The other sports thread

[Porous Five Hole]

I am not a barstool guy, but this made me LOL

[Thorner]

TSN just did a top 10 of championship saving plays (McTavish for Canada was 4th) and I have to say, they nailed the top 3. To me these three stand out so definitively:

3. Mike Jones game-saving tackle on Kevin Dyson at the 1 yard-line as he stretched out towards the goal line, to secure a Rams SB victory over the Titans 

2. LeBron James full backcourt sprint to pin the ball against the backboard  to deny a golden state layup (To me this is the most insane athletically, but remains accurately placed due to it not being quite as definitive in game, as a moment in real time)

1. Malcolm Butler. 

[Thorner]

Malcolm Butler not only secured a Super Bowl, he probably secured the cementation of Brady’s legacy. Of the legacy of the guy considered by more than anyone else to be the goat. It’s hard to say how much the overall trajectory may have changed without it, too. Hard to say.

Then again, LeBron also cemented his legacy with that play. 

These sort of diverging moments are fascinating to think about. 

Also like, the idea of Butler as course correction for Tyree or Manningham lol

[Thorner]

Or you know like the tuck rule play being a diverging moment, course correction for how the Creator really feels about us. Stuff like that 

[Eleven]

Thorny, if you keep running out of the shower to jot down every thought, you're never going to get clean.

[ubkev]

3 hours ago, Thorny said:

It’s kinda hilarious how far the Yankees have fallen. Earlier all we heard about is how almost all teams that start w/ the record they did end up winning the World’s Series. Could still happen but they are 5th overall in baseball right now 

If they win 90 games I'll be surprised. I'd have fired Boone and Cashman about 2 weeks ago. Especially Cashman. Keep going for the consolation prizes at the trade deadline and keep getting completely destroyed by it. And Boone has never been able to manage a pitching staff. The roster moves are baffling. IKF is just a horrendous, below replacement value baseball player. The Yankees have 2 SS in AAA that should have been getting his at bats for about the past 2 months. He doesn't even field well. Total ***** show. And Hal Steinbrenner sucks too.

[shrader]

17 hours ago, Thorny said:

Malcolm Butler not only secured a Super Bowl, he probably secured the cementation of Brady’s legacy. Of the legacy of the guy considered by more than anyone else to be the goat. It’s hard to say how much the overall trajectory may have changed without it, too. Hard to say.

He also was responsible for ending the thought in Boston that Pete Carroll never did anything good for them.

[Eleven]

10 hours ago, shrader said:

He also was responsible for ending the thought in Boston that Pete Carroll never did anything good for them.

This is brilliant.  

Malcom Whatever didn't make that play.  Carroll did.

[Thorner]

Jays have finally smartened up and are concentrating on keeping George Springer healthy enough to get his ABs, as a DH, rather than straining his elbow by playing CF. Good call, as the Blue Jays are a completely different team with him in the lineup. He’s the guy who makes their world go-round at the plate right now. 

You’d struggle to find a deeper lineup league-wide with him in there. The top 7 is frankly exceptional w/ Springer, Guerrero, Gurriel, Kirk, Hernandez, Bichette, and Chapman. Whoever the 7th guy is could hit near top of the lineup on most teams, slumps notwithstanding. Having Merrifield, Espinal, Biggio, Jansen, Tapia, and Jackie Bradley Jr. fight for the bottom 2 spots is good depth. 

Honestly, if Springer can stay in there, with Gausman and Manoah continuing their dominant stuff on the mound, the Jays are in a good spot and I could see them going on a World Series level run not dissimilar to last year’s Braves, if they can lock down that 3rd starter, whether it’s Berrios finding consistency or Stripling keeping his current pace. 

All about being hot at the right time, so hopefully they can keep their recent good play going heading into and through September.

- - -

I’m sure if I checked the score of today’s game my optimism would be reflected.

Edited August 27, 2022 by Thorny

[Eleven]

If I'm WVU's coach, I'm stripping that WR of his vanity number (0) and making him wear something in the 80s for the rest of his college career.  That wasn't a garden-variety drop; it was like a volleyball set right to the DB.

Edited September 2, 2022 by Eleven

[Eleven]

The aging warrior knew it would be her final war, a series of battles.  She did not know which battle would be her last, but she would fight each, dearly and fairly, until the finish.  She went out as a champion, in grace.  

