hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 17, 2010 15:01:13 GMT -5
In a very tasteless move, the International Olympic Committee blames the death of the Georgian luger on "driver error." Then they proceeded to shorten the course and installs assorted safety precautions. Then they had the nerve to say that they didn't do it to make the course safer, but rather to make the lugers "feel safer." That's sort of like Nascar saying that Earnhardt dies at Daytona several years back because of driver error. Yes, they made the HANS system required, but they didn't do that to make the sport safer, but rather to make the drives "feel safer."
Sheesh ... what next?
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 17, 2010 14:53:40 GMT -5
Speaking of curlers who are ... pleasing to the eye, shall we say ... I just saw a highlight of Canada winning their match. I don't know what you call her, but the chick who slides the stone for their team is definitely smokin'. She can take me to the house anyday.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 23:54:51 GMT -5
In all honesty, I must have the disclaimer that I didn't see most of the game. But after getting back from a date night with my wife, I did see the Kentucky-Miss. St. game from about the 9 minute mark in the second half on. The game went into overtime and the Wildcats won. That, in and of itself, isn't really surprising. And given the fact that the Gators own the head-to-head over MSU combined with the fact that the SEC east is now 20-5 against the SEC west, my comments are certainly unbiased. Even though I don't like the arrogant and pompous elitism that Kentucky basketball and its fans espouse, the consensus opinion is that it is in the Gators best interests for the SEC east to continue its dominance. So I was "rooting" ... ok ... reluctantly but subtlely hoping that the Cats would win. That being said, there were 3 very crucial calls down the stretch that were atrocious. There were also another 4 or 5 that were very, very questionable. Every single one of them went Kentucky's way. Had the game been at Rupp Arena, then maybe that wouldn't be so shocking. But the game was in Starkville and in front of a record crowd. That was baffling. Kentucky -- clearly the better team -- did all they could to give State a shot to win. But the stripes bailed them out a multitude of times. There was a blatant charge that was called a block. I know that is the "toughest call" in the game, but the Cat player lowered his shoulder and ran through the defender. On another occasion, there was a "foul" on a jump shot. At first, I thought it was a dumb foul. The overhead view confirmed that it was a phantom foul. No contact WHATSOEVER, and even if there had been, it would have been the epitome of a "touch" foul, generated by the follow through of the shooters hand grazing the perfectly upright arm/hand of the jumping defender. (That call alone, could have been understandable, had the nature of the calls been consistent, but that was not the case.) Finally, there was a drive in overtime by State, trailing by 3 with about 30 seconds to play. The layup clearly hit the backboard and was almost certainly on the way down when either Cousins or Patterson goaltended it. Not only did MSU not close to within 1, but they were forced to foul immediately, allowing the Cats to expand the lead to 5.
I was really glad I wasn't an MSU Bulldog fan.
The game ended with much "debris" lofted onto the court. Even though I'm against such displays, I can't say that I blame them.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 15:27:15 GMT -5
Supposedly, the story getting the most press is that the NCAA is wanting to avoid the boom of corporate logos adorning players' attire. I was half-way kidding when I called it the "Tebow Rule," but there is a good bit of talk that the timing of the concern for the issue is at least conspicuous. I honestly don't know what to think. I just wish they would stop looking for ways to screw with things. Let's face it. That will be tough to enforce in principle. They could easily enforce in in practice, but if someone really wanted to, he could have a tatoo resembling eyeblack. I don't see how the NCAA could enforce a no tatoo rule ... unless it was vulgar in some manner. Then if tatoos are "allowed" at least through acquiescence, then the next step would be a temporary tatoo. What's the difference between a temporary tatoo that might last 3 or 4 days, and eyeblack that last 3 or 4 hours? I just think the entire isssue is silly and a non-event.
By the way, rooter nailed it:
It's nice to see the NCAA concerning itself with such important topics. Doesn't everyone realize that eye black is the cause of all things that are wrong with college football?
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 15:10:00 GMT -5
Cam wtote:
Yeah, a dime bag is more your bag. We know...
Now come on. Be fair. I live in Florida and have for almost all of my life. So you have to understand my total unfamiliarity with curling. As for what is "my bag," touche' ... but if I's interested in a dime bag, then things are tough.
