I was going to put up a post about how tired I am of the whole LeBron free agency hoopla, and then I figured why waste my time? Anybody with half a life is over this already.
Call me when (if?) LeBron finally wins something that matters (and don't count on it happening next year). I think he went to Miami so he can play with someone who is "The Man", because LeBron has shown that he is not.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
The worst officials in pro sports ...
Gotta be the NBA. I have no idea what constitutes a foul or traveling anymore. If I recall correctly, traveling is anything past the first 1.5 steps, and a foul is when you create contact that alters the shot. I have literaly seen players cradle the basketball under their arm like a football and take three full steps toward the basket, no call. Push a guy in the paint to alter his shot - no foul. Graze a guy's arm after he has released - foul. It's more about what the refs allow to happen than it is about calling the game by the rules.
Baseball is a close second, and not just because of the blown call by the first base ump that ruined the perfect game last week. At least that guy admitted his mistake. I'm trying to figure out when they changed the rule requiring that you need to tag a runner or a base to record an out. Now, the only thing that matters is "did the ball beat the runner?". Forget about whether or not the runner slid under the tag, or the shortstop missed the bag. Details, details.
The problem with basketball and baseball is that outcomes of games hinge on the decisions of the officials. They aren't merely enforcing the rules, they are interpreting them. Very bad for those sports, because with most officials bias creeps in, and we're not paying to see them perform or affect the outcome.
In football and hockey, the officials enforce the rules, they don't interpret them. The rules are defined clearly, and if the officials see a violation, they call it. The problem with these sports is that the games are so fast, the officials miss some calls. Which is why football (and hockey, to a limited extent, mostly to review goals) both use replay. Not because the officials make bad decisions, but because both sports move so fast that the officials are bound to miss some of the things that are happening. Replay allows that to be corrected.
It's amazing to me that basketball and baseball officials miss so many calls considering that they know exactly where to look on every play! The sports don't move that fast, and all you have to do is follow the ball to know where the action is. Basketball is played on a relatively small surface, compared to the other sports, so there's not that far to move to see what is going on. Nothing is ever out of eyesight. Baseball, despite the size of the field, has the added advantage of being able to predict where most of the plays will occur and (theoretically) station officials to have the best possible view. Compare that to football and hockey, where the officials are running up and down the field on every play. That's why you don't see fat boys working NFL and NHL games, but baseball will always have more than it's share of Joe Wests (who got fined recently for making terrible calls).
Bottom line, in football and hockey the officials call what they see, and they work hard to see most of it. In basketball and baseball, officials call whatever they want, whether they see it or not.
Baseball is a close second, and not just because of the blown call by the first base ump that ruined the perfect game last week. At least that guy admitted his mistake. I'm trying to figure out when they changed the rule requiring that you need to tag a runner or a base to record an out. Now, the only thing that matters is "did the ball beat the runner?". Forget about whether or not the runner slid under the tag, or the shortstop missed the bag. Details, details.
The problem with basketball and baseball is that outcomes of games hinge on the decisions of the officials. They aren't merely enforcing the rules, they are interpreting them. Very bad for those sports, because with most officials bias creeps in, and we're not paying to see them perform or affect the outcome.
In football and hockey, the officials enforce the rules, they don't interpret them. The rules are defined clearly, and if the officials see a violation, they call it. The problem with these sports is that the games are so fast, the officials miss some calls. Which is why football (and hockey, to a limited extent, mostly to review goals) both use replay. Not because the officials make bad decisions, but because both sports move so fast that the officials are bound to miss some of the things that are happening. Replay allows that to be corrected.
It's amazing to me that basketball and baseball officials miss so many calls considering that they know exactly where to look on every play! The sports don't move that fast, and all you have to do is follow the ball to know where the action is. Basketball is played on a relatively small surface, compared to the other sports, so there's not that far to move to see what is going on. Nothing is ever out of eyesight. Baseball, despite the size of the field, has the added advantage of being able to predict where most of the plays will occur and (theoretically) station officials to have the best possible view. Compare that to football and hockey, where the officials are running up and down the field on every play. That's why you don't see fat boys working NFL and NHL games, but baseball will always have more than it's share of Joe Wests (who got fined recently for making terrible calls).
Bottom line, in football and hockey the officials call what they see, and they work hard to see most of it. In basketball and baseball, officials call whatever they want, whether they see it or not.