 

She gave every ounce of energy left in her to her fans.  Thank you, Serena, for all of it.

Edited September 3, 2022 by Eleven

[Wyldnwoody44]

9 hours ago, Eleven said:

The aging warrior knew it would be her final war, a series of battles.  She did not know which battle would be her last, but she would fight each, dearly and fairly, until the finish.  She went out as a champion, in grace.  

 

She gave every ounce of energy left in her to her fans.  Thank you, Serena, for all of it.

Serena? Like tennis player Serena? The epitome of class. 

Sarcasm alert 

[Eleven]

A QB draw on 3d and 18 from midfield, down 4 points with 8 minutes left, is awfully mid-2010s Billsy.  And it cost ND the game.

[JujuFish]

I don't like the Yankees, but I'm enjoying following Aaron Judge's home run chase. It'd be nice to see someone who isn't part of the steroid scandal beat Marin's 61.

[Porous Five Hole]

Jessie Pegula bowed out in the quarterfinals of the US Open to the #1 ranked player in the world tonight. It’s the second time this year that she has lost to Swiatek in the QF of a major (French Open). 
 

Tonight was pretty compelling and a bit disappointing. After losing the first set 6-3, Pegula broke Swiatek’s serve to tie the second set 5-5. On her serve, she led 40-love with a chance to take a commanding lead. She gave it all back and was broken back. She forced a second set tie-break at 6-6, but couldn’t prevail. 

I was amazed at how level-headed she played. She rarely showed emotion and was business-like onto the next point. It was impressive.  I felt like the crowd was waiting for her to show some emotion to really get raucous, but never quite got there.

Still, her rise in women’s tennis has been  nothing short of phenomenal. At age 28, she has vaulted herself into the top ten in the world in both singles and doubles. Top ten in the world. Amazing. 

[JujuFish]

10 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Jessie Pegula bowed out in the quarterfinals of the US Open to the #1 ranked player in the world tonight. It’s the second time this year that she has lost to Swiatek in the QF of a major (French Open).

It's her third Grand Slam quarterfinal this year. Both previous times (Świątek at the French Open and Ashleigh Barty at the Australian Open), she lost to the eventual champion.  She's the highest ranked US tennis player (men or women), and she could end up ranked 5th in the world at the end of the US Open (if Sabalenka loses to Świątek and Garcia doesn't win the whole thing).  An amazing year.

[mjd1001]

On 8/22/2022 at 8:00 PM, ubkev said:

If they win 90 games I'll be surprised. I'd have fired Boone and Cashman about 2 weeks ago. Especially Cashman. Keep going for the consolation prizes at the trade deadline and keep getting completely destroyed by it. And Boone has never been able to manage a pitching staff. The roster moves are baffling. IKF is just a horrendous, below replacement value baseball player. The Yankees have 2 SS in AAA that should have been getting his at bats for about the past 2 months. He doesn't even field well. Total ***** show. And Hal Steinbrenner sucks too.

Yankees roster is just so not balanced.

I don't follow the team as much as I used to, but I have this impression that they sign a lot of 'older' guys coming off of career  years that are unlikely to reproduce them, and don't use all their assets to really, REALLY fill out and develop a full 9 person lineup.  A lot of 'quick fixes' and hoping guys aren't going to fall off of a cliff after just 1-2 good years.

Judge isn't resigned obviously, and if he is signed to a long term deal, he is a big guy that isn't young anymore.  That team may have a lot of tough rebuilding to do over the next 4-6 years if they want to be a WS contender year after year. I don't see it.

[Curt]

11 hours ago, Porous Five Hole said:

Jessie Pegula bowed out in the quarterfinals of the US Open to the #1 ranked player in the world tonight. It’s the second time this year that she has lost to Swiatek in the QF of a major (French Open). 
 

Tonight was pretty compelling and a bit disappointing. After losing the first set 6-3, Pegula broke Swiatek’s serve to tie the second set 5-5. On her serve, she led 40-love with a chance to take a commanding lead. She gave it all back and was broken back. She forced a second set tie-break at 6-6, but couldn’t prevail. 

I was amazed at how level-headed she played. She rarely showed emotion and was business-like onto the next point. It was impressive.  I felt like the crowd was waiting for her to show some emotion to really get raucous, but never quite got there.

Still, her rise in women’s tennis has been  nothing short of phenomenal. At age 28, she has vaulted herself into the top ten in the world in both singles and doubles. Top ten in the world. Amazing. 

