SPORTS BALL!!! v2.0

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Racist Racing driver Kyle Larson drove in the Indy Car Indianapolis 500 Sunday. He was also slated to drive in the NASCAR Cup Series in Charlotte, NC almost immediately afterwards, 575 miles away. Welp, he wrecked himself out in Indy, jumped on a plane, and wrecked out in Charlotte too. Couldn't have happened to a nicer fella. Also, is there any other profession where you can cause hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages in a matter of hours in two completely different states and still be considered "good" at your job let alone keep it?
 

Xprimentyl

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My buddy ominously texted me "Well, we don't have worry about the Eagles this year." I asked why, and he clarified: "Saquon Barkley in on the cover of Madden 26."

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I am not superstitious; I'll walk under any ladder, break any mirror, salt goes on my fries and not over my shoulder, I OWN a black cat, etc., but I believe, nay, I KNOW the Madden curse is real. One could argue that players that make the Madden cover are substantially exceptional, thus other teams scheme for them specifically which subjects those players to more opportunities for contact and furthermore injuries, or that under the weight of he honor, cover players play harder to clear the bar they've set, and get injured pushing themselves, maybe a mixture of the two, but no, it is simply a very real occult force.
 
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Kyrian007

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My buddy ominously texted me "Well, we don't have worry about the Eagles this year." I asked why, and he clarified: "Saquon Barkley in on the cover of Madden 26."

I am not superstitious; I'll walk under any ladder, break any mirror, salt goes on my fries and not over my shoulder, I OWN a black cat, etc., but I believe, nay, I KNOW the Madden curse is real. One could argue that players that make the Madden cover are substantially exceptional, thus other teams scheme for them specifically which subjects those players to more opportunities for contact and furthermore injuries, or that under the weight of he honor, cover players play harder to clear the bar they've set, and get injured pushing themselves, maybe a mixture of the two, but no, it is simply a very real occult force.
The thing I found interesting about EA's choice... football fans know and remember this moment. To us it reminds us of an absolutely incredible moment of athleticism and perfect timing.

To everyone else... It kind of looks like a freeze frame at the start of a video that would end with the Jackass riff playing. Or the freeze frame of a "and that's when he knew... he fucked up" meme.

Otherwise in sports, I really haven't been paying much attention. My Blackhawks were terrible, my nephew moved away from Seattle so our burgeoning fascination with the Kraken was cut short. And I got a sort of "promotion" (increased responsibility outside my department with a 'maybe sometime' promise of increased pay) at my job that required I give up producing the sports talk show that I was working on. So I'm no less poor, and work is much less fun. On the plus side, I have been following the Stanley Cup Finals with interest because Edmonton's goaltender used to play for my local minor league team (well, for about a month on a rehab stint... but still.) And I did get to use my connections to score seats at a Sporting KC match a month ago or so. 3rd time I've caught a match in the last 5 years, and it is a blast. It was Sporting vs St. Louis City, and SLC fans travel well... provided it is just across Missouri on I-70. The atmosphere is nuts for that matchup.
 
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Xprimentyl

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Valtteri Bottas, currently serving a reserve role with Mercedes F1, posted a video on social media of him being shown a Cadillac SUV. He's shown the open driver's side door and simply comments that it's a "nice seat." Everyone noticed the obvious: Cadillac is set to join the Formula 1 grid in 2026 as an 11th team, and Bottas is hinting he might get one of their two seats.

I'm trying to temper my expectations, but I won't deny being... a little excited. He got screwed over at Sauber when they dicked around with his contract all the while leading him to believe it was a formality before dumping him entirely. My hope is that Cadillac, wanting to make positive waves, are a bit more professional and banking on Bottas' 10 wins of experience to start the team with at least one, solid and experienced driver. I'm further hoping that such an obvious hint means he's far enough along in negotiations to feel comfortable starting the rumor mill.
 

Xprimentyl

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Athletes in any sport don't like the cocky new player that's proclaimed the best player ever.

The thing I don't get is how legit sports analysts have a legit take that Angel Reese is better than Clark.
I don't follow the WNBA, but a talking head on ESPN said if you put Angel Reese in a gym by herself for 24 hours with a basketball and a hoop, she'd come out afterward with 17 points and and 10,000 rebounds. Can't speak to the nuance of that sentiment, but I can smell mad disrespect from a mile away. Harsh? Yes. Funny? Also yes.
 
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Xprimentyl

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CEO and team principle Christian Horner has been fired from defending world champion Red Bull Formula 1 team. :oops: Man, this is big. Red Bull is already struggling this year despite several consecutive years of dominance, and this is effectively chopping off the head of the snake. Who knows how Red Bull is going to look the rest of this seasons let alone the next and beyond; they still have Max Verstappen (for now,) but you can tell even he is tired of carrying the team since they can't find him a competitive teammate. 20 years Horner gave Red Bull, built them to this, and in just a few races, he was made disposable. I knew F1 loyalties were fickle, but if ever one wanted to point at an example, THIS is it. I can't wait to see how Drive To Survive spins this for maximum drama.

