The Sports Thread

[RGMike]

Lincecum is a "freak" in more ways than one: cited for pot posession (a very small amount) in Wash state.

http://www.columbian.com/article/20091105/NEWS02/711069987

[Tinka Cat]

Interesting stat, courtesy Outsports: the Yankees tend to win the WS when there's a Dem in the White House.  (Last time they won under a Repub was 1958; their nine titles since then were under Dems.)

Was interested to see Olbermann's "9 smartest plays in the history of the WS" the other night -- he ranked Johnny Damon's double-steal Sunday nite at #1. Not bad for a player considered "dumb as a box of rocks".

That was a great moment.  I commend Fox for explaining that having Damon on third basically took away Lidge's hard slider -- since that often breaks in the dirt and could get away from the catcher -- and left him w just his fastball, and we saw what happened then.

[urth]

Lincecum is a "freak" in more ways than one: cited for pot posession (a very small amount) in Wash state.

http://www.columbian.com/article/20091105/NEWS02/711069987

With a hairstyle like that, are we really surprised? Next thing you know he'll be giving the old Dock Ellis thing a try...

[RGMike]

Lincecum is a "freak" in more ways than one: cited for pot posession (a very small amount) in Wash state.

http://www.columbian.com/article/20091105/NEWS02/711069987

With a hairstyle like that, are we really surprised? Next thing you know he'll be giving the old Dock Ellis thing a try...

TANC: have you heard Todd Snider's song about the Ellis incident? I think it's called "America's Pastime" or something -- it's on his new CD and KPIG has been playing it. 

[RGMike]

Went to the Sharks game last nite; one of the sweeter victories I've gotten to see in SJ. They beat the reigning Stanley Cup Champs, Pittsburgh -- lots of Penguins jerseys in the crowd, the most opposing-team jerseys I've seen at the Tank in some time -- by shutting them out 5-0.  And Penguins star (and NHL "It" boy) Sidney Crosby got a penalty barely a minute into the game. A very happy crowd at the Carly Fi-arena, er, HP Pavilion.

[RGMike]

a VERY funny rant, if you're (like me) a Yankees hater:

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20091106_Letters__Yankee_fans__agony_has_ended.html

[Tinka Cat]

a VERY funny rant, if you're (like me) a Yankees hater:

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20091106_Letters__Yankee_fans__agony_has_ended.html

yes, being a Yankee fan in this day of free agency and no cap is no fun.  The World Series payoff can't ever approach what it would mean to a, say, Cub fan,  -- or a Giants fan.

My father was a Yankee fan, so the team is on my radar, but I wasn't rooting for them.

[mshray]

a VERY funny rant, if you're (like me) a Yankees hater:

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20091106_Letters__Yankee_fans__agony_has_ended.html

You're right, that was brilliant.  But the best line was the final one, describing the author as "a Mets fan, but rooted for the Phillies in the World Series."

[RGMike]

What the Puck?

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Boy-Struck-By-Flying-Puck-at-Sharks-Game.html

watch out, Alicat!

[Tinka Cat]

What the Puck?

http://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local-beat/Boy-Struck-By-Flying-Puck-at-Sharks-Game.html

watch out, Alicat!

very punny, but nbc beat you to it! 

SFGate features nbcbayarea's tweets (among others) on our home page.  They printed this:

"Boy Struck By Flying Puck at Sharks Game: What the puck? Here's proof that hockey can leave fans bloody, too. http://bit.ly/cbIXK

[RGMike]

Sports Illustrated is reporting that this year's Super Bowl halftime act is...



so does that mean it'll be Arsenal v. Manchester United?

[mshray]

not that I relish this, but I've tried a few times to draw a distinction between what Kurt Warner says after a big win & what other Christian athletes typically say...and yesterday J-ville's David Garrard gave the perfect example during the NBC pre-game for the Indy/NE clash.  On camera, in a live feed to Dan Patrick, Garrard said, "Well, the Lord was on my side today and he really came through for me." [emphasis added]  Uhhhh, no.  That is a huge example of precisely the kind of pseudo-religious hubris that keeps getting our country in trouble.  I mean...I want to gnash my teeth and rend my robes when I hear this f***ing s***.  As Bono once famously said, "the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister!"  I rather doubt God had the Jaguars in His Vegas parlay yesterday, so this gets my Trot Nixon Memorial award for 2009.

