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< Earlier Kibitzing · PAGE 136 OF 914 ·
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| Dec-11-09 | | Jim Bartle: A classic line. |
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Dec-11-09
 | | Phony Benoni: With some commentary by Mays:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUK9... You can't see the results of the throw, but as Mays points out the runner on second (Larry Doby) could well have scored had it not been a good one. |
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Dec-12-09
 | | keypusher: <PB> Thanks again for your research on Zurich 1953. Probably all of you real fans have seen this already, but for me it was very interesting to hear Ty Cobb's voice. Wasn't all what I expected. Had what I think of as a "mountain" accent rather than a Southern accent. From what he's saying I would guess this was recorded in the late 20s or early 30s. Also, I learned I've been mispronouncing "Lajoie" all my life. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4y9... |
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| Dec-12-09 | | Jim Bartle: Something in this video really, really irritates me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dm8o... The narrator says Koufax had to retire because he "permanently injured his arm before he learned to pace himself." Learned to pace himself? Wasn't it the Dodgers who decided when and for how long he pitched? One year after he'd been injured, I guess in 1965, the Dodgers had him throw 140 pitchers in an exhibition game to see if he was ready to go! Wasn't Koufax who caused his arm to wear out. |
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Dec-13-09
| | Phony Benoni: Has Koufax expressed anger at the way he was handled? Athletes can be pretty stipid when it comes to playing hurt. This reminds me of the NFL's current concern over concussions--which, to my cynical mind, is nothing more than an attempt to avoid future lawsuits. When Kurt Warner decided to skip a game due to a concussion, there was an undercurrent of player opinion against him. Officially, they agreed with his decision--but if you asked them if they would skip a game after a concussion, they all manfully said "Are you kidding?" (Especially the retired commentators.) Now, things were different in 1965. There was heavier management pressure to play hurt, and the script writer should have understood that. But there were also peer pressure and personal pride, and I'd be curious to know Koufax's feelings about it. |
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| Dec-13-09 | | Jim Bartle: Not sure about that (Koufax complaints). I think forcing him to pitch that much in a spring training game is pretty abusive. There are an awful lot of NFL players walking around--or more to the point, limping around--who think they were terribly mistreated and misinformed by their teams. But that's how they feel after they retire. You're right about their attitudes while playing, always ready to get out there no matter what. Charlie Krueger was a big-time defensive tackle for the 49ers all through the 60s until 1973. Outstanding player. Turns out he played without a key ligament (anterior cruciate ligament?) in one knee from 1963 on. The team knew it and never told him. I think he eventually won a big lawsuit against the team. |
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| Dec-16-09 | | playground player: <Phony Benoni> Don't hold it against me, but you being a librarian, I've just got to ask you: Has anybody ever asked you for "The Necronomicon"? If so, what did you tell them? Did they believe you, or act as if you were trying to keep secret knowledge to yourself? |
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Dec-16-09
| | Phony Benoni: <playground player> Of course not. And I wouldn't admit it if they had. |
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| Dec-17-09 | | Jim Bartle: There's been quite a bit of talk recently about how much refs favor the stars in the NBA. Tonight I was watching the Lakers at Milwaukee. With the Bucks leading by four with thirty seconds or so left in overtime, Kobe Bryant made a spinning drive into the lane, and after taking three or four steps just drove into the stationary Andrew Bogut. He flipped the ball over his shoulder with the contact and it went in. Bryant got the call--a block on Bogut. Made the free throw, then hit the game winner at the buzzer. But there was absolutely no question about the charge. It was a superstar call. Milwaukee blew it, though. Missed a free throw at the end to win it in regulation, and two lane violations which gave LA two points. |
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Dec-17-09
| | Phony Benoni: A local sportscaster showed that highlight tonight, and seemed much more upset about the referees not calling travelling. I'm not sure he was right. Isn't the rule these days that you get one step for every champinship ring with bonus steps if you play for the Lakers? |
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Dec-17-09