 

Xprimentyl

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Helluva weekend of racing!

Formula 1’s Oscar Piastri managed to eke out a win in rainy Belgium, overtaking his teammate Lando Norris (who actually won pole) almost immediately. It looked like a foregone conclusion he would win given every driver started on intermediate tyres due to the wet conditions, but when things dried out, and they pitted Piastri (in P1) for mediums only to then pit Norris (P2) for hards, my gut fell. The hards could carry Norris (chasing his teammate within a few seconds) to the end of the race, but the medium compound Piastri was on was suspect. They even radioed him and asked how they felt, and he mentioned degradation concerns with +20 laps to go. But he managed well; despite Norris gaining almost a second per lap, Piastri carried those medium tyres to a win extending his lead in the WDC. Again, I picked a good horse in lieu of Bottas to save my fandom for this 2025 season. Rumors are still roiling that the Cadillac contract for Botas is all but done, but until I get a confirmation, I’m not getting my hopes up.

Then in Indianapolis, Bubba Wallace won NASCAR!! I didn’t get to see most of the race, but saw him contending at the front until he took the lead with 4 laps to go, and a red flag came out which compressed the field and put his win in jeopardy. Race even went into overtime, but he kept his elbows out and Kyle Larson at bay to get his first uncontentious win in the sport. He’s the only black driver, and I’m like one of about 32 black fans, so he’s my driver by default. I’m happy for him, and happy that he did so by besting the guy who was prohibited from the sport for dropping racial slurs a few years ago; that’s the kind of victory you can’t pay for.
 

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Do ... do they think basketball is as popular here as soccer is or something? Sure, basketballs popularity has soared this last decade, possibly outstripping traditionally popular sports like tennis or cycling, but the gap between soccer and whatever the nr 2 is, is vast. No European basketball team has 500 mil just for the NBA name.

Also, what would they even call it? NBA Europe? ENBA? Sure, if you think Europe is a country, which considering the average American's knowledge of geography, they actually might.
 

Xprimentyl

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Do ... do they think basketball is as popular here as soccer is or something? Sure, basketballs popularity has soared this last decade, possibly outstripping traditionally popular sports like tennis or cycling, but the gap between soccer and whatever the nr 2 is, is vast. No European basketball team has 500 mil just for the NBA name.

Also, what would they even call it? NBA Europe? ENBA? Sure, if you think Europe is a country, which considering the average American's knowledge of geography, they actually might.
So the whole diva mentality goes above the players to the fundamentals of the organization? Hmm, yet another reason for me to not like basketball. If I'm being honest, the more interesting and deserving story is the WNBA over anything the NBA is doing of late. Not following the sport (basketball is just boring to me,) but I respect the hell out of those women who play with passion for a fraction of the salary the men get. Imagine trying to extort expansion in another country while your own women are playing the same game (often technically better) for pennies on the dollar.
 
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So the whole diva mentality goes above the players to the fundamentals of the organization? Hmm, yet another reason for me to not like basketball. If I'm being honest, the more interesting and deserving story is the WNBA over anything the NBA is doing of late. Not following the sport (basketball is just boring to me,) but I respect the hell out of those women who play with passion for a fraction of the salary the men get. Imagine trying to extort expansion in another country while your own women are playing the same game (often technically better) for pennies on the dollar.
Yeah, I'm with you on just not liking basketball in general. Although, TBT just recently ended. And its Elam Ending basketball makes the game at least twice as watchable as traditional College or NBA basketball. For those who don't know. At the final tv timeout (aprox 4 minutes left) the clock is shut off and 8 points is added to the leading team's score and that sets a target score. Whichever team reaches the target score wins. It completely eliminates the final garbage minutes of a basketball game (all the intentional fouling to stop the clock) and ensures that the game always ends on a made basket (and never someone dribbling out the clock.) And in my opinion, that one change makes the game at least twice as watchable.

Oh, Xprimentyl... enjoy Skyy Moore. I know you needed WR's... well on the positive side; when he's not broken he can provide the occasional big gainer. You'll just have to put up with some drops here and there.
 
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Yeah, I'm with you on just not liking basketball in general. Although, TBT just recently ended. And its Elam Ending basketball makes the game at least twice as watchable as traditional College or NBA basketball. For those who don't know. At the final tv timeout (aprox 4 minutes left) the clock is shut off and 8 points is added to the leading team's score and that sets a target score. Whichever team reaches the target score wins. It completely eliminates the final garbage minutes of a basketball game (all the intentional fouling to stop the clock) and ensures that the game always ends on a made basket (and never someone dribbling out the clock.) And in my opinion, that one change makes the game at least twice as watchable.

