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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:26 pm 
 

killjoy32 wrote:so we got tickets to go see the california angels (they have changed their name now right?)

They have changed it twice since you visited. :)

We're not a sentimental bunch, us 'Mercans. While you islanders can rest assured that, for example, Arsenal FC will still be Arsenal FC 100 years from now, we will change just about anything, especially if the price is right.

All bets went off here in 1958 when the New York Giants and Brooklyn Dodgers (that's roughly Manchester United and Chelsea FC to you non-Yanks) were moved 3,000 miles away to San Francisco and Los Angeles. Even the most naive person at the time knew then that nothing is really sacred here in the colonies.

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 5:59 pm 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:
Badmike wrote:I had friends back int he early 80's who were predicting with all the kids going to soccer camps and playing in high schools, it would be the new popular sport of the 90's and next century.  Instead, as back then, no one really cares.

Soccer is, according to many researchers, by far the most popular sport for American youths (especially considering how many girls play), and every so often I'll run across an article predicting how it is poised to be become "the next big thing" on the American sports landscape.

And it never happpens. Those millions of youth players are largely former players by the time they reach college age ... and then the cycle just repeats. There's absolutely nothing wrong with young people having a fun, healthy, outdoors activity, but what the writers of these articles don't seem to realize is that just because millions of kids play soccer doesn't mean they grow up to become soccer fans. I mean, a lot of kids take piano lessons, too, but that doesn't mean they grow up and attend recitals when they are adults.

Soccer has one chance here: the U.S. men reaching the World Cup final* someday. Even then, for a U.S. league to reach anything approaching the mainstream, the arcane offsides rule would have to be changed — we're Americans; we don't do obscure rules that take 15 minutes to explain.


      Perfectly put.  The statistics say that every year more kids than ever play soccer.  This is the reason grandiose predictions were made decades ago.  Unfortunately as X said, these same kids grow up and drift away to football, baseball, basketball, etc, and then without an outlet to watch professional soccer on television regularly, they become fans of other sports.
  I would add one more chance to the US ever embracing soccer:  If we ever produced such an incredible superstar that the US team could hang their hat on in international play. Sort of a Tiger Woods of soccer....look at how Tiger single-handedly pumped life and popularity into golf.  When I was a kid, other kids took tennis lessons, now they are ALL taking golf lessons.  
  But still, the rules would have to be "americanized" (I.e., more scoring) for US audiences to ever really like the sport.
    Personally, I've never watched a soccer game completely start to finish except when one of my kids or my buddies was playing...professional soccer should be shown to anyone suffering from insomnia before medicine is ever tried... :twisted:

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:05 pm 
 

Blackmoor wrote:
Deadlord39 wrote:Good point. However, that is exactly the reason why I never watch basketball. Games where teams score 50 times each are boring.
Football has the perfect medium. Scoring is not out-of-control, yet happens often enough for enjoyment.


How about Hockey!!  Fast, exiciting, physical and you can play it in the winter :D

Basketball seems to be just a show (at the pro level anyway). It drives me crazy watching all the travelling, fouls and showboating.  Personally I do not get why people watch a sport with no rules :?


I think hockey will benefit eventually by the new rules instituted after the lockout.  Unfortunately, the damage done from the missed season may take an entire generation to undo; ratings were so incredibly dismal this year they may lose their TV contract (again).  Hopefully this is a beneficial warning to the Big Three if they ever again think about missing a season again due to labor troubles.
    I love football, and can watch almost any baseball game, but I have become a bigger basketball fan the last ten years (mostly because of the arrival of one large German named Dirk to my Dallas Mavericks). I would have to admit that at the talent level, basketball players are by far the most athletic of any of the Big Three.  These guys literally do things that are absolutely impossible for 99.9% of the population; there are some real slobs, I'll admit, that can get by in baseball or football; I can't think of any that play on the hardcourt.
  As for no rules, well I wish basketball had LESS rules (eliminate the stupid touch fouls, for example).  I would much rather have brute skill and strength decide a game than a ref's whims, since you can call a touch foul on almost any profession.

