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Source: (consider it)
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Thread: The Stupidest Thing In Sport
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
On the Motorsport thread Imaginary Friend suggest that NASCAR is the Stupidest Thing In Sport.
For what it's worth I'm no NASCAR fan, and I prefer two wheels to four, but motor racing is way batter than any of those sports that rely on judges to determine the relative merit of the competitors.
Amongst others that puts gymnastics, ski-jumping, dressage, professional boxing as well as synchronised swimming in the Room 101 of "Competitive Sport".
Anyway, my contender for TSIS is from cricket. The "six" should be abolished. No premium should be given for balls clearing the boundary without pitching in the field of play. Batsmen are still welcome to hit over the infield, but they shouldn't get a bonus for it, especially when there is often a limit on how many fielders can be on the boundary.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
Oh, Sioni, you're SO wrong, but I don't have time to type the mini-essay that would fully explain why. Watch this space.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
I might be stepping on some traditions sacred to the Great Unwashed* here, but the ridiculous diving in soccer would have to be up there. Any player who takes a dive and wants a free kick should have to wait until an ice hockey player comes off the sideline and beats the snot out of them before putting the ball on the spot.
ETA - SS, you're wrong. Clearing the boundary is a worthy achievement since the number of fielders on the rope won't make a scrap of difference. And it's not regulated in all forms of the game anyway.
* Australian term for the English race.
[ 24. March 2013, 02:14: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
Ski-Jumping.
Style points? WTF does style matter? Whatever gets you the furthest. In fact, if your style is horrible, but you still land further, you should receive extra points.
If you land further, your style is by default better. Instead skiers are judged by whether a ski might have wandered a millimetre off line. What utter bollocks.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by lilBuddha:
Ski-Jumping.
Style points? WTF does style matter? Whatever gets you the furthest. In fact, if your style is horrible, but you still land further, you should receive extra points.
If you land further, your style is by default better. Instead skiers are judged by whether a ski might have wandered a millimetre off line. What utter bollocks.
I think there's room for keeping this part, but democratising it to measure entertainment value over technical skill.
Hold the ski jump rounds on the opening day or two of the Olympics, then post all the clips to YouTube. The one with the most views before the closing ceremony then gets the most style points.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
Do that and I shall win Olympic gold without reaching the end of the ramp.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
Silver maybe, I think going off the end of the ramp followed by a headplant into the snow would get a few more hits, and much greater potential for memes.
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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comet
Snowball in Hell
# 10353
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Posted
baseball: designated hitter!
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Evil Dragon Lady, Breaker of Men's Constitutions
"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.” -Calvin
Posts: 17024 | From: halfway between Seduction and Peril | Registered: Sep 2005
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Timothy the Obscure
Mostly Friendly
# 292
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Posted
If it's a sport, it can be measured; if it must be judged, it's an art. If they're going to have figure skating in the Winter Olympics, they should have ballroom dancing in the Summer Olympics.
[NASCAR GPS: "Turn left...turn left...turn left..."]
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When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
- C. P. Snow
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lilBuddha
Shipmate
# 14333
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
Silver maybe, I think going off the end of the ramp followed by a headplant into the snow would get a few more hits, and much greater potential for memes.
Aye then, I think I can manage that. I'll start constructing a display for my medals.
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I put on my rockin' shoes in the morning
Hallellou, hallellou
Posts: 17627 | From: the round earth's imagined corners | Registered: Dec 2008
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
I might be stepping on some traditions sacred to the Great Unwashed* here, but the ridiculous diving in soccer would have to be up there. Any player who takes a dive and wants a free kick should have to wait until an ice hockey player comes off the sideline and beats the snot out of them before putting the ball on the spot.
Amen.
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
I might be stepping on some traditions sacred to the Great Unwashed* here, but the ridiculous diving in soccer would have to be up there. Any player who takes a dive and wants a free kick should have to wait until an ice hockey player comes off the sideline and beats the snot out of them before putting the ball on the spot.
