Ritualised Warfare... the sports thread!

[videodrone]

The Patron is tasting mighty fine in the drone household.

drone

[r00]

So what is that for BeanTown now?  All four major US championships in 7 years?  (baseball, football, hockey, and basketball).

[videodrone]

Something like that, yeah.

drone

[sin]

Sort of in a weird situation at the moment.

I am the League Manager of my Fantasy Football league.  The league is entering its 3rd year and is generally enjoyed by all.

The problem is, two of the original members were boyfriend/girlfriend.  Between the end of last season and today, they have broken up.  I have spoken with some of the other members of the league and given the matter some thought on my own, and the conclusion that I have reached is that the the girl will no longer be participating in the league next year.

I think that it would show a decided lack of class to just start up the league without her (letting her find out that she's been dropped second-hand), and feel she is entitled to an email explaining the situation (at the very least, giving her time to join a different league, in case the season actually starts on time  ).  However, I am having a hard time crafting the appropriate statement conveying a sincere apology while giving an accurate explanation for deleting her from the league.  Most of us have maintained cordial relationships with her since the break-up, and I want it to be clear that her deletion is in no way vindictive or punitive, but simply my decision to maintain and continue the friendly and fun dynamic that has ruled the league for the past 2 years and avoid unnecessary drama and/or tension.

Yes, I take my LM responsibilities WAY too seriously. 

[Stariki]

I would let her continue as a member rather than risk losing her friendship. It may not turn nasty between her and her ex on the boards anyway. I mean, hell, its only fantasy football eh! 

[rokken like dokken]

It is official - The Winnipeg Jets are BACK, baby! 

[kristin]

now if only the Hartford Whalers would return!

[rokken like dokken]

Followed by the Nordiques. 

[r00]

Hey now, let's not go to far.

[rokken like dokken]

Hey now, let's not go to far.

Nah, Denver's a fine city for a hockey team - there are plenty of southern teams to force back to Canada.

[dee]

Just looked up the price of UFC fights...holy crap. $45 per card? Sunday is the last one I get to see for free. 

Did anyone else see the Kongo fight the other night? I'm still getting goosebumps. Am hoping the repeat will be on before we leave. 

[sin]

http://themat.com/section.php?section_id=3&page=showarticle&ArticleID=23720

I was unaware until yesterday that Cael Sanderson had come out of retirement (goes to show what the wrestling coverage in this country is like, even in Iowa, the so-called wrestling capital of the nation).  This gives the U.S. the only real legitimate shot that I know of of winning a gold medal at the upcoming Olympics (assuming he competes for that long).

As a huge Iowa Hawkeye fan it was infuriating watching him win 4 consecutive NCAA titles for the Iowa State Cyclones while winning 180 or so consecutive matches but I had to grudgingly admit that he was god damn amazing to watch and basically unbeatable within the U.S. (although I cheered heartily when he was defeated in the first match of a 3 match series at the 2004 Olympic Trials by Hawkeye alum Lee Fullhart before Fullhart dropped the next 2 matches).

Still, winning a gold medal at 33 (the age he'll be for the London Games) is a tall order for a wrestler.  Nevertheless, Sanderson is the best American wrestler since Dan Gable (and arguably the best PERIOD) and I'll definitely cheer for the red white and blue if he suits up in London.  It will be exciting to watch.

edit:  Also, although I think that this is the 3rd time an active NCAA Division I head coach has qualified for the U.S. National Team (after John Smith of Oklahoma State and Bruce Baumgartner of Edinboro) I also think this is the first time a DEFENDING NATIONAL CHAMPION HEAD COACH in NCAA Division I (Penn State won the NCAA title this past season) has qualified for the U.S. National Team.

[sin]

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/football/usatpoll.htm

These rankings make absolutely no sense at all.  I know they're only meaningless preseason rankings, but... huh?

Florida State #5?  No Big Ten team higher than #10?  Texas A&M #9?  And how the eff did Georgia and Texas get ranked?  They didn't even have winning records last year!  And of course (after so many years of this, it's practically useless bringing it up), Notre Dame gets inexplicably ranked in the top 25.  If I recall correctly, Florida State plays Oklahoma pretty early, and they might lose that game by 40, so there's that at least.

[rokken like dokken]

College football is a joke, or at least the whole idiotic system is.  I agree with Mark Cuban, why isn't there a real playoff instead of AP polls to determine the #1 team?  NCAA basketball has it and it is tremendously successful, what gives?

[sin]

Okay, I'm going to be respectful to you because I respect you as a person, but I am usually extremely hostile and abusive whenever someone brings up a playoff.

Why doesn't college football have a playoff while NCAA basketball and the NFL do?  Because NCAA Football is not NCAA Basketball or the NFL.  It's like saying "My car runs on gasoline, so why can't I drink it?"  Well, because you're not a car.

First off, NCAA basketball plays about 30 games a season, including a shit-ton of non-conference games, unlike NCAA football.  There is ample opportunity to ascertain how good each team is, and who deserves to get a shot at the title. 

Second, the NCAA basketball tournament is a MESS.  It used to be 8 teams.  EIGHT TEAMS.  It expanded to 16, then 32, then 64, then 65, then 68.  Now people are talking about expanding it to 96.  No on agrees on which teams should get in, and which teams should be left out; there are DOZENS of teams that DON'T DESERVE TO BE THERE; they exist purely as "spoilers," and no one in their right mind agrees that they have any chance whatsoever of winning a title. 

Thirdly, in regards to the NFL, there are 1/3 as many NFL teams as NCAA football teams, and there is centralized scheduling; if you added a playoff, you can kiss great non-conference games goodbye.  Oregon vs. Boise State, Ohio State vs. Texas, Penn State vs. Alabama, Oklahoma vs. Florida State (to name a few recent ones).  These games will disappear, because every team knows that all they have to do is win their conference and they'll make the playoffs, and the non-conference schedule will serve no purpose.  If they DON'T win their conference, playing major opponents in non-conference games is an unnecessary risk, as a team from the SEC or Big Ten will likely STILL get in with a 11-1 record, even if they don't win their conference.  Rather than winning big games, the emphasis will shift to avoiding losses, and every team will schedule a non-conference slate filled with clown-shoes teams like Eastern Michigan and Arkansas State.  In the conference schedule, classic, big-time, important matchups like OSU vs. Michigan and LSU vs. Florida will lose their meaning, because in a lot of cases, the playoffs will be already "set."

The BCS isn't perfect, but it's better than a playoff.  It picks the correct champion most of the time, allows for the fewest number of mistakes.  If a playoff was instituted, people would bitch EVEN MORE about who "deserves" to get in and who doesn't.