepared for Ali's tactics he used during the fight in Africa. Conversely, Ali would have to come up with a new trick up his sleeve against a bigger, stronger, more aggressive fighter. It's a shame Ali was at the end of the road in the late mid-70's, and George went kinda nuts after fighting Jimmy Young.

 

Do you think a 16 will upset a 1 in the NCAA Men's Basketball tournament in your lifetime? Why or why not.

[CanadianChris 0]

Yes, it has to happen sometime. It's already happened in the women's tournament. At some point, a good team will get a 16 seed and draw a 1 seed with flaws that can be exploited, or injury issues, or a tendency to play down to the level of their competition.

 

What athlete scared you the most as a kid?

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

Randy Johnson scared the crap out of me.

 

Will anyone sign Carl Pavano in 2009?

[Guest Tzar Lysergic]

Mike Tyson terrified and amazed me, simultaneously. To this day, he's my all-time favorite athlete, and among my least favorite human beings. I think it's that contrast that makes him interesting. That, and his desire to stomp on your childrens' testicles so that they may feel the pain he feels.

 

Edit: Answer Jack's question.

[King Kamala 0]

I think some crappy team will sign him to a minor league contract.

[Gert T 0]

I will throw out the next question. Will Ichiro make the Baseball HOF? He is 34 going into the season.

 

Here are some of his career numbers going into the year.

 

Runs Scored: 782

Stolen Bases: 272

Hits: 1,592

Batting Average: .333

2-time AL Batting Title

 

 

 

[TheDevilAndGodAreRagingInsideMe 0]

He also was 2001 Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player, and has won the Gold Glove and been an All-Star every season he has been in America.

[cabbageboy 0]

I don't know, maybe if Ichiro adds another 1000 hits. 2500 hits plus his years in Japan would probably be enough to get him in. Would this set a precedent for Japanese stars similar to the Negro League players getting into the HOF? Thing is, black players weren't allowed in the league, whereas Japanese players just weren't scouted much in terms of being serious MLB players until the mid 90s.

 

As far as the #1 vs. 16 question, it might happen some day but it would have to be some mediocre #1 seed that came out of a conf. having a down year, and one that didn't have much actual physical talent that could take over. Purdue in 1996 is a good example of this. #1 seed, down Big 10, didn't really have anybody. I know some people the past couple years have been all over Memphis' case, saying they would be the first #1 to lose, but I don't see it. They at least have enough actual talent to carry them to a few wins.

 

The question I have along those lines is this: Who is the highly ranked team most likely to be upset in the first 2 rounds? I think Georgetown might be, ditto Stanford.

[EVIL~! alkeiper 0]

Once Ichiro plays ten years, he will have met the playing time requirement and have established a Hall of Fame peak. Here's a list of players ranked by batting average from ages 27 to 33, spanning Ichiro's career.

 

http://www.baseball-reference.com/pi/shareit/myxN

 

Ichiro Suzuki, Todd Helton, 22 Hall of Famers, and some guy named Jack Tobin in the top 25. Not bad company at all. The only argument against Ichiro will be the lack of career counting stats, and that's not really enough to keep someone out on its own.

[MFer 0]

I could say Butler, but I don't know if that would really count. I think Tennessee could lose early if Lofton's shot is off. Wisconsin seems like a pretty good candidate as well. I'm sure someone else can answer that better than me.

 

Will Steve Nash get elected to the Hall of Fame?

[alfdogg 0]

Yeah, that's a no-brainer. You could probably argue against him getting in, but two MVPs will make him a slam dunk with the voters (no pun intended), and he's the leader of a team that's changed the landscape of the NBA over the last few years. Not all the change has been for the good, IMO, but that's an argument for another time.

 

Who is the most overrated player in NBA history?