SPORTS BALL!!!

[Phoenixmgs_v1legacy]

And I feel he?s getting too much credit far too soon in his career. This was only his second year starting; let?s see 3-4 decisively winning seasons and consistent competitiveness before we crown him King of Sports. Look at Tom Brady, the unarguable G.O.A.T. of the NFL; see what he did last season without his go-to weapons? I?m saying, let?s give all this credit this year to the CHIEFS, of which Mahomes is a significant boon of several. HOF nods belong to those who show greatness AND some longevity, c?mon. You can look at Mahomes now and see HOF potential, certainly, but comparing his record to that of someone who just ended a 16-year career with two Super Bowl wins isn?t fair to Manning. Do I think Manning belongs in the HOF? Nope. Yeah, ?two Super Bowls,? but they?re bookended by significant mediocrity and downright awfulness, but at least it gives [me] a big enough sample set to say the highlights are far outweighed by the lowlights. Mahomes has seen the playoffs twice, and only made it past the Conference championship once, and won one Super Bowl, and he?s done all that surrounded by HOF talent. Good start, but that?s it: a good START.

I don't see anything at all that will stop Mahomes from having a few more great seasons outside of injury. It's been 2 full seasons and no defense has figured him out, which means he is legit good (vs the league just hasn't caught up to him). Outside of the talking head pundits saying how awesome he is, there is actual film breakdowns of him being able to analyze defenses along with making throws probably only he can make. Is he the wisest QB out there analyzing defenses? Nope, but he's good enough at it. Mahomes did ask for the play on 3rd and 15 in the Super Bowl that was the 44-yard play to Hill. He's more than just a guy doing what great coaches tell him with amazing players at the skilled positions. In the playoff game he did lose the the Patriots last year, he did lead 2 scoring drives in the 4th quarter that gave the Chiefs the lead along with another one that tied the game. Like I said above, a QB alone can't win playoff games but can get you to said playoffs; Drew Brees would probably have just as many rings as Brady if he was the Patriots QB. With 2 great years already under Mahomes' belt, how many more would you say someone needs to be a HOFer? I'd say around 6 years of being great (arguably the best in the league/position) would be HOF worthy, especially in football which has less longevity than other sports. I'd say Luke Kuechly's a HOFer. No one argues that Sandy Koufax sholdn't be a HOFer with 6 great seasons in a sport where longevity is considered more important than football. Outside of injury, and with the Chiefs team having great weapons for at least a couple more years, how do you see Mahomes not being in the conversation of MVP?

 

[tippy2k2]

I only caught the first game but The XFL was...surprisingly not shit.

I dig the kickoff/punt rules. I dig the mics on the field.

I don't dig the "one foot in bounds is a catch" and the player interviews mid-game.

I don't know if it'll stay decent or not (easy to be good when it's your first, super high energy and excitable day but can it stay that way for an entire season, even a severely shortened one) but the league has my slightly intrigued at least. Which to be honest is a lot more than I had expected out of it...

 

[Xprimentyl]

I only caught the first game but The XFL was...surprisingly not shit.

I dig the kickoff/punt rules. I dig the mics on the field.

I don't dig the "one foot in bounds is a catch" and the player interviews mid-game.

I don't know if it'll stay decent or not (easy to be good when it's your first, super high energy and excitable day but can it stay that way for an entire season, even a severely shortened one) but the league has my slightly intrigued at least. Which to be honest is a lot more than I had expected out of it...

I watched all of the XFL games this weekend, and I agree, it was pretty damn good. Certainly a lot better than I anticipated.

I also really liked the kickoff format. It just makes sense; let both the kicking and receiving lines meet on even ground and put the onus on good blocking and the return man finding holes.

I was not as big a fan of some of the mics on the field; I don?t like the coaches? play calls being public domain. I know they play call in code, but some sideline chatter also speaks to their play call mentality, and watching broadcast television, an opponent can literally hear how other teams think. I guess if they?re ALL doing it, the advantage is mitigated, but still?

And I REALLY liked the transparency of the booth reviews. Rather than just replaying the different angles and the commentators speculating on what the call might be, the booth is mic?d up and you can see the play being reviewed and exactly what they?re thinking and saying in real time.