I remember not too long ago, pro tennis players and especially women, peaked very young.  Often in their early 20’s, age 18-24 probably.  They would often fall off in their mid-late 20’s and retire by 32.

Now it seems that a lot of players are having greater career, and peak performance, longevity.  I think this is due to modern improvements in training/conditioning/nutrition/mental prep methods.  It’s helping these players hold up longer physically.  Pro tennis is a real meat grinder.  The on the court work is tough, with all that running and quick stop/start on hard surfaces.  But the travel schedule is absolutely brutal as well.  These players burn out both physically and mentally unless they keep themselves in top condition.

[Wyldnwoody44]

13 minutes ago, Curt said:

I remember not too long ago, pro tennis players and especially women, peaked very young.  Often in their early 20’s, age 18-24 probably.  They would often fall off in their mid-late 20’s and retire by 32.

Now it seems that a lot of players are having greater career, and peak performance, longevity.  I think this is due to modern improvements in training/conditioning/nutrition/mental prep methods.  It’s helping these players hold up longer physically.  Pro tennis is a real meat grinder.  The on the court work is tough, with all that running and quick stop/start on hard surfaces.  But the travel schedule is absolutely brutal as well.  These players burn out both physically and mentally unless they keep themselves in top condition.

Dude, I watched tennis this week and pulled my groin 😂😂

I used to play at the collegiate level, and I wasn't very good in the grand scheme of things, but even then, the muscle/tendon injuries definitley crept in. 

I still find in exponentially more enjoyable than golf 

[Curt]

1 hour ago, Wyldnwoody44 said:

Dude, I watched tennis this week and pulled my groin 😂😂

I used to play at the collegiate level, and I wasn't very good in the grand scheme of things, but even then, the muscle/tendon injuries definitley crept in. 

I still find in exponentially more enjoyable than golf 

Me too.  I only played in high school though, and I really wasn’t that good.  Still like to play though.

[ubkev]

13 hours ago, mjd1001 said:

Yankees roster is just so not balanced.

I don't follow the team as much as I used to, but I have this impression that they sign a lot of 'older' guys coming off of career  years that are unlikely to reproduce them, and don't use all their assets to really, REALLY fill out and develop a full 9 person lineup.  A lot of 'quick fixes' and hoping guys aren't going to fall off of a cliff after just 1-2 good years.

Judge isn't resigned obviously, and if he is signed to a long term deal, he is a big guy that isn't young anymore.  That team may have a lot of tough rebuilding to do over the next 4-6 years if they want to be a WS contender year after year. I don't see it.

They haven't been a world series contender since 2017. The Astros are in their head. Right now they play more like the Maple leafs than the *****in Yankees. 

[JustOneParade]

Years ago when I lived in NJ I had the opportunity to go to Flushing Meadows to see some earlier matches of the US Open. They were still playing on some of the side courts so I was able to get an up close view. I recall being absolutely blown away by the speed and movement (especially) that the players can generate on a tennis ball. And these weren't even the the Top 10 or 20 players. Seeing it on television does not do it justice at all in that regard.

[French Collection]

5 minutes ago, JustOneParade said:

Years ago when I lived in NJ I had the opportunity to go to Flushing Meadows to see some earlier matches of the US Open. They were still playing on some of the side courts so I was able to get an up close view. I recall being absolutely blown away by the speed and movement (especially) that the players can generate on a tennis ball. And these weren't even the the Top 10 or 20 players. Seeing it on television does not do it justice at all in that regard.

I went to the PGA Championship in Chicago in ‘99 and was also blown away after spending an hour in the front row of the driving range.

I was a pretty good golfer but these guys were hitting it solid almost every shot.
I watched Furyk closely because of his quirky swing. He was hitting a 5 iron 180-190 yards which was close to my distance with the same club. The difference was all of his shots travelled that far and were all within 5 yards left or right of his target. My comparable accuracy was 4-5 out of 10.

 

[ubkev]

I dislike Alabama, actually I don't much like Texas either, but Texas is getting some serious home cooking from the refs in this first half of this one. 

[GoPre]

Notre Dame is over ranked every season.  About to lose to Marshall and fall to 0-2.  The Irish are not a number 8 team.  Marshall hasn’t beat a top 10 team in almost 20 years.  

Edited September 10, 2022 by GoPre