What the man says. Cheating (and persistent foul play) will only reduce when points are deducted, as they are for clubs going into administration.
quote:
ETA - SS, you're wrong. Clearing the boundary is a worthy achievement since the number of fielders on the rope won't make a scrap of difference. And it's not regulated in all forms of the game anyway.
* Australian term for the English race.
OK, let's compromise. Boundaries have been shortened to make fielding safer (and increase scores) so revert to the 19th century rule that sixes were only awarded if the ball went out of the ground! No more sixes for chip shots.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Doublethink.
Ship's Foolwise Unperson
# 1984
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Posted
Stupidest thing in sport, team rules in F1.
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All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. George Orwell
Posts: 19219 | From: Erehwon | Registered: Aug 2005
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Doublethink.
Ship's Foolwise Unperson
# 1984
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Posted
Or I might mean team orders ![[Ultra confused]](graemlins/confused2.gif)
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All political thinking for years past has been vitiated in the same way. People can foresee the future only when it coincides with their own wishes, and the most grossly obvious facts can be ignored when they are unwelcome. George Orwell
Posts: 19219 | From: Erehwon | Registered: Aug 2005
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Ad Orientem
Shipmate
# 17574
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
I might be stepping on some traditions sacred to the Great Unwashed* here, but the ridiculous diving in soccer would have to be up there. Any player who takes a dive and wants a free kick should have to wait until an ice hockey player comes off the sideline and beats the snot out of them before putting the ball on the spot.
Soccer? Surely you mean football. Anyway, I'm a big hockey fan and totally agree with the point. In fact, I think they should allow fighting in football.
Posts: 2606 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2013
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
They do. Its called Gaelic and Australian football.
Stupidest things in football now: that refs can't take advice from an official not on the pitch or from instant video replay when judging a foul. (Just ask Newcastle). And the automatic yellow card for a player who takes his shirt off. (And why do players still do it?)
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Timothy the Obscure:
[NASCAR GPS: "Turn left...turn left...turn left..."]
The beautiful thing is that they basically have that - spotters sit on top of the grandstand and are in radio communication with the driver telling him when there's a car alongside or what line to take through an accident!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
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McChicken
Shipmate
# 2555
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Posted
quote:
If it's a sport, it can be measured; if it must be judged, it's an art. If they're going to have figure skating in the Winter Olympics, they should have ballroom dancing in the Summer Olympics.
Funny you should say that
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"We're not playing tiddly-winks here mate."
"While the opposite of a true statement is a false statement, the opposite of a profound truth can be another profound truth."
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Welease Woderwick
Sister Incubus Nightmare
# 10424
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Posted
Normally I quite like watching cycling but there is one bit of velodrome cycling where the competitors wobble at the top of the boards for as long as possible and then make a mad dash for the line - one of the daftest things I've ever seen.
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I give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.
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What part of Matt. 7:1 don't you understand?
Posts: 48139 | From: 1st on the right, straight on 'til morning | Registered: Sep 2005
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
If we're talking about cycling, then the Madison is pretty nuts as well. Riders taking sling-shots off their teammate seems unnecessarily foolish.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Imaginary Friend:
If we're talking about cycling, then the Madison is pretty nuts as well. Riders taking sling-shots off their teammate seems unnecessarily foolish.
Wash your mouth out! If it was unnecessary then nobody would be doing it, given it's not a compulsory part of the Madison. But they do keep doing it, because a big sling can be a big advantage coming just before contesting a sprint lap or when trying to break off the front of the pack.
A good hand-sling is a great example of an advanced tactic that can be an important winning move but also carries the risk of failure. Diving for a catch, an overhead scissor kick or a risky tennis shot aimed right for the corner of the court are other examples of the same thing.
Interestingly, the Madison is the only regular track cycling event which is contested at elite level by only the men. Cycling Australia held the first ever Madison for women cyclists as an exhibition race late last year, most of the ladies have never trained for it (not being a regular event ... yet) so they mostly just tagged each other or went for the middle option of a less effective push on the incoming rider's butt as they went past.
