Subject: Interesting sports tid-bits:
Date: Fri May 19 18:24:56 2023
User: Klepp
Message:He was pretty good in Ice Station Zebra.
I've heard say he was the best halfback ever in the NFL...I didn't see him play...but I did see Bulldozer Earl Campbell play, and if Brown was like him in size and stamina, and had slicker elusive moves, Brown must have been the best (with Walter Payton second some would say, though I'd say Eric Dickerson).
Date: Fri May 19 22:51:05 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Well, he was actually a FB, back when those used to be used a lot - more so than HBs, actually, if you had a good one. Like a lot of things, it all depends on how one defines "best". Certainly he has to be among the top 3 or 4, imo, and I'd be *hard*-pressed to name someone clearly above him. Sayers, Barry, and Sweetness ran differently, with ridiculous, uncanny directions shifts and top-shelf fakes. Dickerson ran more like Brown, but just not the same. Imagine if Franco Harris or Csonka ran faster, and even tougher, with greater juking. But Brown first and foremost wasn't shifty, altho he had some of that, too. He *always* seemed to be running downhill, and stopping him was a fearsome task. He seemed to have a sixth sense of how a play was developing and maximizing his options. Think along the lines of Bo, or Earl, but without Bo's top-end speed. He'd absolutely just as soon run over you as around you. Another comparison might be Jerome Bettis with more speed and greater ability to read holes. It's just one of those impossible questions, but like I said...............I can't name someone I think was better. To be honest, it's more *fun* watching Barry, Sweetness, and Sayers run, but Brown was one of those "unstoppable force"-type things. As a thought experiment I just now came up with................if one were to go back, somehow, and count the percentage of attempted tacklers a runner would shed over his career, I think Brown wins that. He was just that hard to tackle.
Date: Sat May 20 21:02:46 2023
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:I’d heard about James Brown dying at 87 also. Given the life expectancy of ex NFL players, 87 is like 102 for the rest of us. He was a tremendous athlete and a tremendous human being. A rare combination. Besides football americano, he also played lacrosse at Syracuse at an extremely high level.
Sadly, the answer to the 2nd best running back in the NFL is not a tremendous human being. Given first name of Orenthal…
Date: Sat May 20 21:14:45 2023
User: firenze
Message:Hey, the glove didn't fit.
Date: Sat May 20 22:36:02 2023
User: Klepp
Message:I watched nearly that entire trial...Barry Scheck was clever enough to convince a few jurors of defendant's innocence, while the rest of the jurors were likely scared enough of likely societal repercussions à la L.A. late April '92, if indicted.
Date: Sun May 21 04:58:47 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:I only learned of Brown's lacrosse exploits by accident, maybe a year or so ago, and was, needless to say, astonished - until I let it sink in. 'They' changed a rule because of him (one has to keep the stick moving when one has the ball). Some who know what they're talking about have called him the best lacrosse player of all time.
Here he is in his own words:
https://twitter.com/PremierLacrosse/status/1659665674380234756?s=20
Link: Jim Brown's lacrosse legacy
Date: Sun May 21 22:26:50 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Michael Block, a club pro from SoCal, had a hole-in-one today in the final round of the PGA Championship in Rochester, N.Y. But it wasn't a 'normal' hole-in-one - it *landed* in the cup! A very rare event, known as "dunking" in the golf world. The crowd's applause was profuse and lengthy. Here's a great, well-written, human-interest story about him, what his world is like, and what this means for him.
Link: Michael Block's ace - and his world
Date: Fri May 26 20:04:47 2023
User: mrbuck
Message:I learned about his lacrosse play reading The Umpire Strikes Back by Ron Luciano who played on the same Syracuse lacrosse team as Jim Brown. He said Brown revolutionized the game. Instead of passing the ball from player to player they just got the ball to Brown who held it to his chest with the stick, ran through the opposition and then scored.
mrbuck
Date: Fri May 26 21:10:00 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Watching Motown vs Chisox on AppleTV. Started it late, but they gave me the option to watch from the beginning. Very cool.
Date: Sat May 27 03:36:34 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Right about Brown. The rule change prevented him from doing that - thus the rule to keep the stick moving, as noted above. Must have been quite fearsome to see him coming at you - on either a lacrosse field or football field. Heck.........not sure I'd like to see him on the other side of a badminton net.
Date: Sun May 28 00:09:13 2023
User: Klepp
Message:That final tip-in was glorious...too bad so sad if the Heat funk up the seventh game...
Date: Sun May 28 09:36:56 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:That was a fortuitous play. The perfect bounce.
Miami needed to put the hammer down and had three games to do so. Now, they are on the brink.
Date: Mon May 29 23:59:00 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:The Miami Heat are only the third team in NBA history to make the Finals with a negative point differential in the regular season - and the first since 1959. That's a pretty startling stat, but on the other hand..............one could argue that it's remarkable that it's *ever* happened. (Even tho back then there were only 8 teams, so the chances would have been higher.)