 | | WannaBe: No, it is one step per every 10 million annual salary, plus bonus for Gatorade commercials... |
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| Dec-17-09 | | Jim Bartle: They call Bryant for hooking his defender on a drive for the basket, just a few minutes earlier. I think the refs do not want the stars to get three fouls in the first half, and will give them the break in the last few minutes of the game. Of course the way they let Shaq simply assault people during the years he was on top was the worst. It was quite comical to watch his reaction the past few years, when he's no longer the league superstar, and he's called for fouls for exactly what he was allowed to do for ten years. |
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| Dec-17-09 | | A.G. Argent: <...talk recently...refs favor...stars> Jim, did you see the 60 Minutes interview with Donaghy? |
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| Dec-17-09 | | Jim Bartle: Just a couple of short clips. But I read his article at deadspin.com, and his criticisms seemed quite believable, despite being a real snake. In particular he talked about a couple of playoff games around 2000, where the Lakers came back from big second-half deficits, against Portland and Sacramento I believe, fueled largely by a huge disparities in the number of free throws. I love Stern's comment: "The FBI investigation found no criminal activity except for Donaghy's." Pretty slick, as none of the other refs' actions were criminal, just unethical and unsportsmanlike. |
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Dec-18-09
| | Phony Benoni: <JB>, back on Nov-23, you posted this: <From Sports Illustrated's Tom Verducci: "He has to be on the ballot, but not first, ahead of a Gold-Glove catcher on a first-place team who put up one of the best seasons ever at the position while winning the modern triple crown (batting, on-base and slugging percentages)." Ugh. Double ugh. I like the newer stats and emphasis on on-base average, but "the modern triple crown"? Who invented that?> I had no answer to that at the time, but I just had a revelation (or maybe just a III John). While reading a few baseball articles today, I realized you never see a player summarized by BA, HR, and RBI any more. It's always <.265/.303/.485>, for batting average, onbase percentage and slugging percentage. So that might be the origin. It seems pretty vague, though. If a player has 31 homeruns or 87 RBI, you knew where you stood. But what constitutes a good OBP or slugging percentage? |
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| Dec-18-09 | | Jim Bartle: I know that the traditional Triple Crown stats have their limitations, but we're so used to seeing them and measuring players by them. There's no reason to get away from them. Now analysts are in love with something called OPS+. I'm sure it's a great tool, but let's not use it in every other sentence. |
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| Dec-18-09 | | Jim Bartle: Cub fans are dancing in the streets! The Mariners took Milton Bradley off their hands. |
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Dec-18-09
| | Phony Benoni: I would have expected their fans to play Twister like a bunch of Hungry Hungry Hippos while screaming Yahtzee! at the top of their lungs. At last, Cubs management has escaped the Mousetrap and done something that will send them to the Head of the Class. Hopefully, this Operation will prove the Password to future success, although you must always have some apprehension over who their next Mystery Date will be. Oh, well. That's the Game of Life. |
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| Dec-18-09 | | Jim Bartle: But there has to be some Risk involved. |
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Dec-18-09
| | Phony Benoni: None at all. Risk comes from the Parker Brothers, Dave and Wes. |
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| Dec-18-09 | | Jim Bartle: Are all those others really MB games? If so, really great work. |
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Dec-18-09
| | Phony Benoni: Thanks, but it wasn't hard. Wikipedia knows all: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Catego... |
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| Dec-18-09 | | Jim Bartle: Yeah, but to put so many into a short narrative... |
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| Dec-19-09 | | Travis Bickle: Hey check out these top 10 baseball catches. A Cub made it in the top 10! ; P http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1I_H... |
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Dec-19-09
| | Phony Benoni: I'm sort of jaded about diving outfield catches; they seem to happen so often. But Jeter diving into the stands was something original, and the barehanded, twisting catch by Wright was also pretty good. I wish I could find the catch Bo Jackson made where he literally ran several steps up the outfield wall. |
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