Had the Russians gotten this move right on the second lap of 200 at the last World Championships, they could well have been in position to shake up the race right from the outset. As it was, they instead had the replay posted on YouTube ![[Snigger]](graemlins/snigger.gif)
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
Stupidest *recent* thing in sport must have been Alistair Cook's decision to ask New Zealand to bat first in the current Test match.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
I've always thought that the polished boards of a velodrome look really slippery. Looking at how that rider's back wheel stepped out on him I guess they really are!
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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the giant cheeseburger
Shipmate
# 10942
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Imaginary Friend:
I've always thought that the polished boards of a velodrome look really slippery. Looking at how that rider's back wheel stepped out on him I guess they really are!
Not particularly, it slipped because it was lifted off the surface by the front wheel digging in after being turned to one side while moving at high speed.
With the nice sticky tyres you get on a track bike there is no shortage of grip unless the track is very dusty from lack of use or cleaning, and that would not have been the case at the Track World Championships.
If you haven't ever ridden on a velodrome, it's a lot of fun. Most velodromes will have "come and try" sessions run by the local clubs on a regular basis where they'll get you on a hire bike with toe straps so you don't even need cycling shoes. I've done a couple at the Adelaide SuperDrome (the home of our national team) which were great fun. I'm sure the nearest city to you with a velodrome (London? Manchester?) would have programs like that available, especially Manchester where there will always be somebody from the national team staff keeping an eye out to see if you have some previously undiscovered talent they can nurture ![[Biased]](wink.gif)
[ 25. March 2013, 15:53: Message edited by: the giant cheeseburger ]
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If I give a homeopathy advocate a really huge punch in the face, can the injury be cured by giving them another really small punch in the face?
Posts: 4834 | From: Adelaide, South Australia. | Registered: Jan 2006
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
If you haven't ever ridden on a velodrome, it's a lot of fun. Most velodromes will have "come and try" sessions run by the local clubs on a regular basis where they'll get you on a hire bike with toe straps so you don't even need cycling shoes. I've done a couple at the Adelaide SuperDrome (the home of our national team) which were great fun. I'm sure the nearest city to you with a velodrome (London? Manchester?) would have programs like that available, especially Manchester where there will always be somebody from the national team staff keeping an eye out to see if you have some previously undiscovered talent they can nurture
There's even an international standard velodrome here in Newport!
Bugger all else mind. It's quite a way from the centre of town and the railway station, but beginners can hire bikes and helmets.
Sioni, doing his bit for Nooport.
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
...it slipped because it was lifted off the surface by the front wheel digging in after being turned to one side while moving at high speed.
Ah, okay, that makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.
quote:
Originally posted by the giant cheeseburger:
Most velodromes will have "come and try" sessions run by the local clubs on a regular basis ... I'm sure the nearest city to you with a velodrome (London? Manchester?) would have programs like that available...
Well, given that I've lived in Washington, DC for the last few years (and Canada before that!) I hope there's one a bit closer. I honestly have no idea where though. Might be fun.
But if I'm really honest, I'd rather make the trip to Dover International Speedway, or Richmond VA to watch the rednecks and their stock cars.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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Ariston
Insane Unicorn
# 10894
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Imaginary Friend:
Well, given that I've lived in Washington, DC for the last few years (and Canada before that!) I hope there's one a bit closer. I honestly have no idea where though. Might be fun.
Trexlertown, PA. Seriously. They were planning to build one here—or, really, move it from Chicago—but it was kind of a fly-by-night operation anyway, more wishful thinking and put-up-a-website fundraising than actual work.
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“Therefore, let it be explained that nowhere are the proprieties quite so strictly enforced as in men’s colleges that invite young women guests, especially over-night visitors in the fraternity houses.” Emily Post, 1937.