All in all, it scratches the football itch and bridges the depression gap between the Super Bowl and the NFL draft. I?ve already picked a favorite team based solely on their logo: LET?S GO NEW YORK GUARDIANS!!!

 

[Xprimentyl]

For the past few years, I and a few friends have met up at our local watering hole on NASCAR Sundays to get on ?The Card.? The Card is a simple scratch off with 10 blank lines, each with a hidden number, 0-9; we pay $5, sign a line, and the numbers are revealed; whoever ends up with the number that the winning car?s number ends in wins the pot, i.e.: if #48 wins, whoever has ?8? wins $50. It started as a ?for fun? excuse to drink, the gambling adding a level of excitement to the otherwise boring ?sport,? but over the years, we?ve genuinely gotten into it a bit.

Anyway, NASCAR kicked off Sunday at Daytona, and much to even my surprise, it was really exciting! There was a rain delay Sunday after only 20 (of 200) laps, so the race was postponed until Monday afternoon, and when they started up again, there was a wreck every 2 minutes, and wrecks are about the only exciting thing to watch for. During the last 12 laps (which at +180mph, should have taken about 5 minutes,) there was at least 3 wrecks, and it took almost an HOUR to play out, The final wreck occurred in the last couple hundred yards where the Ryan Neman (#6 and a longshot to win) overtook the assumed winner Denny Hamlin (#11) only to get bumped in the back, spin out of control, hit the wall, flip over, burst into flames, and skid on his roof to a halt as Hamlin flew by to take the win. Denny Hamlin received some flak for celebrating with his team while emergency crews were still trying to get Newman out of the flaming wreckage that used to be his car; he ended up in the hospital in serious condition. It was insane.

Over those few hours, the low roar of my little group?s excitement soon spread to the whole bar; it was soon on every TV and damn-near every other bar patron was watching and yelling with us. It was awesome; televised NASCAR has never been that exciting.

 

[tippy2k2]

https://twitter.com/AdamSchefter/status/1237917809977499654

I don't really care about basketball but this is almost certainly one domino that might just crash the entire sports world down. One player on the Utah Jazz tested positive for Corona and now the entire league has to shut down (since it's likely like....half the damn teams would have to go into quarantine at this point).

Right now it's a sport I don't really care about but it's only a matter of time before hockey, soccer, and hell, maybe even football if this ish is still around get taken down by this

 

[Xprimentyl]

Also, the NCAA tournament is to be played without fans in attendance. Like you, basketball isn?t a sport I care for, but I know it?s more than significant for them to shut down and willingly miss out of the kind of money these games bring in.

 

[SupahEwok]

Soccer fans when that gets canceled:

edit: but add fire

 

[tippy2k2]

I can only find one unsourced tweet but MLS is supposedly suspending operations now too

edit: but add fire

I'll get my lighter and gas can!

EDIT: It's confirmed

https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1238125536150421505

 

[tippy2k2]

https://twitter.com/BrettCyrgalis/status/1238141361380929540

There goes the NHL now. Suspended.

Only a matter of time now before the hold outs join. MLB, March Madness, and Olympics I think are the only big guns still standing (with MM as of now at least saying no fans in the stands, though most seem to think it's gonna also get cancelled/pushed back now)

 

[tippy2k2]

There goes everything else. March Madness is cancelled, MLB Spring Training, The MLS season, even friggin golf! Most of the European Soccer Leagues are also down too.

I think The Olympics haven't "officially" been cancelled yet but as of now, sports ball in general seems to be toast for the next month for sure...

 

[Xprimentyl]

There goes everything else. March Madness is cancelled, MLB Spring Training, The MLS season, even friggin golf! Most of the European Soccer Leagues are also down too.

I think The Olympics haven't "officially" been cancelled yet but as of now, sports ball in general seems to be toast for the next month for sure...

Yeah, dude; this is unreal. I was listening to sports radio on my way into work today, and they made an interesting point. Normally, when the world goes upside down (9/11, mass shootings, war, political unrest, etc.,) we?d turned to sports as a retreat from the austerity of our reality. Now sports IS the austerity of our reality in that the something we want to escape is taking them away from us. No NBA, no NCAA tournament, no MLB, no MLS. NASCAR is supposed to run on Sunday, but with no fans in the stands; I wouldn?t be surprised if the end up cancelling that too.

