For those who do not recognise the song, it is the Fox Sports theme used to introduce NFL matches.
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Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NFL. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas!
Why can't we have sports fans like this in New Zealand?
For those who do not recognise the song, it is the Fox Sports theme used to introduce NFL matches.
For those who do not recognise the song, it is the Fox Sports theme used to introduce NFL matches.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Don't cap my Celery
Well, analytic company Offlode has come up with a novel idea and reviewed 23 competitions in terms of closeness and whether the salary caps work. I've posted the full list, as well as my comments, after the jump.
Where I think this list is flawed is in that the top half of the list has much, much longer seasons than the bottom half, so random fluctuations where a bottom team beats a top team are going to occur more often [though in saying that, I do agree that the American draft system (where the team which finishes last in a season gets to have the first pick of a rookie player in the next season and has to play for that team for a certain length of time, I think 2 years is the norm) is very effective in creating a level playing field, while the Super 14 'draft' system (where a team can 'protect' 22 players from their region from being picked up by other teams) is a joke.]
Taking Major League Baseball as an example, eventual winners the Philidelphia Phillies played a total of 162 matches in the 2008 regular season. Makes our 16-match Super 14 look a bit naff. Or the beautiful Boston Celtics, who played 82 matches throughout the entire [including playoffs] season. There is definately a lot more room in those matches for a team to field a weak lineup, knowing they're in the playoffs, and get done by a weaker team.
The list itself:
Major League (Baseball)
French Ligue 1 (Football)
Magners League (Rugby)
Primera Argentina (Football)
MLS *(Football)
Spanish La Liga (Football)
Primera Mexico (Football)
German Bundesliga (Football)
ANBL *(Basketball) NBA *(Basketball)
NFL *(Gridiron)
Dutch Eredivisie (Football)
Italian Serie A (Football)
AFL *(Aussie Rules)
NRL *(League)
Scottish Premier League (Football)
NHL *(Ice Hockey)
English Premier League (Football)
Guinness Premiership *(Rugby)
Air New Zealand Cup *(Rugby)
Super 14 (Rugby)
Currie Cup (Rugby)
National Bank Cup (Netball)
* denotes competitions which use a salary cap.
Where I think this list is flawed is in that the top half of the list has much, much longer seasons than the bottom half, so random fluctuations where a bottom team beats a top team are going to occur more often [though in saying that, I do agree that the American draft system (where the team which finishes last in a season gets to have the first pick of a rookie player in the next season and has to play for that team for a certain length of time, I think 2 years is the norm) is very effective in creating a level playing field, while the Super 14 'draft' system (where a team can 'protect' 22 players from their region from being picked up by other teams) is a joke.]
Taking Major League Baseball as an example, eventual winners the Philidelphia Phillies played a total of 162 matches in the 2008 regular season. Makes our 16-match Super 14 look a bit naff. Or the beautiful Boston Celtics, who played 82 matches throughout the entire [including playoffs] season. There is definately a lot more room in those matches for a team to field a weak lineup, knowing they're in the playoffs, and get done by a weaker team.
The list itself:
Major League (Baseball)
French Ligue 1 (Football)
Magners League (Rugby)
Primera Argentina (Football)
MLS *(Football)
Spanish La Liga (Football)
Primera Mexico (Football)
German Bundesliga (Football)
ANBL *(Basketball) NBA *(Basketball)
NFL *(Gridiron)
Dutch Eredivisie (Football)
Italian Serie A (Football)
AFL *(Aussie Rules)
NRL *(League)
Scottish Premier League (Football)
NHL *(Ice Hockey)
English Premier League (Football)
Guinness Premiership *(Rugby)
Air New Zealand Cup *(Rugby)
Super 14 (Rugby)
Currie Cup (Rugby)
National Bank Cup (Netball)
* denotes competitions which use a salary cap.
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Monday, December 1, 2008
Plaxico + Gun = Leg Trauma.
Yeah yeah yeah, it's been a while since the last one.
But you know that old addage that good things take time?
Case in point.
I'm a Patriots fan, so this was karma.
"Burress, 31, who was sporting flashy jewelry and carrying loads of cash, told club management he needed the gun to protect himself, sources said.
The mercurial Giant was waved inside the crowded Latin-themed club on Lexington Ave. about midnight. He downed several drinks, making already jittery security guards more nervous about his weapon.
As Burress was being led into a VIP area, with a drink in his hand, the gun slipped down his pants leg. He reached for the weapon, but fumbled it and it went off, sources said. The bullet tore through Burress' already injured right thigh, police said.
"[The bullet] went in and out. No bones," Chief Michael Collins, a police spokesman, said."
But the story gets better. Click the link up there.
Oh, and ten reasons why this happened.