Date: Tue May 30 01:20:59 2023
User: Klepp
Message:The stats will likely bear out normalcy after Denver rolls in five...about time Jokić got his ring; I've heard from more than a few pundits he's currently best overall player on the planet...
Date: Tue May 30 07:45:49 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Miami should be fairly rested. They didn't show up for games 4 and 5, and Boston offered no resistance in games 1, 2, 3, and 7.
Might be an interesting series.
Date: Fri Jun 2 00:26:59 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:In game 1 tonight, number of FTs attempted by Miami: 2
Previous record in history for any NBA Finals game: 3
Date: Sat Jun 3 23:57:01 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Wow. Here's something I did not know about.
Here's another, more-detailed recounting:
https://sabr.org/gamesproj/game/august-10-1944-braves-red-barrett-shuts-out-reds-with-record-low-58-pitches/
Link: Red Barrett's 58-pitch CG
Date: Sun Jun 4 01:32:55 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:The Chisox edged the Tigers today 2-1, after a wild pitch smashed into the home plate umpire's face mask, allowing the runner from third to score, ending the game. So? Well..........all the runs scored in the game came via a wild pitch - apparently a first in all of history.
Link: 3 wild pitches allow entirety of scoring, a first
Date: Sun Jun 4 10:07:13 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:The ump was really clocked by that pitch.
Date: Wed Jun 7 07:53:29 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:So, after a couple of years of sanctimonious yammering about how the Saudi-sponsored LIV golf tour was abandoning any thread of moral decency for money, the PGA leadership decided to merge with LIV. Do you think the surviving family members from the 9-11 attacks feel a bit used after the PGA used them as props in their propaganda war?
Leave it to Philly to get right to the point with this headline:
"PGA Tour caves to rival LIV Golf to chase the money"
https://www.inquirer.com/sports/pga-tour-liv-golf-merger-hypocrisy-20230606.html
The only question is just how much money PGA commissioner Jay Monahan was given to make this overnight 180 degree reversal.
Date: Mon Jun 19 16:29:32 2023
User: HopDiriDiriDattiriDittiriDom
Message:Is chess a sport? The International Olympic Committee considers chess to be a sport.
Anyway.
The integration of technological advancements, such as real-time heart rate monitoring, has sparked significant interest in the chess community over the past week.
Interesting facts about the highest heart rates:
Richard Rapport recorded a heart rate of 175 bpm.
Michael Adams recorded a heart rate of 118 bpm.
Maxime Vachier-Lagrave recorded a heart rate of 139 bpm.
Jan-Krzysztof Duda recorded a heart rate of 152 bpm.
Jorden van Foreest recorded a heart rate of 172 bpm.
Vincent Keymer recorded a heart rate of 165 bpm.
Matthias Bluebaum recorded a heart rate of 149 bpm.
Alexander Donchenko recorded a heart rate of 133 bpm.
Date: Thu Jun 29 18:28:57 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:The 24th perfect game in MLB history was thrown last night by the Yankees’ Domingo German.
He was pitching against the Oakland A’s who, as a team, are batting 0.217, the sixth lowest in the majors since 1900.
Date: Sat Jul 1 19:37:03 2023
User: JackStraw
Message: Happy Bobby Bonilla Day
Every July 1st 2011 thru 2035 Bobby gets a check for $1,193,248.20
The Mets could have bought out his contract for 5.9 million but Mets owner had invested money with Madoff
and he didn't want to lose that sweet return
Date: Sun Jul 23 19:54:22 2023
User: mrbuck
Message:The Veecks would be proud.
mrbuck
Date: Sun Aug 6 04:53:42 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:…were…
Still 26 games out of a wildcard spot.
Date: Sun Aug 20 11:09:40 2023
User: JackStraw
Message:The Padres put the cherry on top of their most disappointing season ever with a double-header loss to the Diamondbacks yesterday.
Date: Sun Sep 3 04:12:54 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Mack Brown tonight became the first college coach to win 100 games at two different schools: Texas and UNC.
Date: Mon Sep 4 22:34:32 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:The "Guardians" utility man (usually 1B) David Fry became the first position player to pitch 4 or more innings in a game since 1988. "Tossing it up there" might be a better description. Despite a 9th inning "comeback", the game was lost 20-6.
Further..............no pitcher in the entire pitch-tracking era had ever thrown more than 30 pitches under 60 mph - until Fry blistered the catcher's mitt with 64 of them. His line was:
4 IP, 7 ER, 10 hits, 1 BB, 0 K, 3 HR; 12.60 ERA
Date: Mon Sep 4 23:16:43 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:College baseball has a mercy rule. It benefits everyone.
Date: Tue Sep 5 03:06:08 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Are the Oakland A's aware of this?
Date: Wed Sep 6 11:45:01 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Many sports fans are likely unaware that the FIBA World Cup (international basketball) is entering the semifinals after one full month of really excellent games. NBA players are found throughout every remaining team, but we are also finding out that the Euro league players are also really, really good.
