If there was a pill that would allow you to see the other side of the argument through the other person’s eyes, would we take it or do we just enjoy the fight too much to give it up?
In Ball Four, Jim Bouton wrote that, if there was a pill that would guarantee 20 wins in a season but take five years off your life, every pitcher would take it.
I watched a total of 0.00 seconds of the Super Bowl and I couldn't be more fulfulled.
I picked up my teenage daughter from her friend's house, ate a nice dinner with my family, watched two episodes of "1923" on Paramount with my wife, threw a load of laundry in, then read my book** for an hour or so while enjoying a glass of Iron Smoke whiskey on the rocks.
Not watching is a new tradition for me since the once-glorious event became more about the commercials, the 35-minute halftime, gambling, politics, trash-talking, showboating and on-field celebrations for mundane everyday plays.
This isn't the game I grew up with. That game has long since passed. (Yes, I long for those days of yore.)
[**The book was "Now Taking the Field: Baseball's All-Time Dream Teams for all 30 Franchises" by Tom Stone - highly recommended!]
Also, Lindsey Vonn is an example of the way the US does Olympic qualifying. There are different ways to qualify in different sports, but everybody has a fair chance to make it. It is a very big deal just to get to go to the Olympic qualifiers for swimming, track and field, etc. And every Olympics, some awesome veteran swimmer doesn’t qualify for an event, because a young up and comer beats them at the trials. That’s America! In China or Russia, the government selects who will go. I’ll take our method
But the best stories are in the "Universality places":
"FINA and IAAF allow each nation two “universality places” — one for a male athlete, one for a female athlete — in case none of that country’s athletes are actually good enough to compete on merit. So no matter what, every country can enter two athletes and two swimmers, should they so choose."
"The parade of unqualified athletes is a strange thing to witness. The crowd isn’t quite there yet—they know the people they want to see will swim later. Nobody has come here from Palau or Guinea-Bissau to cheer these athletes on. But as the races occur, whatever audience is in the building begins to realize it’s their job to support these athletes."
"We admire the athletes who pull off spectacular athletic achievements and make it look easy. We should also take a moment to admire these athletes who make it look incredibly, incredibly hard. They’ve worked and fought for their painful moments on the Olympic stage in ways runners and swimmers from more competitive countries might not have. And they did it without the allure of potentially winning: They did it just to say they did it.
"A popular sentiment on social media during the Olympics has been that it would be intriguing to watch a normal person attempt to complete the same events as elite Olympians. It’s already happening, if you know where to watch — and it inspires exactly the feelings you expect. Both awe for the superheroes who go for gold, and fascination with the men and women who try even though they’ll never come close."
When I heard about and later saw Lindsey Vonn’s crash I remembered one of Joe‘s lines. In fact, I’ve repeated it numerous times when discussing sports – time is undefeated. But upon further reflection, I don’t think that’s right. Maybe time always gets the last victory. But time is not undefeated. Lindsey Vonn has beaten time numerous times. So did Satchel Paige, Tom Brady, etc.
Very well said. I could not agree more. Thanks again.
If there was a pill that would allow you to see the other side of the argument through the other person’s eyes, would we take it or do we just enjoy the fight too much to give it up?
I rarely watch the Super Bowl, or any football for that matter, decided to watch this year. Obviously I picked the wrong game to come back to. Awful.
In Ball Four, Jim Bouton wrote that, if there was a pill that would guarantee 20 wins in a season but take five years off your life, every pitcher would take it.
The Beatles😀
Word.
Yes, curling! Bocce on ice!
You can objectively determine who wins. If there is a doubt, they measure objectively. No subjective judging before we know who the winner is.
That's my Rule for determining if something is a Sport.
"A Sport is a competition between teams or individuals based on physical skill *that produces an objective result*."
My hot take is that Rita Moreno should have been included. I assume she could not travel at 94 but missed opportunity.
I ascribe to the same mindset. People seem to need/want to make everything a black and white issue, when at least to me, much of the world is gray.
Hot takes exist because they get people worked up and talking, to the point where people will tune in just to get mad. And it works.
Better than Prince? Or U2 in 2002? Come on, Joe. That's next-day-ism at its best.
I watched a total of 0.00 seconds of the Super Bowl and I couldn't be more fulfulled.
I picked up my teenage daughter from her friend's house, ate a nice dinner with my family, watched two episodes of "1923" on Paramount with my wife, threw a load of laundry in, then read my book** for an hour or so while enjoying a glass of Iron Smoke whiskey on the rocks.
Not watching is a new tradition for me since the once-glorious event became more about the commercials, the 35-minute halftime, gambling, politics, trash-talking, showboating and on-field celebrations for mundane everyday plays.
This isn't the game I grew up with. That game has long since passed. (Yes, I long for those days of yore.)
[**The book was "Now Taking the Field: Baseball's All-Time Dream Teams for all 30 Franchises" by Tom Stone - highly recommended!]
I'm heartened by the fact that a 93-year-old man could have a teenage daughter. Good show, sir!
Love it!
So spot on Joe. Thanks.
Also, Lindsey Vonn is an example of the way the US does Olympic qualifying. There are different ways to qualify in different sports, but everybody has a fair chance to make it. It is a very big deal just to get to go to the Olympic qualifiers for swimming, track and field, etc. And every Olympics, some awesome veteran swimmer doesn’t qualify for an event, because a young up and comer beats them at the trials. That’s America! In China or Russia, the government selects who will go. I’ll take our method
But the best stories are in the "Universality places":
"FINA and IAAF allow each nation two “universality places” — one for a male athlete, one for a female athlete — in case none of that country’s athletes are actually good enough to compete on merit. So no matter what, every country can enter two athletes and two swimmers, should they so choose."
"The parade of unqualified athletes is a strange thing to witness. The crowd isn’t quite there yet—they know the people they want to see will swim later. Nobody has come here from Palau or Guinea-Bissau to cheer these athletes on. But as the races occur, whatever audience is in the building begins to realize it’s their job to support these athletes."
"We admire the athletes who pull off spectacular athletic achievements and make it look easy. We should also take a moment to admire these athletes who make it look incredibly, incredibly hard. They’ve worked and fought for their painful moments on the Olympic stage in ways runners and swimmers from more competitive countries might not have. And they did it without the allure of potentially winning: They did it just to say they did it.
"A popular sentiment on social media during the Olympics has been that it would be intriguing to watch a normal person attempt to complete the same events as elite Olympians. It’s already happening, if you know where to watch — and it inspires exactly the feelings you expect. Both awe for the superheroes who go for gold, and fascination with the men and women who try even though they’ll never come close."
https://www.sbnation.com/2016/8/19/12467438/rio-olympics-2016-athletes-small-nations-richson-simeon
When I heard about and later saw Lindsey Vonn’s crash I remembered one of Joe‘s lines. In fact, I’ve repeated it numerous times when discussing sports – time is undefeated. But upon further reflection, I don’t think that’s right. Maybe time always gets the last victory. But time is not undefeated. Lindsey Vonn has beaten time numerous times. So did Satchel Paige, Tom Brady, etc.
I really admire her courage.
Whoa... slow down Joe. It was a very fun halftime show, but better than Prince? Uhhhh, I think not!
best ever halftime show, hands down - great music, fabulous dancing and cavorting, and maybe best of all, a truly spectacular cultural celebration