But you know that old addage that good things take time?
Case in point.
I'm a Patriots fan, so this was karma.
"Burress, 31, who was sporting flashy jewelry and carrying loads of cash, told club management he needed the gun to protect himself, sources said.
The mercurial Giant was waved inside the crowded Latin-themed club on Lexington Ave. about midnight. He downed several drinks, making already jittery security guards more nervous about his weapon.
As Burress was being led into a VIP area, with a drink in his hand, the gun slipped down his pants leg. He reached for the weapon, but fumbled it and it went off, sources said. The bullet tore through Burress' already injured right thigh, police said.
"[The bullet] went in and out. No bones," Chief Michael Collins, a police spokesman, said."
But the story gets better. Click the link up there.
Oh, and ten reasons why this happened.
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Thursday, November 20, 2008
Music brings the People together
For today's post, I was going to touch on bands.
For my first idea, I wanted to talk about bands that had sporting success. It didn't seem like it would be that unlikely. If Jeff Wilson can play cricket [Average ODI of 20.60, eat that Mr Mark-10.50-Richardson] and rugby, then get named as North Harbour co-coach, why can't Kevin Tamati play league and be a drummer for Dragon? Looks like he's got the wrist movements down.
Anyway, I digress. I couldn't find anything suitable in my first three Google's. So then I thought 'What about sportspeople who have gone on to make music?!'
Shaq's rap, anyone? Or I could have followed the 'sports-teams-doing-their-damn-thang' route. But I wanted cool. Not lame. So my hunt gradually epic fail'ed.
So instead, I decided I'd just do my ownlist of 'Sportsmen of today who should be in bands'.
Peyton Manning - R.E.M. Just ignore the fact that they're from Seattle [and that Peyton has a penchant for country], something about Manning just says '90's grunge'.
Richard Kahui - Backstreet Boys. C'mon, you can fully see him taking over from the weird one with glasses.
Shane Smeltz - 'N Sync. Not quite as good looking as the Backstreet Boys, or with the same amount of fans, or ability to consistently perform. Kind of like the Phoenix vs All Blacks argument really.
Daniel Vettori - Jose Gonzalez. Learned. Gentle. Wordsmith.
Greg Murphy - Fred Durst. Hypocritical douche, not respected by his peers, but still has a devoted legion of fans who will buy his stuff - mainly due to the inaccurate media coverage he only receives three times a year.
Yours please...
For my first idea, I wanted to talk about bands that had sporting success. It didn't seem like it would be that unlikely. If Jeff Wilson can play cricket [Average ODI of 20.60, eat that Mr Mark-10.50-Richardson] and rugby, then get named as North Harbour co-coach, why can't Kevin Tamati play league and be a drummer for Dragon? Looks like he's got the wrist movements down.
Anyway, I digress. I couldn't find anything suitable in my first three Google's. So then I thought 'What about sportspeople who have gone on to make music?!'
Shaq's rap, anyone? Or I could have followed the 'sports-teams-doing-their-damn-thang' route. But I wanted cool. Not lame. So my hunt gradually epic fail'ed.
So instead, I decided I'd just do my ownlist of 'Sportsmen of today who should be in bands'.
Peyton Manning - R.E.M. Just ignore the fact that they're from Seattle [and that Peyton has a penchant for country], something about Manning just says '90's grunge'.
Richard Kahui - Backstreet Boys. C'mon, you can fully see him taking over from the weird one with glasses.
Shane Smeltz - 'N Sync. Not quite as good looking as the Backstreet Boys, or with the same amount of fans, or ability to consistently perform. Kind of like the Phoenix vs All Blacks argument really.
Daniel Vettori - Jose Gonzalez. Learned. Gentle. Wordsmith.
Greg Murphy - Fred Durst. Hypocritical douche, not respected by his peers, but still has a devoted legion of fans who will buy his stuff - mainly due to the inaccurate media coverage he only receives three times a year.
Yours please...
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Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Couple of interesting stories out of the US this morning.
Regarding the Chargers v Steelers match. It gives all the background in there except the savings to the bookies are estimated at $64m. [video here]
And it seems like Mark Cuban is in a spot of bother.
Regarding the Chargers v Steelers match. It gives all the background in there except the savings to the bookies are estimated at $64m. [video here]
And it seems like Mark Cuban is in a spot of bother.
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Monday, November 17, 2008
Where to from here?
Ahhh, the Cowboys.
The glory boys of the NFL.
"America's Team".
The team which annually receives the most media exposure [In their bye-week they still remained in the daily top stories on the front page of nfl.com]. [Very good article on this here]
Touted this year to make the playoffs, if not go undefeated.