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:08 pm 
 

Badmike wrote:   But still, the rules would have to be "americanized" (I.e., more scoring) for US audiences to ever really like the sport.
    Personally, I've never watched a soccer game completely start to finish except when one of my kids or my buddies was playing...professional soccer should be shown to anyone suffering from insomnia before medicine is ever tried... :twisted:

Mike B.


thats the problem isnt it - the world has to be "americanized" for america to like it :)

that aint gonna happen in a million years lemme tell you.

go look on the net - budweiser has some ads in this country for them sponsoring our sport....quite funny, but you will see what i mean if you go find them...

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:46 pm 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:Sniping? Never heard of it ... :)

I use PowerSnipe ... but it's got an annual fee, which, honestly, I'm less than thrilled about.


Bah. Upon further review, I retract any good things I've ever said about PowerSnipe. It's too expensive ($45 annually) and now I'm in a three-way fight with them and my credit card company to reverse my latest charge (I chose not to renew).

I'm giving eSnipe a shot. New users get two weeks for free, then pay only for winning bids. I can already tell that I'll like it better.

For those still snipe shopping: eSnipe

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 6:55 pm 
 

you could always like not use one and hey presto! its free :D

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:07 pm 
 

Sure, but I prefer actually winning an auction every so often. :)

+++++

Sarcasm aside, sniping also removes me from the bad old days of having 15 browser windows open at 3:28 a.m. and hitting "refresh" every three seconds ... life is just way too short for that nonsense.

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:14 pm 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:Sure, but I prefer actually winning an auction every so often. :)

+++++

Sarcasm aside, sniping also removes me from the bad old days of having 15 browser windows open at 3:28 a.m. and hitting "refresh" every three seconds ... life is just way too short for that nonsense.


ah but thats an absolute blast :)

cept when ebay decides not to work in the last 8 seconds  :evil:

tbh i dont bid on enough stuff to prb warrant using one of them programs anyway

let us know how the new one pans out tho...

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 7:27 pm 
 

Badmike wrote:
Xaxaxe wrote:Soccer is, according to many researchers, by far the most popular sport for American youths (especially considering how many girls play), and every so often I'll run across an article predicting how it is poised to be become "the next big thing" on the American sports landscape.

And it never happpens. Those millions of youth players are largely former players by the time they reach college age ... and then the cycle just repeats. There's absolutely nothing wrong with young people having a fun, healthy, outdoors activity, but what the writers of these articles don't seem to realize is that just because millions of kids play soccer doesn't mean they grow up to become soccer fans. I mean, a lot of kids take piano lessons, too, but that doesn't mean they grow up and attend recitals when they are adults.

Soccer has one chance here: the U.S. men reaching the World Cup final* someday. Even then, for a U.S. league to reach anything approaching the mainstream, the arcane offsides rule would have to be changed — we're Americans; we don't do obscure rules that take 15 minutes to explain.


      Perfectly put.  The statistics say that every year more kids than ever play soccer.  This is the reason grandiose predictions were made decades ago.  Unfortunately as X said, these same kids grow up and drift away to football, baseball, basketball, etc, and then without an outlet to watch professional soccer on television regularly, they become fans of other sports.
  I would add one more chance to the US ever embracing soccer:  If we ever produced such an incredible superstar that the US team could hang their hat on in international play. Sort of a Tiger Woods of soccer....look at how Tiger single-handedly pumped life and popularity into golf.  When I was a kid, other kids took tennis lessons, now they are ALL taking golf lessons.  
  But still, the rules would have to be "americanized" (I.e., more scoring) for US audiences to ever really like the sport.
    Personally, I've never watched a soccer game completely start to finish except when one of my kids or my buddies was playing...professional soccer should be shown to anyone suffering from insomnia before medicine is ever tried... :twisted:

Mike B.


Even better for insomnia is Grand Prix racing...not on TV - that is almost tolerable - I mean live at the event. I went ot the Indy 500 one time. You get to sit there and wait for all the cars to whiz by in like 10 seconds or less and then wait maybe a minute or so. It is only slightly more boring than tennis. At least with soccer you get constant motion...I put soccer right up there with hockey...both sports I feel I should like but just can't bring myself to. At least with hockey there is a fair chance of violence.


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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 8:17 pm 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:
Xaxaxe wrote:Sniping? Never heard of it ... :)

I use PowerSnipe ... but it's got an annual fee, which, honestly, I'm less than thrilled about.