Oh, Xprimentyl... enjoy Skyy Moore. I know you needed WR's... well on the positive side; when he's not broken he can provide the occasional big gainer. You'll just have to put up with some drops here and there.
Huh, never heard of TBT. I wish I'd have known; I'd have given it a shot. My buddy's adage [for the NBA] is basically "the first team to 100 points wins," and I've found he tends to be right, so not sure how TBT rules fix that. I guess given the final minutes tend to be the most exciting of any given game, so eliminating the clock makes sure they play hard the whole time, and a better watch, but still, adding 8 points to the leading team? What if the score is 110 to 94? I'd imagine it's still an easier path to score 2s and draw fouls to score 8 points than it'd be for the losing team to do the same to score 24. I'd propose if the score differential is less than 20, do the final 4 minutes of the 4th with a target of the differential, e.g.: if, with 4 minutes to go in the 4th, teams are at 118 to 104, play until someone scores 14. If the differential is greater than 20, then clearly the better team earned the majority, so play out existing [NBA] rules. I dunno, just spitballing about a sport I know little about. Maybe just call the game over when it's apparent the only way for the losing team to comeback are the boring tactics nobody likes, e.g.: if you're down 87 to 115 with a minute and a half? Fuck it; call the game.

As for Skyy Moore... let's just say, sight unseen, I'm reticently hopeful. I trust our front office, though they've made it hard to do so at times. My guess is someone saw something we we're not privy to and invested in him. Else? Yet another dude inexorably relegated to the IR as our luck tends to find our best players. Hey, maybe he can function as a decoy to let McCaffrey get back to form, i.e.: defend a Super Bowl champion receiver, or an injured running back?
 

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Huh, never heard of TBT. I wish I'd have known; I'd have given it a shot. My buddy's adage [for the NBA] is basically "the first team to 100 points wins," and I've found he tends to be right, so not sure how TBT rules fix that. I guess given the final minutes tend to be the most exciting of any given game, so eliminating the clock makes sure they play hard the whole time, and a better watch, but still, adding 8 points to the leading team? What if the score is 110 to 94? I'd imagine it's still an easier path to score 2s and draw fouls to score 8 points than it'd be for the losing team to do the same to score 24. I'd propose if the score differential is less than 20, do the final 4 minutes of the 4th with a target of the differential, e.g.: if, with 4 minutes to go in the 4th, teams are at 118 to 104, play until someone scores 14. If the differential is greater than 20, then clearly the better team earned the majority, so play out existing [NBA] rules. I dunno, just spitballing about a sport I know little about. Maybe just call the game over when it's apparent the only way for the losing team to comeback are the boring tactics nobody likes, e.g.: if you're down 87 to 115 with a minute and a half? Fuck it; call the game.

As for Skyy Moore... let's just say, sight unseen, I'm reticently hopeful. I trust our front office, though they've made it hard to do so at times. My guess is someone saw something we we're not privy to and invested in him. Else? Yet another dude inexorably relegated to the IR as our luck tends to find our best players. Hey, maybe he can function as a decoy to let McCaffrey get back to form, i.e.: defend a Super Bowl champion receiver, or an injured running back?
With his speed, Moore could be a pretty decent decoy that you could occasionally air one out to on a short yard situation 1st or 2nd down where a drop won't be critical. When it works it will net some decent yards and ensure that you have to at least have someone out on him.

TBT or The Basketball Tournament is an open tournament started in partnership with ESPN. It is a winner take all tournament with a $1,000,000 prize. It consists of mostly teams made around players who formerly played college basketball and get back together for the tournament. Kind of like alumni teams. This year's winner, the Aftershocks, were founded by former Wichita State players. The TV affiliation has since switched to Fox Sports, and they have always used the Elam ending.

It does have to be 8 points to the leading team. A blowout is still a blowout, sure. But it will be a blowout without two dozen clock stoppages and umpteen freethrows. Which are about as exciting as watching an intentional walk. It also just in general de-incentivizes intentional fouling to stop the clock. So playing to draw fouls, isn't really a great strategy even if you are the team that only needs 8. It also ensures that every game ends on a made basket. There is a game winning shot, every game. Not the usual made free throw and then a dejected dribble out the clock or another missed heave from half to full court.
 
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It does have to be 8 points to the leading team. A blowout is still a blowout, sure. But it will be a blowout without two dozen clock stoppages and umpteen freethrows. Which are about as exciting as watching an intentional walk. It also just in general de-incentivizes intentional fouling to stop the clock. So playing to draw fouls, isn't really a great strategy even if you are the team that only needs 8. It also ensures that every game ends on a made basket. There is a game winning shot, every game. Not the usual made free throw and then a dejected dribble out the clock or another missed heave from half to full court.
Then it ultimately begs the question what was the point of the preceding 3.75 quarters of play? If we're just going to decide the actual goal for winning in the final minutes, are not the preceding hours of play for nothing? By this logic, they should simply set a static goal from the first quarter, like my buddy said: first to 100 wins. At least that way, the terms don't suddenly change for arbitrary reasons when games should be getting exciting.