Sunday, June 6, 2010
10 Songs to think about ...
It's a cheap trick, especially for the second post. I admit it's an easy way to create content without putting a lot of thought into it. At least I'm not calling it a top 10 list. It's just a list of ten things. Don't read it if you object to this sort of gimmick.
Anyway, here goes - 10 songs I like to listen to and think about ... in no particular order ...
8) Right and Wrong by Joe Jackson (not talkin bout the right or left ... talkin bout right and wrong)
3) Fallin and Flyin by Stephen Bruton (funny how fallin feels like flying for a little while)
6) Love My Way by the P Furs (you can never win or lose if you don't run the race)
1) Rocks Off by The Stones (the sunshine bores the daylights out of me)
10) It's a Shame About Ray by The Lemonheads (I've never been too good with names but I remember faces)
5) Ship of Fools by World Party (save me from tomorrow, I don't wanna sail with this ship of fools)
2) Slow Emotion Replay by The The (everybody knows what's goin on in the world, but I don't even know what's goin on with myself)
4) Across the Universe by The Beatles (words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup)
9) Reflecting Light by Sam Phillips (now that I've worn out the world I'm on my knees in fascination)
7) Cheap Thrills by Frankie Miller (I can't help the things I love, I've always been a victim of cheap thrills)
I told you they were in no particular order.
Anyway, here goes - 10 songs I like to listen to and think about ... in no particular order ...
8) Right and Wrong by Joe Jackson (not talkin bout the right or left ... talkin bout right and wrong)
3) Fallin and Flyin by Stephen Bruton (funny how fallin feels like flying for a little while)
6) Love My Way by the P Furs (you can never win or lose if you don't run the race)
1) Rocks Off by The Stones (the sunshine bores the daylights out of me)
10) It's a Shame About Ray by The Lemonheads (I've never been too good with names but I remember faces)
5) Ship of Fools by World Party (save me from tomorrow, I don't wanna sail with this ship of fools)
2) Slow Emotion Replay by The The (everybody knows what's goin on in the world, but I don't even know what's goin on with myself)
4) Across the Universe by The Beatles (words are flowing out like endless rain into a paper cup)
9) Reflecting Light by Sam Phillips (now that I've worn out the world I'm on my knees in fascination)
7) Cheap Thrills by Frankie Miller (I can't help the things I love, I've always been a victim of cheap thrills)
I told you they were in no particular order.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
Why a blog named "My Carbon Footprint"?
Why a blog? Because my kids have blogs. Therefore, having a blog makes me appear younger and more relevant. The chance to express my opinions anonymously and without opposition has nothing to do with it. Nor does the appeal of seeing myself splashed across the internet.
Why "My Carbon Footprint"? Three reasons (in the order I thought of them):
1. I like the sound of it - catchy and topical;
2. Carbon footprints are a big focus these days, so people might actually be interested in reading it; and
3. Apparently people are willing to believe anything relating to carbon that comes from a computer, no matter how wrong it is (just ask the folks at East Anglia).
But those are just the reasons for the name. The true inspiration for the name ... will be discussed in another post.
What will appear in this blog? Basically, any musing or rant that occurs to me, once I actually care enough to spend some time writing about it. It's my own personal broadcasting device. What's written may be controversial, but hopefully it will also be throught provoking. I believe it is important to understand how someone thinks, even if you don't agree with them.
Anyway, enough of this, the post is already longer than I intended (that's a bad habit of mine). However, before closing, I'd like to give a couple of shout-outs:
1. Thanks to smac for being the real catalyst and getting me interested in this, and
2. Thanks to ek who has encouraged the effort.
Why "My Carbon Footprint"? Three reasons (in the order I thought of them):
1. I like the sound of it - catchy and topical;
2. Carbon footprints are a big focus these days, so people might actually be interested in reading it; and
3. Apparently people are willing to believe anything relating to carbon that comes from a computer, no matter how wrong it is (just ask the folks at East Anglia).
But those are just the reasons for the name. The true inspiration for the name ... will be discussed in another post.
What will appear in this blog? Basically, any musing or rant that occurs to me, once I actually care enough to spend some time writing about it. It's my own personal broadcasting device. What's written may be controversial, but hopefully it will also be throught provoking. I believe it is important to understand how someone thinks, even if you don't agree with them.
Anyway, enough of this, the post is already longer than I intended (that's a bad habit of mine). However, before closing, I'd like to give a couple of shout-outs:
1. Thanks to smac for being the real catalyst and getting me interested in this, and
2. Thanks to ek who has encouraged the effort.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