Bah. Upon further review, I retract any good things I've ever said about PowerSnipe. It's too expensive ($45 annually) and now I'm in a three-way fight with them and my credit card company to reverse my latest charge (I chose not to renew).

I'm giving eSnipe a shot. New users get two weeks for free, then pay only for winning bids. I can already tell that I'll like it better.

For those still snipe shopping: eSnipe


How many snipes do you do on average per week??

Brette:)

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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 10:36 pm 
 

Marlith wrote:
Even better for insomnia is Grand Prix racing...not on TV - that is almost tolerable - I mean live at the event. I went ot the Indy 500 one time. You get to sit there and wait for all the cars to whiz by in like 10 seconds or less and then wait maybe a minute or so. It is only slightly more boring than tennis. At least with soccer you get constant motion...I put soccer right up there with hockey...both sports I feel I should like but just can't bring myself to. At least with hockey there is a fair chance of violence.


Yeh, but it's all about the heavy drinking....but I agree with you.  I'd rather watch a dog take a dump than one minute of auto racing.  I will never be able to forget one horrific afternoon having to wait for a friend to drive me home from a trip to Memphis, we were stuck at his grandparents house and had to watch the ENTIRE Indy 500 with them and other hillbilly relatives, which btw included no women under 50 years old.  I actually left during the race and walked to a nearby Subway sandwhich shop about a mile away, ate lunch, finished reading the only book I had on me, and walked back, and the MOTHEREFFING race was still going on.  From there I formulated one of my famous RULES OF LIFE, to wit:  "Always take your own car anywhere you go"

Mike B.


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Post Posted: Tue Jun 06, 2006 11:57 pm 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:
Xaxaxe wrote:Sniping? Never heard of it ... :)

I use PowerSnipe ... but it's got an annual fee, which, honestly, I'm less than thrilled about.


Bah. Upon further review, I retract any good things I've ever said about PowerSnipe. It's too expensive ($45 annually) and now I'm in a three-way fight with them and my credit card company to reverse my latest charge (I chose not to renew).

I'm giving eSnipe a shot. New users get two weeks for free, then pay only for winning bids. I can already tell that I'll like it better.

For those still snipe shopping: eSnipe
 

Dude...

http://www.auctionsniper.com

You pay about $0.25 per snipe.  The first three successful snipes are free.  No annual fees.  Great service.  No fees if you don't win.

Tell 'em MShipley88 sent you.

Mark


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Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:02 am 
 

Auto racing is like baseball...you have to know the history of drivers and races.

NASCAR is the king in America....big show, big everything.

Grand Prix racing came to America last year and tried to stage a race at Indy.....and a tire issue caused all but six teams to pull their cars off the track after the warmup laps.

It was a public act of ritual suicide for Grand Prix as far as American markets go:  Too many berets.  Too much wine.  Too many guys in black tights musing about the bleakness of existence.  And, a general sense that the entire Grand Prix world would burst into tears of effete terror if required to run a NASCAR race....very avant garde, but also rather prissy for American tastes.

Mark   8)


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Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:10 am 
 

Another thing to remember about soccer:

American football grew out of soccer...and a bit of rugby.  We just couldn't stand to kick the ball around and never score...we had to come up with some butt-kicking rules and smash the hell out of each other.

Consider this.......

The forward pass was invented by an American visionary named Pop Warner.  The pass was added to football in the hope that it would open up the game and thus reduce the number of deaths.  (Yes)

Very American.

This month's National Geographic magazine has an entire feature about soccer around the world.  One of the articles is about the heroic rise and present, pretty-boy malaise of the English national soccer program.

The only reason America hasn't won the men's World Cup yet is because most of the nation is unaware what the World Cup is.    :lol:

Mark   8)


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Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 12:42 am 
 

MShipley88 wrote:Grand Prix racing came to America last year and tried to stage a race at Indy.....and a tire issue caused all but six teams to pull their cars off the track after the warmup laps.

I'm probably picking nits here, but the U.S. Grand Prix at Indianapolis was first held in 2000, so it does have a little bit of history. The 2001 version, in fact, is well-remembered for being the first major sporting event held on U.S. soil following 9/11. And last year's disaster actually only had three teams race — each team fields two cars.