Stig, you had more in more than a mild chuckle. "Man, that's a lot of rocks."
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 15:04:39 GMT -5
Yeah, but you're kind of an idiot, aren't you? I defy anyone to watch a full match and tell me they don't get completely sucked in. Boz, you're a hoot! In all seriousness, I have watched some matches before. And if the USA is playing ... err ... rolling ... err ... hurling ... err ... curling ... then I'll watch. It isn't all that exciting, but all it takes is a vested interest, and otherwise boring stuff can be at least mildly entertaining. Also, as I recall, the women's team had a couple of real lookers last time. But I am not afraid of saying that I have zero idea if any of the players are the same. But from my almost non-existent knowledge of the sport, I would still guess that a curling career can last quite a while ... unlike boxing for example -- well, unless you're Teofilo Stephenson.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 13:15:07 GMT -5
I just meant that when you start to think you have a handle on how the conference stacks up, you run into this past couple of weeks. Georgetown mauls Duke then loses to USF at home. Then gives Nova a beat down only to stumble against Rutgers. Louisville looks awful against West Va. but then shocks Syracuse on the Orange home floor. UConn, looking like they are just waiting for the season to end, puts out perhaps their best effort of the season and wins at Nova. Additionally, how many games has one team started out with a big -- 15, 16 point lead early -- only to then lose by double digits? it just seems like an especially odd year. But you are correct with the unbalanced schedule, you can't go purely by conference records alone.
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 12:35:33 GMT -5
shuffleboard on ice isn't my bag
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 11:39:48 GMT -5
and the strange season in the BE continues.
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Post by hifigator on Feb 16, 2010 11:37:00 GMT -5
westend, you misunderstood me. I'm not praising the guy. I hate it when guys leave and then go become successful somewhere else. I can wish them well but still find some quiet satisfaction when they sort of disappear. But when they all of a sudden get better, I feel like we missed out on something. When said player is then integral in helping beat my other team, that just makes it all the worse. I was just curious, of those who saw the games, if they thought Mitchell had developed into a good player or was it a sort of fluke. That's all I meant.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 15, 2010 17:23:28 GMT -5
757, you know not what you say. That has been covered ad nauseum.
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Post by hifigator on Feb 15, 2010 16:23:18 GMT -5
I didn't get to see the game, but I noticed that Mitchell had a good game. SO I looked into it. Sure enough, that is the same Jonathon Mitchell who left Florida a couple of years ago. He was here for 2 years and showed "not one single basketball skill" in the words of a guest that covers Gator hoops. Then I found out that Mithcell had a "career high" against Georgetown in Rutgers' blow out loss to the Hoyas earlier. He bettered that with 22 and 7 boards yesterday. For those who saw the game, was he that good or was it scheme related? For the same guy to have such outlying numbers twice sure seems odd, although I haven't watched him play much at all since he left Florida.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 15, 2010 16:16:55 GMT -5
RDF, incidentally, here is some info on that story: jacksonville.com/sports/college/florida_gators/2010-02-15/story/university_of_florida_football_player_gary_brown_suspThere are a couple of important things to take note of. Brown was immediately suspended from all team activities. That includes eating with the team at the dorm as well as use of team facilities -- weight rooms etc... Furthermore, Meyer has, from the very beginning, had a very short fuse on matters such as this. There is just no room for guys who beat up women. That being said, if you read the article it is a bit vague. He struck with an open hand ... I'm not justifying it, just pointing out that when you hear "striking," that isn't exactly what you think of. I'm not defending the guy. At the level where you are being treated to a first class education as well as a potential meal ticket to the bigtime and the wealth that comes from playing in the NFL, you have to bend over backwards to keep your nose clean and Brown obviously didn't do that. Still, just from this account, I'm not sure dismissal is warranted. But if the charges remain, then Mr. Brown will probably never play for Flroida. In any case, this would make the 3rd 5* Defensive tackle that we have lost in just 3 years. That is brutal.
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Post by hifigator on Feb 15, 2010 13:41:16 GMT -5
I thought Macklin played OK, other than the obvious charity stripe difficulties. And as I mentioned in the other thead, our free throw issues are limited to Vern. 22-46 in the two games last week -- both losses. Ugh ...