Posts: 6849 | From: The People's Republic of Balcones | Registered: Jan 2006
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no prophet's flag is set so...
Proceed to see sea
# 15560
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Posted
Fighting in hockey. If you to know about it, here's a pretty typical example, unusual except for the number of players involved.
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Out of this nettle, danger, we pluck this flower, safety.
\_(ツ)_/
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Grits
Compassionate fundamentalist
# 4169
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Posted
Makes for great jokes, though: "I went to a fight, and a hockey game broke out."
I glanced through the thread, and I don't see that anyone's mention mixed martial arts. I think it looks stupid, and I'd think one would have to be just a bit stupid to participate.
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Lord, fill my mouth with worthwhile stuff, and shut it when I've said enough. Amen.
Posts: 8419 | From: Nashville, TN | Registered: Feb 2003
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Timothy the Obscure
Mostly Friendly
# 292
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Posted
And if you weren't stupid, you would be after getting kicked in the head a few times.
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When you think of the long and gloomy history of man, you will find more hideous crimes have been committed in the name of obedience than have ever been committed in the name of rebellion.
- C. P. Snow
Posts: 6114 | From: PDX | Registered: May 2001
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Timothy the Obscure:
And if you weren't stupid, you would be after getting kicked in the head a few times.
Never mind the relationship between Hocky and fisticuffs, have you heard of the "ninety-nine" call used by the British Lions Rugby team on their 1974 tour to South Africa? In those days the host authorities provided the referees and they did nothing to prevent or stop foul play by home players, so the Lions captain (All Hail Willie John McBride) gave the instruction that if any player was hit or threatened he only needed to call "ninety-nine!" and all his teammates would lay into all the opposition, causing a 30-man scrapfight! The theory was that no ref could sent everyone off, so he would send no-one off. It worked and cut down the violence too, but who on earth thought that non-neutral referees was a good idea, especially in a rugby-mad nation?
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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The Great Gumby
Ship's Brain Surgeon
# 10989
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by comet:
baseball: designated hitter!
Have I ever told you I love you, comet?
Apart from the DH, which is clearly the final word on any thread like this for all right-thinking people, I'd also like to nominate the current state of rugby scrums. As ways of restarting the game go, a couple of minutes of adjusting and grunting followed by a randomly assigned penalty don't seem ideal.
And to slightly subvert the thread, I'd like to nominate Plaxico Burress. Crazy name, crazy honourable mention in the Darwin Awards.
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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynman
A letter to my son about death
Posts: 5382 | From: Home for shot clergy spouses | Registered: Feb 2006
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Caissa
Shipmate
# 16710
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Posted
The DH rule makes watching baseball tolerable. The NL will eventually adopt it. The sight of pitchers flailing away in the batter's box is farcical.
Posts: 972 | From: Saint John, N.B. | Registered: Oct 2011
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The Great Gumby
Ship's Brain Surgeon
# 10989
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Caissa:
The DH rule makes watching baseball tolerable. The NL will eventually adopt it. The sight of pitchers flailing away in the batter's box is farcical.
![[Mad]](angryfire.gif) Vile heretick!
It's a fundamental principle of the game that the same nine players are expected to both bat and field, and it affords a much richer game than the picking and choosing of a DH. Whether the pitcher bats or not is less relevant to my mind than whether the DH fields, although it comes to the same thing. Players can be more skilled in one area or another, but they must all play their part in both the top and bottom of the game. I don't want batters who can't field and don't have to.
It's more interesting and strategic when there's a question of how to manage a notably weak link in the batting lineup (and in some cases, this would be a harsh description). When do you make the double switch? Do you order your pitcher to sac bunt, or do you trust him to hit? Your pitcher's been on fire, but the scores are level and he's up next with 2 out and bases loaded. Do you bring in a pinch hitter?
For people who prefer their baseball bland and unimaginative, the AL isn't going to drop the DH any time soon. The rest of us will carry on watching the stuff for grown-ups.
