The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

[ehh]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Boxing is the most vicious and grueling sancationed sport in the world. I have more respect for a boxer and his toughness, than I do for any NFL player.

I don't think anyone w. a shred of intelligence would disagree w. this statement.

[ehh]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Actually the growth of humans naturally has been a slow and incremental climb. It's only been in the 20th century that it has skyrocketed.

Anywho on to the point, I agree that basketball and hockey surfaces should be bigger. The same goes for football. In fact i'd love to see what the NFL would be like with NFL rules on a CFL sized field.

The only thing I disagree about is the size of baseball fields. Some ballparks are kinda small but more often then not the size is quite fine. I don't really think we need every MLB team having huge spacious fields like the Tigers and Padres have right now.

I'm not sure if you were talking to me or not, but I didn't mention baseball as a game that needed to be changed. I think it's the only one of the four major sports that is fine.

Also, golf is an example of adjusting. Courses get longer, tougher, more hazards, etc.

[SPTO]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Also, golf is an example of adjusting. Courses get longer, tougher, more hazards, etc.

Sorry bout that the first part about human growth was to you and the rest of it was to Massnole.

I'm not a big golf fan but the lengthening of courses has RUINED the game for the most part. The smaller sized courses can be just as tough if the sanctioning bodies (USGA, PGA, RCGA, RGA) were actually allowed to do course setups the way they want to.

You notice how golfers complain about some of the British Open courses it's not because the courses are bigger it's because they're made tougher. The PGA also has basically complete control over the US Open and that tournament while played on some bigger courses are a lot tougher then your run of the mill "hack it a mile then go for birdie" courses that you see littering the tour these days.

[jmood88]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

I don't think anyone w. a shred of intelligence would disagree w. this statement.

I think wrestling would be a close second to boxing though, wrestling is the hardest thing I've ever done.

[jdros13]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Sorry bout that the first part about human growth was to you and the rest of it was to Massnole.

I'm not a big golf fan but the lengthening of courses has RUINED the game for the most part. The smaller sized courses can be just as tough if the sanctioning bodies (USGA, PGA, RCGA, RGA) were actually allowed to do course setups the way they want to.

You notice how golfers complain about some of the British Open courses it's not because the courses are bigger it's because they're made tougher. The PGA also has basically complete control over the US Open and that tournament while played on some bigger courses are a lot tougher then your run of the mill "hack it a mile then go for birdie" courses that you see littering the tour these days.

While you are entitled to your opinion, you are incorrect on many of the things you state as fact.

• The USGA has control of the US Open, it is not a PGA event
• A lot of american golfers complain about the conditions at British Open courses, not the difficulty. The average score is actually almost always lower (further under par) at the British than at the US Open
• It is the PGA Tour that is responsible for the "hack it for a mile then go for birdie" setups in the weekly events. The only "Tour" events that the PGA Tour is not the sanctioning body for are the Masters (Augusta National does the set up), US Open (USGA), British Open (R&A), and the PGA Championship (PGA of America). I could be wrong about the World Golf Championship events, but I'm pretty sure they are also run by the PGA Tour.
• The PGA is not the same as the PGA Tour. The only events that the PGA of America is responsible for that you would see on TV are the PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup

As a PGA professional, I would agree that the lengthening of courses has weakened the game, but more at the daily fee / country club level than at the professional level. We have gotten to the point where a course is looked down upon if it isn't at least 7000 yards from the tips, and more golfers than ever are playing from distances that simply don't suit their skill level. Additionally the conditions that we see on TV even in the run of the mill weekly tournaments are not realistic at your everyday course, and courses that would actually try to emulate those set ups would actually see their course conditions suffer in the long run. Play one of the TPC courses a few months out from their tournament, and I would bet you find the conditions are nowhere near what you see on TV...that's because it is unhealthy for the turf to be like that. The courses that get US Open style set ups literally lose their greens from time to time due to the stress put on them during the event.

The equipment that players are using today on tour is infinitely better than it was even 15 years ago - not so much to me for how far the guys can hit it...the long hitters still hit it long - but rather in how straight their misses are. That is where I have seen the difference anyway. If anyone that is a golfer can remember back to life before the Pro VI, there is also a pronounced difference in the golf ball as well - the ball goes further, stays more consistent (doesn't go out of round), spins more. This is why the prevailing strategy is to hit it as far as you can - because on the majority of course set ups they can still control the distance of their next shot out of the rough. IMO all the pros are playing on a level field though, so they are still identifying the best golfer for the week, but you don't see any real strategy other than at the penal set ups found in the majority of the US Opens and at the British when the weather is bad. Personally I prefer the US Open style of golf, where par is actually a good score, but I am probably in the minority as far as the golf viewing public is concerned....there is a reason that the tour sets up their events the way they do. They have had to lengthen courses to keep everyone from being able to bomb it out there 290+ and then hitting wedge or 9 iron on every hole. The only other option would be to make the rough as penal as it is during the US Open, but that is not what people want to see...if it was I'm sure they would have done it.

