Jump to content

The other sports thread


Eleven

Recommended Posts

  • 2 months later...

I was in the UK during the World Cup in 2011. It was nuts. By the end I almost understood how it worked.

 

There was a England v Australia match going while I was in Portsmouth in.. 2007 (one of those multi-day matches). I got a handle on the scoring after watching it in the mornings for awhile, but never got a chance to see how batting order and sides work. It's also odd to watch a sport but not know whether the score is good, bad, or normal.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There was a England v Australia match going while I was in Portsmouth in.. 2007 (one of those multi-day matches). I got a handle on the scoring after watching it in the mornings for awhile, but never got a chance to see how batting order and sides work. It's also odd to watch a sport but not know whether the score is good, bad, or normal.

 

You definitely have to follow a few of those multi-day matches (called "Tests") to figure it all out. I became interested when I was stuck in bed with the flu in Wales a number of years ago; cricket was the only thing on the TV that was in English. Now that the Internet makes it easy to follow, I'm pretty hooked.

 

Batting order, very basically: Eleven men, in order as determined by the captain. A man stays at bat until he is put out, and then he's done for the rest of the order (called an "innings"--singular). When ten men are out, the entire side is out, because there have to be two active batsmen at all times. Then the other side bats. A Test match is two innings per side.

 

Whether a score is good, bad, or normal depends upon a lot of things, including what day it is and the weather forecast.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

You definitely have to follow a few of those multi-day matches (called "Tests") to figure it all out. I became interested when I was stuck in bed with the flu in Wales a number of years ago; cricket was the only thing on the TV that was in English. Now that the Internet makes it easy to follow, I'm pretty hooked.

 

Batting order, very basically: Eleven men, in order as determined by the captain. A man stays at bat until he is put out, and then he's done for the rest of the order (called an "innings"--singular). When ten men are out, the entire side is out, because there have to be two active batsmen at all times. Then the other side bats. A Test match is two innings per side.

 

Whether a score is good, bad, or normal depends upon a lot of things, including what day it is and the weather forecast.

 

Makes sense. Since I was only watching while getting ready for the day, all I saw was a batter protecting the stakes and sometimes running; I always had to leave for work before the end of the coverage.

 

I seem to remember a batter just kinda "giving up" or retiring. Is that a thing too?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Makes sense. Since I was only watching while getting ready for the day, all I saw was a batter protecting the stakes and sometimes running; I always had to leave for work before the end of the coverage.

 

I seem to remember a batter just kinda "giving up" or retiring. Is that a thing too?

 

That happens most often in three circumstances:

 

(1) The batting side thinks it has enough runs to win and declares its innings to be over. (Why would they do this? Because if the Test isn't FINISHED by the end of day 5, it's a draw. And if rain is in the forecast...)

 

(2) The batsman is injured.

 

(3) It's an exhibition match, like a tune-up for a Test match, and the batsman has had enough practice--someone else needs a turn.

 

It can happen in limited other circumstances, too.

Edited by Eleven
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

I'm a little surprised that no one here has mentioned the Ryan Braun suspension and the impending Alex Rodriguez suspension. And the apparent lack of accountability that is still rampant in major league baseball.

 

The MLB is letting these guys cut deals? I'm not sure how I feel on this matter but I'm leaning towards it really bothering me.

 

Braun not standing up to face the music really pisses me off. That's akin to Sammy Sosa forgetting English, Mark McGuire not wanting to talk about the past and Rafael Palmero wagging his finger at congress.

 

Oh and I'd really like to see Aaron Rodgers pay up on his little wager. You owe this years salary sir, you made a bet, now pay the man.

 

http://m.complex.com/sports/2013/07/aaron-rodgers-bet-2012-salary-ryan-braun-peds

 

 

Edited by ubkev
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't follow baseball much ubkev thats why but I think it is pretty troubling considering how often this issue comes up in baseball.

 

 

On a different note. NBC Sports gets Nascar for the next 10years. Regarding NBC airing the final 20 NASCAR Sprint Cup races in 2015: There will be 7 races airing on NBC and 13 airing on NBC Sports Network.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm a little surprised that no one here has mentioned the Ryan Braun suspension and the impending Alex Rodriguez suspension. And the apparent lack of accountability that is still rampant in major league baseball.