And now they're 5-4. If Umaga is supposed to be quaking in his boots for the poor performance of Toulon, how does Wade Phillips feel about now?
The glory boys of the NFL.
"America's Team".
The team which annually receives the most media exposure [In their bye-week they still remained in the daily top stories on the front page of nfl.com]. [Very good article on this here]
Touted this year to make the playoffs, if not go undefeated.
And now they're 5-4. If Umaga is supposed to be quaking in his boots for the poor performance of Toulon, how does Wade Phillips feel about now?
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Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Talkin' about a TITANic Effort
At the start of the NFL season I was reading the ESPN Magazine - which had picked the Titans for the playoffs. Sure, I agreed. They're an above average team which should have no problem making the playoffs. But they aren't winners.
Boy was I wrong. 7-0 run this season [helped by misfortune to other teams, though...]
The rest of the season looks pretty good for their playoff chances too, with games against the Bears, Steelers and a rematch with the Colts seemingly their only obstacles. Next question... Conference winners?
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Monday, October 13, 2008
Will she be white, bro?
In case you missed it, Richard Boock wrote an article on racism in sport in yesterdays Sunday Star Times. BSport had a discussion on the subject, with Lonergan furious at what he percieves as a lack of representation on the board of SPARC and various other sporting bodies.
Now, I agree with Lonergan's points, but do we really need a quota of Polynesian/Maori people on sporting bodies? What is to says that Va'aiga Tuigamala [Lonergan's expert on the subject] is going to be any more representative of the group than somebody from a European-Kiwi background?
Let's not forget that this is New Zealand, where businesses and organisations are bound to stick to certain roles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
As to Boock's belief that there is a racist culture who believes that 'blacks' cannot play in pivotal roles in New Zealand, WHAT?
Mils Muliaina? Ma'a Nonu? Jesse Ryder? Michael Campbell? Piri Weepu?
Those who argue that the lack of Polynesian/Maori's at top level Hockey, Cricket, Athletics etc, I'd suggest you look at American sport. I was having a discussion on the subject with my flatmate who hails from Boston not so long ago. What he was saying was that the reason there are not many black quarterbacks or kickers is to do with the upbringing of these children, not the coaching structure.
What Ben was saying was that the majority of African-American's involved in NFL originally started on a path toward professional basketball. It seems that due to the way the American structure works, these kids get into NCAA Basketball, but get poached by football coaches shortly afterward as the athletic skills required by wide receivers and safety's are similar to those required by basketballers. Ben claims that this is now a career path that kids in the States actively pursue.
On top of that, he said that the kids from the ghetto areas are more likely to go after basketball as they know someone who has 'made it', can participate with friends and... The costs are low, with a ball the only equipment neccessary.
Well, while New Zealand isn't a parallel of that, I think that the 'minor' sports miss out on that Polynesian/Maori experience due to a lack of funding and exposure. When is the last time you heard of a New Zealand Hockey player being sent to Europe for a year to develop their skills? Or how about an NZ football signing a $2m contract?
Now, I agree with Lonergan's points, but do we really need a quota of Polynesian/Maori people on sporting bodies? What is to says that Va'aiga Tuigamala [Lonergan's expert on the subject] is going to be any more representative of the group than somebody from a European-Kiwi background?
Let's not forget that this is New Zealand, where businesses and organisations are bound to stick to certain roles of the Treaty of Waitangi.
As to Boock's belief that there is a racist culture who believes that 'blacks' cannot play in pivotal roles in New Zealand, WHAT?
Mils Muliaina? Ma'a Nonu? Jesse Ryder? Michael Campbell? Piri Weepu?
Those who argue that the lack of Polynesian/Maori's at top level Hockey, Cricket, Athletics etc, I'd suggest you look at American sport. I was having a discussion on the subject with my flatmate who hails from Boston not so long ago. What he was saying was that the reason there are not many black quarterbacks or kickers is to do with the upbringing of these children, not the coaching structure.
What Ben was saying was that the majority of African-American's involved in NFL originally started on a path toward professional basketball. It seems that due to the way the American structure works, these kids get into NCAA Basketball, but get poached by football coaches shortly afterward as the athletic skills required by wide receivers and safety's are similar to those required by basketballers. Ben claims that this is now a career path that kids in the States actively pursue.
On top of that, he said that the kids from the ghetto areas are more likely to go after basketball as they know someone who has 'made it', can participate with friends and... The costs are low, with a ball the only equipment neccessary.
Well, while New Zealand isn't a parallel of that, I think that the 'minor' sports miss out on that Polynesian/Maori experience due to a lack of funding and exposure. When is the last time you heard of a New Zealand Hockey player being sent to Europe for a year to develop their skills? Or how about an NZ football signing a $2m contract?
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