Just saying, basketball has to fundamentally change if it wants to garner viewership that's not rolling its eyes at the moments most other sports have fans standing on their feet. Some ideas, most I know are completely irrational, but again spitballing:

  1. TKOs: blowouts (or healthy leads with nominal time left) are called when comebacks are far enough out of reach that no one should reasonably expect them so fans don't waste their time watching slow-paced humiliation or a farce of faked fouls.
  2. Shorter shot clock: 24 seconds doesn't sound like much, but I've seen enough hemming and hawing as players try to strategize a highlight drive to the basket that ultimately fails to think a better 5-man team mentality, creative passing, and less time to do it in might make for better spectacle.
  3. Laxer foul calling: The game stops every 9 seconds because person A hurt person B's feelings. Give me a break. These are adults playing a physical sport; let's not stop the world when the sport gets PHYSICAL. Not saying "no fouls," just don't call the one's that can be flopped for team or personal gain.
  4. Dunks are worth ONE point: Hot take, for sure, but assuming most NBA players are capable of the athleticism required to dunk a ball, my feel is a dunk and and shot from just within the 3-point line should not merit the same value. Could also serve to showcase who plays for the team, and who plays for themselves, a distinction basketball has a nigh unique issue with. OR...
  5. Dunks are worth FIVE points: In conjunction with bullet #3, make dunks, the ultimate disrespect, the most valuable scoring option, but don't call "foul" on defensive players trying to stop them happening by virtue of existing in the paint.
 
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Xprimentyl

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It's finally fucking official: Valtteri Bottas and Sergio Perez return to the Formula 1 grid with Cadillac in 2026!!!!!!!!!


Now, I just have to wait for that sweet, sweet VB77 Caddy swag...
 
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I'm so freakin' stoked right now. This kind of successful experience with a Ferrari (that is to say "capable") engine... Just get the aero design right, and let these boys fucking COOK! It really helps that I like Checo. Even when he was "the enemy" at Red Bull, I liked him, leagues more than his teammate Max Verstappen. I felt RB did him dirty and have been paying for it since as well the should. My hope is that Cadillac comes out as a strong midfield team. I'm not so crazy as to expect them to challenge McLaren, Red Bull, or even Mercedes, but Aston Martin, Alpine, Racing Bulls? Yeah, Bottas and Perez can do some damage there, and with a bit of good fortune and safety cars, compete for some decent points.

LET'S GO, 2026!!!

 

Xprimentyl

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NFL season is underway, and my Niners *kicked it off with injuries to Kittle, Jennings, and Purdy is now questionable against the Saints in week 2. Typical... At least we beat the Seahawks! :confused:

But the BEST news to come of out of week 1, *WE FIRED JAKE MOODY!!!! If you've ever seen Ace Venture: Pet Detective, Jake Moody is basically 1:1 Ray Finkle; I imagine he's already cross-dressing on the job at the Santa Clara police department. He had been a pox on our team for too long, and had every real fan questioning why he lasted as long as he did. First time in the game he got called up for a gimme chip shot from within 30 yards? Doinked it. Next time? Blocked. Dude is cursed. It's so bad, I've gone from anger to feeling sorry for the dude. I wish him all the best... SOMEWHERE ELSE.
 
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NFL season is underway, and my Niners *kicked it off with injuries to Kittle, Jennings, and Purdy is now questionable against the Saints in week 2. Typical... At least we beat the Seahawks! :confused:

But the BEST news to come of out of week 1, *WE FIRED JAKE MOODY!!!! If you've ever seen Ace Venture: Pet Detective, Jake Moody is basically 1:1 Ray Finkle; I imagine he's already cross-dressing on the job at the Santa Clara police department. He had been a pox on our team for too long, and had every real fan questioning why he lasted as long as he did. First time in the game he got called up for a gimme chip shot from within 30 yards? Doinked it. Next time? Blocked. Dude is cursed. It's so bad, I've gone from anger to feeling sorry for the dude. I wish him all the best... SOMEWHERE ELSE.
What is surprising me the most so far, 2 weeks into the season, Is the lack of panic here in Chiefs territory. They are 0-2, I was expecting meltdowns and demands for cuts and firings. Instead, all I'm hearing is "ehh, that first loss was in Brazil. They were having travel difficulties." And, "Well they only lost by 3 to the current Super Bowl champions." And, "we're getting Rice back from injury." As if Rashee Rice is something more than a decent Sophomore receiver who would be #2 or 3 on 85% of WR depth charts in the league.
 
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