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Post by hifigator on Feb 15, 2010 13:34:39 GMT -5
For anyone interested, the Gators were awful from the line last week. In contributing heavily to an 0-2 week, Florida, as a team, was 22-46 from the free throw line. In Saturday's loss to Xavier, Vern Macklin was 0-5. Ugh ... But it wasn't his "fault," specifically. Walker, Parsons and Tyus all missed key shots down the stretch. Florida, which battled back from a 16 point deficit in the first half, to take a 2 point lead at 54-52, couldn't overcome the misses from the charity stripe.
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Post by hifigator on Feb 13, 2010 12:55:44 GMT -5
Among other considerations, the NCAA is looking into what is being termed the "Tebow Rule" down here. They are considering a rule which would require any eyeblack to be solid black -- no colors, words, logos or graffiti of any kind. Personally, I think this is yet another example of meddling for no good reason. Players have said "Hi Mom" or had their home area code displayed on their eyeblack for years. But now that Tebow displayed Bible verses under his eyes, the powers that be are now considering outlawing any such displays. Ugh ... We might have different opinions on that one. This one, we will probably agree: msn.foxsports.com/cfb/story/ncaa-proposes-rules-changes-for-taunting-and-concussionsUgh, that's just what we need -- officials with even more discretionary authority and power to impact the game Thoughts?
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Post by hifigator on Feb 13, 2010 12:13:31 GMT -5
The Olympics always suck. All of a sudden I'm supposed to care about skiing and ice dancing because Visa and Coca Cola have put on a big show. Gimme a break. As soon as the wife went to bed, flipped right to WVU-Pitt. De gustibus non est disputandum. Personally, I love to watch the skiing event, especially the Downhill! Nothing more exciting than watching the world's best skiers flying down the mountain! Single most exciting event in the Olympics -- summer or winter. Aside from curling, sychronized swimming and ballroom dancing I presume you mean.
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hifigator
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Post by hifigator on Feb 13, 2010 11:36:14 GMT -5
I've posted this link in previous years. It's kind of interesting. The formula has been tweaked, and with the new adjustments, it would have successfully predicted over 97% of the bids over the 9 year period since they first came out with the formula. That works out to an average of missing on ony 1 spot per year. www.unf.edu/~jcoleman/dance.htmIsn't 3 percent of 64 (or 65) actually closer to 2 spots per year? Must be swamp math. OK, mr genius, the 97% is of at large teams, not the entire field. There are 34 at large spots. So take your shoes off and start counting. When you get done with the math, get make to me ... err ... make that, put your shoes back on and then get back to me. exorcist wrote: As discussed the last time this was posted, almost anyone can predict with an error of one a year who's going to make the tourneyActually, no. Almost anyone can predict within an error of 3 who's going to make it, but the difference between 1 and 3 is dramatic. In fairness, the newest listings are using the new, tinkered formula. If the goal is sheerly past accuracy rather than future predictions, then tinkering with the formula after the fact could be done specifically to achive highest accuracy. But then again, I think the whole principle is that actual facts from the past are the "best" predictor of future selections. Only time will tell. Oh, and USC is expected to just miss the tourney. His rankings are purely a mathematical analysis. USC games are factored in just like all others. Obviously, their relative position in the rankings wouldn't factor in at the end, but the impact of their games during the season do as they normally would,
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Post by hifigator on Feb 13, 2010 11:28:39 GMT -5
At the risk of attracting criticism ... ok, it's going to come my way regardless ... that being said, there is a game of interest down this way today, and not just because it involves the Gators. In a rare conference season, out of conference matchup, Xavier comes to the O'Dome to face the Gators. They have been talking about this for several weeks now. With both teams likely to be somewhere in the bubble vicinity, the winner of this game has a significant leg up on the other, as well as another quality win that will weigh in heavily come selection Sunday. It's not a "must" win for either team, but given that it's a home game for the Gators, they certainly have more to lose. And closing out the season with matchups against Tennessee, Vandy and lastly Kentucky on the road, wins down the stretch won't come easily. 6pm on ESPN for anyone interested .. yeah, right. But in all seriousness, this "bracketbuster" type of game is worth mentioning.
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Post by hifigator on Feb 13, 2010 11:23:01 GMT -5
Its ok, stay on the Pro board I have to admit, you got more than a mild chuckle out of me on that one. Well done.
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