 

[tippy2k2]

There goes everything else. March Madness is cancelled, MLB Spring Training, The MLS season, even friggin golf! Most of the European Soccer Leagues are also down too.

I think The Olympics haven't "officially" been cancelled yet but as of now, sports ball in general seems to be toast for the next month for sure...

Yeah, dude; this is unreal. I was listening to sports radio on my way into work today, and they made an interesting point. Normally, when the world goes upside down (9/11, mass shootings, war, political unrest, etc.,) we?d turned to sports as a retreat from the austerity of our reality. Now sports IS the austerity of our reality in that the something we want to escape is taking them away from us. No NBA, no NCAA tournament, no MLB, no MLS. NASCAR is supposed to run on Sunday, but with no fans in the stands; I wouldn?t be surprised if the end up cancelling that too.

I honestly believe that a lot of Americans started taking Corona seriously (maybe too seriously looking at the shelves of my local Target) once the NBA shut down. I had been to Target on Saturday; TP, bleach wipes, canned goods; everything was still around.

I went on Thursday night (so less than 24 hours after The NBA suspended the season); the canned soups are wiped out, most canned veggies are gone, zero TP left, zero bleach wipes left, ONE thing of hamburger left; the place was absolutely hammered.

This is obviously anecdotal evidence but most of the American panic seemed to have happened once everyone realized this isn't to be taken lightly and most people realized it was being taken lightly until the sports went away

 

[Xprimentyl]

There goes everything else. March Madness is cancelled, MLB Spring Training, The MLS season, even friggin golf! Most of the European Soccer Leagues are also down too.

I think The Olympics haven't "officially" been cancelled yet but as of now, sports ball in general seems to be toast for the next month for sure...

Yeah, dude; this is unreal. I was listening to sports radio on my way into work today, and they made an interesting point. Normally, when the world goes upside down (9/11, mass shootings, war, political unrest, etc.,) we?d turned to sports as a retreat from the austerity of our reality. Now sports IS the austerity of our reality in that the something we want to escape is taking them away from us. No NBA, no NCAA tournament, no MLB, no MLS. NASCAR is supposed to run on Sunday, but with no fans in the stands; I wouldn?t be surprised if the end up cancelling that too.

I honestly believe that a lot of Americans started taking Corona seriously (maybe too seriously looking at the shelves of my local Target) once the NBA shut down. I had been to Target on Saturday; TP, bleach wipes, canned goods; everything was still around.

I went on Thursday night (so less than 24 hours after The NBA suspended the season); the canned soups are wiped out, most canned veggies are gone, zero TP left, zero bleach wipes left, ONE thing of hamburger left; the place was absolutely hammered.

This is obviously anecdotal evidence but most of the American panic seemed to have happened once everyone realized this isn't to be taken lightly and most people realized it was being taken lightly until the sports went away

As I guessed they would, the postponed NASCAR?s next two races.

I had a similar experience at my local grocery store: toilet paper wiped out, meat coolers empty, canned good shelves bare. I don?t know what to think. On one hand, they tell us just wash your hands and take common sense precautionary measures, then on the other, they?re shutting down billion dollar sports institutions. I like to think I?m fairly level headed, not subject to the ignorance-induced panic the masses often are, but even I?m like: what the hell IS going on?

 

[Xprimentyl]

Now they?ve postponed all NASCAR until May. Aaaaand the NFL Draft Events have been cancelled; they?re still going to televise something, they just aren?t sure what, maybe just Roger Goodell reading off names from a room somewhere. Yay. COVID-19 might be able to keep us from watching sports, but damn it, we can still talk about them.

Free Agency kicked off yesterday. My Niners traded away Deforest Buckner to the Colts for a mid-1st round pick. Ouch. He was one of our defensive studs that made us so deadly on defense last year. But we locked down Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward, and Nick Bosa ain?t going anywhere, so the band hasn?t completely broken up.