Now I believe there exists a road-less-taken in this example, and I could be wrong, but I think it is actually exemplified by Kurt Warner.  I have never heard him say anything other than, in response to a lead-in question about how he feels after one of his several MVP performances, "I give all glory to God".  There might not be that many theologians in this forum, but this is in fact quite precisely what Jesus actually preached:   Whatever you achieve, be humble and give glory to God.  Do not tell everyone that God favored you & that your success is due to your having special status in God's eyes.  In other words, there is a way to thank God without claiming that God wanted you to win.  One of the many idiosyncracies of Christianity is that a true believer has to thank God no matter what, win or lose, live or die.

So I give a big middle finger to David Garrard, and I'm very close to giving one to Tim Tebow.  But by the same token, I give Warner props for relative restraint in this area.

Now if you want to argue that we should have a comprehensive separation of Church & Sports the way we're supposed to have one between Church & State...all I can say is that I agree in principle, but after 8 years of GWB, I think the Church/State question remains far more dire.

[Tinka Cat]

not that I relish this, but I've tried a few times to draw a distinction between what Kurt Warner says after a big win & what other Christian athletes typically say...and yesterday J-ville's David Garrard gave the perfect example during the NBC pre-game for the Indy/NE clash.  On camera, in a live feed to Dan Patrick, Garrard said, "Well, the Lord was on my side today and he really came through for me." [emphasis added]  Uhhhh, no.  That is a huge example of precisely the kind of pseudo-religious hubris that keeps getting our country in trouble.  I mean...I want to gnash my teeth and rend my robes when I hear this f***ing s***.  As Bono once famously said, "the God I believe in isn't short of cash, mister!"  I rather doubt God had the Jaguars in his Vegas parlay yesterday, so this gets my Trot Nixon Memorial award for 2009.

Now I believe there exists a road-less-taken in this example, and I could be wrong, but I think it is actually exemplified by Kurt Warner.  I have never heard him say anything other than, in response to a lead-in question about how he feels after one of his several MVP performances, "I give all glory to God".  There might not be that many theologians in this forum, but this is in fact quite precisely what Jesus actually preached:   Whatever you achieve, be humble and give glory to God.  Do not tell everyone that God favored you & that your success is due to your having special status in God's eyes.  In other words, there is a way to thank God without claiming that God wanted you to win.  One of the many idiosyncracies of Christianity is that a true believer has to thank God no matter what, win or lose, live or die.

So I give a big middle finger to David Garrard, and I'm very close to giving one to Tim Tebow.  But by the same token, I give Warner props for relative restraint in this area.

Now if you want to argue that we should have a comprehensive separation of Church & Sports the way we're supposed to have one between Church & State...all I can say is that I agree in principle, but after 8 years of GWB, I think the Church/State question remains far more dire.

well said. I loved the "rend my robes" part, esp.  The person interviewing Gerrard should have asked him "So.. does that mean the Lord didn't want your opponent to win b/c, you know, they weren't worthy or had sinned in really super bad ways?  Did they not pray hard enough in the pre-game warmups?"

[mshray]

Thanks Tink.

& in a polar opposite note, I just lifted this from another site, but it is (I'll take their word for it) a direct quote from the audio heard by anyone watching the Broncos/Indigenous Natives game on Sunday:

blogger: "Dan Dierdorf is a legend. This is an exact quote from the game audio:"

"Quinton Ganther is not a stranger to taking a lick or handing one out, either! He's deserved a little...he deserves a blow on the sideline."

Followed by three seconds of silence.

[Tinka Cat]

Thanks Tink.

& in a polar opposite note, I just lifted this from another site, but it is (I'll take their word for it) a direct quote from the audio heard by anyone watching the Broncos/Indigenous Natives game on Sunday:

blogger: "Dan Dierdorf is a legend. This is an exact quote from the game audio:"

"Quinton Ganther is not a stranger to taking a lick or handing one out, either! He's deserved a little...he deserves a blow on the sideline."

Followed by three seconds of silence.

in 10th grade bio class, Mr Jones (who was Joe Montana's roommate at Notre Dame, btw), had an anatomical diagram of an adult male pelvis on the overhead projector (remember those?). some kid asked "what's up w the pubic bone?"  

Mr Jones said "It's for protection... because if you receive a blow in this area..."




.. he never got to finish the sentence...