 

The MLB is letting these guys cut deals? I'm not sure how I feel on this matter but I'm leaning towards it really bothering me.

 

Braun not standing up to face the music really pisses me off. That's akin to Sammy Sosa forgetting English, Mark McGuire not wanting to talk about the past and Rafael Palmero wagging his finger at congress.

 

Oh and I'd really like to see Aaron Rodgers pay up on his little wager. You owe this years salary sir, you made a bet, now pay the man.

 

http://m.complex.com...ryan-braun-peds

 

I don't really care because when a star player is caught doping it's the most unsurprising thing in the world to me. At this point I practically assume guilt.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sort of interesting. Didn't pan out for ESPN? Or is NBC trying to build an empire on auto racing? (they have F1 and IndyCar pretty much locked up too)

 

I'm ok with it; NBC Sports' F1 coverage is spectacular IMO.

 

I think it's an attempt to expand their demographic, especially with FOX1 starting. They have Hockey, Notre Dame, Cycling, English Premiership Soccer, and Golf. Adding NASCAR brings in a group of fans from a different part of the country, and potentially in a different income bracket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think it's an attempt to expand their demographic, especially with FOX1 starting. They have Hockey, Notre Dame, Cycling, English Premiership Soccer, and Golf. Adding NASCAR brings in a group of fans from a different part of the country, and potentially in a different income bracket.

 

How do you think it will work with such diversity? On the one hand I'm sure it's good to have wide viewership, but I'm thinking about retaining viewers between programming. Not sure many who tune in for auto racing are going to stick around for hockey, unlike the sports ESPN covers which have much greater overlap in interest.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

How do you think it will work with such diversity? On the one hand I'm sure it's good to have wide viewership, but I'm thinking about retaining viewers between programming. Not sure many who tune in for auto racing are going to stick around for hockey, unlike the sports ESPN covers which have much greater overlap in interest.

I got the impression that NBCS was doing well (as well as they could be) during hockey season. Auto racing adds viewership to the entire rest of the year. What other summer sports could they cover? Not baseball. I think NBC is just looking to get through the year, so to speak, as opposed to finding sports that overlap interests among eachother.

 

In fairness, anecdotally, I watch F1 now because a) I have an interest in cars and b) I was made aware of the existence F1 on NBCS from advertising during hockey. FWIW; not much.

Edited by IKnowPhysics
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I got the impression that NBCS was doing well (as well as they could be) during hockey season. Auto racing adds viewership to the entire rest of the year. What other summer sports could they cover? Not baseball. I think NBC is just looking to get through the year, so to speak, as opposed to finding sports that overlap interests among eachother.

 

In fairness, anecdotally, I watch F1 now because a) I have an interest in cars and b) I was made aware of the existence F1 on NBCS from advertising during hockey. FWIW; not much.

 

That makes sense. I just desperately want some real competition for ESPN (although getting Nate Silver hopefully indicates they're raising their own bar). Yes yes, I know, Rome wasn't built in a day.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't really care because when a star player is caught doping it's the most unsurprising thing in the world to me. At this point I practically assume guilt.

 

I assume nearly all players have been juicing since the 80's. I knew high school kids in the 80's taking steroids. If it was at the high school level I expect it was very prevalent in the pros at that point.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll never understand why Brian Braun is a bad guy because he injects a substance in to his body to improve his performance and a player like Kirk Gibson is a hero when he injects a substance in to his body so he can hit a home run in the World Series. it's just strange that some drugs are legal and others are not because they work too well.

Edited by deluca67
Link to comment
Share on other sites

That makes sense. I just desperately want some real competition for ESPN (although getting Nate Silver hopefully indicates they're raising their own bar). Yes yes, I know, Rome wasn't built in a day.

 

I'm definitely for that, especially if it means NBCS gets bumped down into regular television service provider tiers as opposed to its current location in the Gonzo Esoteric Stupidly-Expensive Sports Extra Plus tier for most providers now. I hate that.

Edited by IKnowPhysics
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'll never understand why Brian Braun is a bad guy because he injects a substance in to his body to improve his performance and a player like Kirk Gibson is a hero when he injects a substance in to his body so he can hit a home run in the World Series. it's just strange that some drugs are legal and others are not because they work too well.

 

Well for one, Braun waged a public campaign based on lies that destroyed somebody's career.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...