The games are being hosted by the Philippines, so the time difference is a problem. ESPN has found it in their black hearts to only show the games on ESPN+ (subscription streaming) with the exception of a handful of US games. They don't appear to be planning to show the semis at this point: US vs Germany and Canada vs Serbia on Friday morning. The US team is decent -- some good, young players -- but missing the superstars. Many of the international teams are also missing their top names. Canada, however, is packed with talent.
================
FYI: ESPN+ is avalable as part of a Disney+/Hulu/ESPN+ package for a very reasonable price. I recently abandoned cable/satellite forever, so this package is definitely a huge part of my viewing.
Date: Wed Sep 6 21:53:54 2023
User: Dr.Bombay
Message:About six hours until the semi’s kick off. Obviously, the US still has the deepest talent pool but the number of top notch players in other countries has continued to climb ever since the original Dream Team caused Europe and South America to up their game. I’m expecting the US to win - they have a great coach and a deep, flexible lineup. But, it’s not going to be the slam dunk many might expect. The US lucked out losing to Lithuania once they had already punched their ticket to the Quarter Finals. That loss got the team more plugged in to listening to what the coaches were saying
Date: Sun Sep 10 02:33:55 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Alabama football had won their last 21 home games, 57 in a row non-conference regular-season games, and their last 73 games at home when leading going into the 4th quarter. (There might be a qualifier on that last one, like OOC, or something; not sure. But that's a pretty amazing stat.) But fell to the Longhorn's Longhorns by 10.
Date: Wed Sep 13 14:00:20 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:As a consequence of those remarkable streaks coming to a close, Alabama was given a berth in the Bottom Ten.
The Bottom Ten: Week 2
Date: Sat Sep 16 09:19:45 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Ohtani cleaned out his locker. Angels said they will explain today.
Date: Sun Sep 24 00:28:25 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Snowguy's Pirates, heretofore 0-819 in games (for the entirety of their 137-year history) in which they were trailing by 9 or more runs, were down to the Reds 9-0 after the third inning, but came back to triumph 13-12.
Date: Sun Sep 24 07:48:57 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:… fighting off elimination for one more day.
Date: Sun Sep 24 10:16:58 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:The Buccos are still in the playoffs hunt? I just looked at the standings for the third(?) time this season, and unless there's yet another new wrinkle that's been added, I can't grasp that. Surely you mean something else....
And just as surely, the streaking Royals should get in, right? They've won 9 of their last 10.
Date: Sun Sep 24 10:59:57 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Mathematically alive. Seven games out with seven to play.
Pirates must win all remaining games, Cubbies must lose every game, and the Marlins, Reds, Padres, and Giants must cooperate by losing strategically. Then, the Pirates have to beat the Cubs in a playoff ... or something.
So, yeah, you can stick a fork in the Bucs -- officially by the end of the next day or two.
Date: Sun Sep 24 11:25:19 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Hey, that scenario sounds easy peasy after pulling off a feat they had previously failed at 819 previous times in a row. And we *know* the Cubbies have the capability to cooperate - if they put their minds to it. But I somehow suspect those "coastal" teams will not join in.
Date: Sun Sep 24 17:00:26 2023
User: BuzzClik
Message:Cubs win, Bucs lose. It’s over. Break out the Terrible Crying Towels.
Date: Sun Sep 24 17:18:56 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:I would suggest somebody needs to check on Snowguy...................but I kinda think he's pretty used to it.
And he's still got the Pittsburgh Pipers/Condors season to look forward to. 🙄
Date: Mon Sep 25 01:38:11 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Egads! The Dolphins hung 70 on the Broncs today - only the 4th time in NFL history somebody hit 70, and the first occurrence since 1966, when the 'skins did it to the Giants. Along the (merry) way, they accumulated 726 yds. (which includes taking a knee a couple of times late, or it would have been slightly more) - the second-most in history behind only the Norm Van Brocklin-led Rams (735) in 1951 (against the NY Yankees). Tua Tagovailova completed his first 18 (or 17, depending on source) passes, and finished 23/26. Ho-hum.
Lots more records and/or superlatives in this game, but too many to note here. But....the Dolphins ran 71 offensive plays, thus averaging an amazing 10.2 yds/play. That's stupid good. Or stupid bad, from the other perspective, of course.
Date: Mon Sep 25 04:58:28 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:Matt Gay kicked 5 FGs (5/5) for the Colts earlier today, including the winner in OT vs. the Ravens. But the "interesting tid-bit" is that 4 of them were from 50+, a record for any NFL game. I believe he is perfect on the season in both EPs and FGs.
Date: Wed Oct 11 22:12:40 2023
User: TNmountainman
Message:MrFixit's team just jacked 4HRs in one inning against the Dodgers - the first time that's EVER been done in baseball's post-season history.
Post follow-up