Like I said, a bit nit-picky ... but, hey, picking apart others' writing is a large part of my income, so it's a habit. :wink:

Auto racing is an acquired taste, for sure. I would never willingly watch a minute of a NASCAR race, but I'll occasionally check out the Formula One highlights on the Speed Channel. And the start of an F-1 race is, hands down, the best 30 seconds in all of sports. It's pure adrenaline.

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Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 1:16 am 
 

Formula 1 actually has a longer history in the US before Indy as well.  They previously held the US Grand Prix in Phoenix.  I've been watching F1 for about 25 years now and love it!  It's a bit of a pain to get up and watch them live but I still do it.  Nascar has been growing on me but in my mind it is a fixed sport.  There are certain aerodynamic templates that each car must follow but there are also a number that are specific to each manufacturer to "even" things out - methinks someone is getting some kickbacks for a millimetre of wing somewhere.

As for Indy, ever since the Indy guy decided he wanted a league that only did ovals and IRL was born - both IRL and Indycart took a crap.  I'm sorry to say but the US does not have enough talented drivers to support one let alone two leagues with these types of cars.  I haven't watched an Indy race (other than F1) for probably 10 years.  One year you have former world champions and big names competing, the next some guy named Billy Boat wins - that was the end for me.

I suppose I have had enough of a rant now :)

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Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 3:11 am 
 

Xaxaxe wrote:Auto racing is an acquired taste, for sure. I would never willingly watch a minute of a NASCAR race, but I'll occasionally check out the Formula One highlights on the Speed Channel. And the start of an F-1 race is, hands down, the best 30 seconds in all of sports. It's pure adrenaline.


F1 racing bores the crap outta me i have to say, as does most car racing events. its one of them to each their own kinda things if you ask me. my ex-wife watches it with a passion. she loves all things italy and is a ferrari fanatic - i think its all very lame myself but there ya go.

only time i ever watched it with interest, was the belgium grand prix some years back (SPA its called) and it was raining quite hard and on the start, there was a massive car pile-up! it was great fun to watch and the race then turned out to be tremendous - interesting stuff. but bar for that - yawn.

watching cars go round and round and round just doesnt do it for me i am afraid.

now going onto our footballer antics...sheesh i tell you, there just aint many sportsmen around anymore. my dad always rants on about one thing "they need to make football shirts with no arms in them, so players cant grab hold of each other"  :D he also hates them spitting and they just seem to save it til the camera is on them in zoom and the public get a nice view of someone doing it :D and not only that, the poor abuse the referee's get. man i would love for one ref to just stand there and go "you said what? get off the pitch (red card)" and just keep doing that til someone gets the point that you are meant to treat officials with at least a little respect. rugby doesnt have that - its 10 times tougher and the refs are treated with great respect.

*sigh* anyway

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Post Posted: Wed Jun 07, 2006 8:53 am 
 

Badmike wrote:
Marlith wrote:
Even better for insomnia is Grand Prix racing...not on TV - that is almost tolerable - I mean live at the event. I went ot the Indy 500 one time. You get to sit there and wait for all the cars to whiz by in like 10 seconds or less and then wait maybe a minute or so. It is only slightly more boring than tennis. At least with soccer you get constant motion...I put soccer right up there with hockey...both sports I feel I should like but just can't bring myself to. At least with hockey there is a fair chance of violence.


Yeh, but it's all about the heavy drinking....but I agree with you.  I'd rather watch a dog take a dump than one minute of auto racing.  I will never be able to forget one horrific afternoon having to wait for a friend to drive me home from a trip to Memphis, we were stuck at his grandparents house and had to watch the ENTIRE Indy 500 with them and other hillbilly relatives, which btw included no women under 50 years old.  I actually left during the race and walked to a nearby Subway sandwhich shop about a mile away, ate lunch, finished reading the only book I had on me, and walked back, and the MOTHEREFFING race was still going on.  From there I formulated one of my famous RULES OF LIFE, to wit:  "Always take your own car anywhere you go"

Mike B.


:lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:  :lol:

Great story Mike.  I am with you there....I have never been into auto racing.  Being a "southerner" I have been stereotyped numerous times.  People just assume people from the South love NASCAR.  Not that it isnt difficult mind you.  Driving around a track with 40 other nuts going over 200 mph without killing yourself is serious talent.  But to me it is just boring as hell.  And that comment coming from someone who loves to watch baseball.  :D

  
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