The US Open is coming back to Merion in a couple of years...and I'll be very interested in how that classic course holds up. They didn't go nuts trying to make it 7200 yards or anything, so at under 7000 yards we will have to see if today's player is able to overpower it...somehow I don't think they will.

Sorry for the ramble there, and I'm sure I got off point somewhere, anyway....

Staying on a golf topic, I'll add to the blasphemy thread:

Phil Mickelson's "everyman" demeanor is a joke, as is the general public's inexplicable support of him. He is rather the poster boy for the spoiled professional golfer, and Tiger Woods should be infinitely more popular than him for his skill level, his desire to constantly improve, and his determination to perform at his best every time he steps on the course.

[SPTO]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Thanks for some corrections there Jdros. So you're a PGA pro eh? That's interesting.

I still contend that my overall complaint is pretty much true. If there's a brand of golf I would prefer to watch it's golf on the older courses that have withstood the test of time.

[jdros13]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Thanks for some corrections there Jdros. So you're a PGA pro eh? That's interesting.

I still contend that my overall complaint is pretty much true. If there's a brand of golf I would prefer to watch it's golf on the older courses that have withstood the test of time.

And I don't disagree with you, just the way you got to some of your points. I also agree that it has hurt the game in general. But I also understand the reason why the tour (and the sanctioning bodies for the majors) have done what they have done. For example, the "Tiger Proofing" that was done at Augusta wasn't really to keep Tiger and the other long hitters from winning, it was to seperate those with length from those without. I find the US Open fascinating because it annually makes the game a test between the straight hitters vs the long hitters. Those courses have been lengthened because they don't want the long hitters to be able to hit 2 Iron or 3 Wood and have 9 Iron in...if they are going to lay back, they should be hitting longer clubs into the greens.

Many of the new "juiced" courses are cookie cutter, lack character and are basically driving demonstrations with putting contests to determine the winner. If you make putts you win in other words. I hope that they find a way to run a successful major event on an "out of date" course. Merion will be the first test of that, and I really hope they succeed.

Just to clarify, I am a PGA Professional (club pro), not a Tour guy...my game in no way comes close to the level of those guys...I wouldn't even say my game is anywhere near 90% of the people trying in some way to make a living on the smallest mini-tours....there is a reason they say in the commercials "These guys are good." They play for a living, and it shows.

[ehh]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

I think wrestling would be a close second to boxing though, wrestling is the hardest thing I've ever done.

I think wrestling is 2nd, but I don't think it's that close. How many wrestlers die or have the post-career injuries that boxers have?

In boxing people are making direct, hard blows to your head repeatidly over the course of a bout - with no protective head gear. In wrestling, you wear head gear, and I think that puts it a notch below boxing.

[dkgojackets]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Hitting a baseball is one of the toughest skills to master in all of sports. Right up there with NASCAR (actually all motor racing for that matter) in terms of sheer difficulty.

I mean, it is not hard to pick up basic basketball or football ability at all. I have a lot of respect for hockey players, as I can't even skate a circle around the rink without falling down.

[JayBee74]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Great thread idea. I'll start it off...

Tom Brady is the most overrated player in football. He's not very accurate, he can't throw a deep ball to save his live. He's made his living off dink and dunk passing, a great defense, a great coaching staff and lots of home field advantage in the playoffs but will still go down as one of the best QB's in history.

Either that, or I just can't stand him because of all the Brady ball washing that I have to listen to in New England.

Tom makes it look easy. He's the best QB in the game.

[nc0ffey]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

What about the Minnesota game?


And I figured my Seinfeld comment would spark some discussion.

Seinfield reminds me...I found out today that I work and teh nexxus of the universe or whatever, the road heading in to the campground side of one of the parks (I work Parks and Rec) intersects with...ITSELF! Cane Creed Rd meets Cane Creek Rd...I had never noticed...I found this out because I stopped at an accident scene because our camp store lady was one of the cars involved so I stopped to wait with her and give her a ride to her house if she had needed one...and when she was on the phone with the insurance company I looked up to see what the roads at the intersection were to tell them where the accident happened...and sure enough!

[skitch]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

Tom makes it look easy. He's the best QB in the game.

He may be among the smartest, but I wouldn't say he's the best QB. He's made a living off a system of dink and dunks.

[Flyboy]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

What About Brian? is the best television show on television. Period. Network AND cable. It's that damn good.

Dawson's Creek featured the best couple on any television series or movie that I've witnessed.

[MassNole]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

What About Brian? is the best television show on television. Period. Network AND cable. It's that damn good.

Dawson's Creek featured the best couple on any television series or movie that I've witnessed.

In Pacey and Joey or Dawson and Joey?

[MassNole]

Re: The Sports and Entertainment Blasphemy Thread

In honor of Michael Jordan, I believe that the NBA should change its logo from the old of Jerry West to one of MJ shooting a fade away.