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The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. - Richard Feynman
A letter to my son about death
Posts: 5382 | From: Home for shot clergy spouses | Registered: Feb 2006
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comet
Snowball in Hell
# 10353
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Posted
wow... I've never actually met anyone who supports the DH.
it's not about having a line-up of all winners. a team game is about different members having different strengths. and weaknesses. THAT is what I find enjoyable about watching the game.
to mangle a metaphor: too many rock stars spoil the soup.
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Evil Dragon Lady, Breaker of Men's Constitutions
"It's hard to be religious when certain people are never incinerated by bolts of lightning.” -Calvin
Posts: 17024 | From: halfway between Seduction and Peril | Registered: Sep 2005
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by comet:
to mangle a metaphor: too many rock stars spoil the soup.
Or to put it another way: not everyone can be the lead guitarist.
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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The5thMary
Shipmate
# 12953
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by comet:
baseball: designated hitter!
I know! I want so badly to love my Seattle Mariners but they're still using designated hitters, aren't they?! God, what a terrible idea!
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God gave me my face but She let me pick my nose.
Posts: 3451 | From: Tacoma, WA USA | Registered: Aug 2007
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Sandemaniac
Shipmate
# 12829
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Caissa:
The sight of pitchers flailing away in the batter's box is farcical.
Funnily enough, it's not so many days since the
equivalent of a picher flailing away in the batter's box created a nail-biting finish to a series hat was utterly unlike all predictions.
AG
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"It becomes soon pleasantly apparent that change-ringing is by no means merely an excuse for beer" Charles Dickens gets it wrong, 1869
Posts: 3574 | From: The wardrobe of my soul | Registered: Jul 2007
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Sir Kevin
Ship's Gaffer
# 3492
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by The Great Gumby:
quote:
Originally posted by Caissa:
The DH rule makes watching baseball tolerable. The NL will eventually adopt it. The sight of pitchers flailing away in the batter's box is farcical.
Vile heretick!
It's a fundamental principle of the game that the same nine players are expected to both bat and field, and it affords a much richer game than the picking and choosing of a DH...
In church league back in the 90s, I couldn't pitch, couldn't run, couldn't field and was marginal as catcher, but I was always good for a single and sometimes managed to get home. I would have relished the position of DH as I would not have needed to borrow a glove!
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If you board the wrong train, it is no use running along the corridor in the other direction Dietrich Bonhoeffer
Writing is currently my hobby, not yet my profession.
Posts: 30517 | From: White Hart Lane | Registered: Oct 2002
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Sioni Sais
Shipmate
# 5713
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Caissa:
The sight of pitchers flailing away in the batter's box is farcical.
I've decided after watching less than a whole lot of baseball, that the sight of some superannuated, lard-arse waddling out to bat with a fair chance of popping his clogs if he runs a triple is pretty absurd too.
Why can't pitchers learn to bat?
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"He isn't Doctor Who, he's The Doctor"
(Paul Sinha, BBC)
Posts: 24276 | From: Newport, Wales | Registered: Apr 2004
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Lyda*Rose
Ship's broken porthole
# 4544
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Posted
Most pitchers, when young, are among the best general athletes on their teams. But somewhere along the line as they get older, coaches decide that skilled pitching is so critical to the team that they don't want their pitchers to waste a moment or a neuron on anything but pitching and fielding during practice. So their batting skills don't keep up with the pitching skills of their opponents.
I like pitchers batting. There is always that moment when I wonder "Is he gonna surprise us this time?" And sometimes he does. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
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"Dear God, whose name I do not know - thank you for my life. I forgot how BIG... thank you. Thank you for my life." ~from Joe Vs the Volcano
Posts: 21377 | From: CA | Registered: May 2003
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basso
Ship’s Crypt Keeper
# 4228
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Posted
Walter Johnson was an excellent hitter - batted .400 one year.
But if they're too good, pitchers tend to get made daily players. Babe Ruth is the classic example, but Lefty O'Doul remade himself as a power hitter after his pitching career went downhill.
Posts: 4358 | From: Bay Area, Calif | Registered: Mar 2003
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LeRoc
Famous Dutch pirate
# 3216
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Posted
I have to say that I have a hard time taking racewalking seriously.
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I know why God made the rhinoceros, it's because He couldn't see the rhinoceros, so He made the rhinoceros to be able to see it. (Clarice Lispector)
Posts: 9474 | From: Brazil / Africa | Registered: Aug 2002
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Hedgehog
Ship's Shortstop
# 14125
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by basso:
Walter Johnson was an excellent hitter - batted .400 one year.
But if they're too good, pitchers tend to get made daily players. Babe Ruth is the classic example, but Lefty O'Doul remade himself as a power hitter after his pitching career went downhill.
No need to go far into the past. Rick Ankiel was a Major League pitcher for 4 or 5 years (2000-2004) and then reinvented himself as an outfielder and is still a respectable batter today. Not great. Not a Babe Ruth. But he can hit.
There is no reason that every pitcher could not be a halfway decent batter. The concept that because somebody pitches they can't swing a bat effectively is just wrong.
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"We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it."--Pope Francis, Laudato Si'
Posts: 2740 | From: Delaware, USA | Registered: Sep 2008
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Ad Orientem
Shipmate
# 17574
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by no prophet:
Fighting in hockey. If you to know about it, here's a pretty typical example, unusual except for the number of players involved.
LOL! Here's a good site that has the videos for all the fights and has rating for them. Here's easily the best fight of last season from the AHL.
Posts: 2606 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2013
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Bob Two-Owls
Shipmate
# 9680
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Grits:
I glanced through the thread, and I don't see that anyone's mention mixed martial arts. I think it looks stupid, and I'd think one would have to be just a bit stupid to participate.
OI! I have a few MMA trophies under my belt (NHB Ground & Pound type events mainly). If you like fighting then there is no finer test than fighting people who train in lots of different Martial Arts. It certainly put my Karate/Kung Fu on a whole new footing as soon as I wasn't playing by the rules of one particular art.
As for stupid sports, Synchronised Swimming is my particular dislike. Not-quite-drowning while wearing rictus grins and plenty of leg and gusset flashing is not a sport.
Posts: 1262 | Registered: Jul 2005
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Ad Orientem
Shipmate
# 17574
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Posted
A stupid sport (again, is it really a sport?), that thing in the gymnastics where a girl prances about waving a ribbon or throwing a ball about. What's all that about?
Posts: 2606 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2013
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ken
Ship's Roundhead
# 2460
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by Ad Orientem:
A stupid sport (again, is it really a sport?), that thing in the gymnastics where a girl prances about waving a ribbon or throwing a ball about. What's all that about?
Its about the large number of men who watch sport on TV getting to see fit young gitls in tight clothes. You can fill in the rest yourself.
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Ken
L’amor che move il sole e l’altre stelle.
Posts: 39579 | From: London | Registered: Mar 2002
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Ad Orientem
Shipmate
# 17574
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Posted
quote:
Originally posted by ken:
quote:
Originally posted by Ad Orientem:
A stupid sport (again, is it really a sport?), that thing in the gymnastics where a girl prances about waving a ribbon or throwing a ball about. What's all that about?
Its about the large number of men who watch sport on TV getting to see fit young gitls in tight clothes. You can fill in the rest yourself.
Yeah, but aren't they all about thirteen or fourteen?
Posts: 2606 | From: Finland | Registered: Feb 2013
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Imaginary Friend
Real to you
# 186
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Posted
I think that's kinda ken's point.
But let's move the thread gently away from accusations of impropriety, shall we?
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"We had a good team on paper. Unfortunately, the game was played on grass."
Brian Clough
Posts: 9455 | From: Left a bit... Right a bit... | Registered: May 2001
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