And the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals, which means Kyler Murray has another significant weapon along with Budda Baker and Kenyan Drake that the Niners get to face twice a year. We already struggled with them last year; this isn?t going to make it any easier.

The Dallas Cowboys franchised tagged Dak Prescott. Look, I won?t bridle my rabid hatred for the Cowboys organization, but they have a few individuals whom I respect, and this was a dick move. When you?ve got QBs like Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill getting healthy contracts after only showing intermittent glimmers of promise while Prescott has been nothing if not consistently one of the best things on the entire team for 4 years on a chump salary, how ?America?s Team? and it?s billionaire owner can?t find the money to pay the man what he deserves is beyond reason. Especially when Jerry Jones showed he?s more than willing to buckle like a $4 belt when he let Zeke Elliot play the entitled brat card (i.e.: sitting out at practices, flying to Mexico) and ultimately gouge him for far more than he ended up being worth.

And it?s official: TOM BRADY IS LEAVING THE PATRIOTS. He becomes a free agent for the first time in 20 years tomorrow. Wow. I?ll be honest, I was mostly tired of hearing about Brady these past few weeks because it was a foregone conclusion he was staying, and now he?s actually gone. Last time I felt this shock was 2016 when I woke up to find Trump had actually been elected. Question is now, where does he go? Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gunning pretty hard because God knows Jameis Winston is consistently a better QB for the other team, but I don?t know if TB12 is the answer. I don?t know where he belongs; I can?t even fathom him in another uniform at this point.

 

[tippy2k2]

Now they?ve postponed all NASCAR until May. Aaaaand the NFL Draft Events have been cancelled; they?re still going to televise something, they just aren?t sure what, maybe just Roger Goodell reading off names from a room somewhere. Yay. COVID-19 might be able to keep us from watching sports, but damn it, we can still talk about them.

Free Agency kicked off yesterday. My Niners traded away Deforest Buckner to the Colts for a mid-1st round pick. Ouch. He was one of our defensive studs that made us so deadly on defense last year. But we locked down Arik Armstead and Jimmie Ward, and Nick Bosa ain?t going anywhere, so the band hasn?t completely broken up.

And the Texans traded DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals, which means Kyler Murray has another significant weapon along with Budda Baker and Kenyan Drake that the Niners get to face twice a year. We already struggled with them last year; this isn?t going to make it any easier.

The Dallas Cowboys franchised tagged Dak Prescott. Look, I won?t bridle my rabid hatred for the Cowboys organization, but they have a few individuals whom I respect, and this was a dick move. When you?ve got QBs like Carson Wentz and Ryan Tannehill getting healthy contracts after only showing intermittent glimmers of promise while Prescott has been nothing if not consistently one of the best things on the entire team for 4 years on a chump salary, how ?America?s Team? and it?s billionaire owner can?t find the money to pay the man what he deserves is beyond reason. Especially when Jerry Jones showed he?s more than willing to buckle like a $4 belt when he let Zeke Elliot play the entitled brat card (i.e.: sitting out at practices, flying to Mexico) and ultimately gouge him for far more than he ended up being worth.

And it?s official: TOM BRADY IS LEAVING THE PATRIOTS. He becomes a free agent for the first time in 20 years tomorrow. Wow. I?ll be honest, I was mostly tired of hearing about Brady these past few weeks because it was a foregone conclusion he was staying, and now he?s actually gone. Last time I felt this shock was 2016 when I woke up to find Trump had actually been elected. Question is now, where does he go? Tampa Bay Buccaneers are gunning pretty hard because God knows Jameis Winston is consistently a better QB for the other team, but I don?t know if TB12 is the answer. I don?t know where he belongs; I can?t even fathom him in another uniform at this point.

You forgot my Vikings fleecing the hell out of The Bills!

Diggs (who clearly did not want to be here because he seems to be a giant man-child) for a 1st rounder, 4th rounder, 5th rounder, and 6th rounder? Hell to the yeah, don't let the door hit you on the way out Diggs!

Curious to see if Spielman (our GM) will use all his extra capital to move up and grab a big name or just use what we've got to fill in some of the holes we need filled.

Although what in the flying fuq is Houston thinking with that trade? Diggs isn't the talent level of Hopkins but we got way more for our WR . DJ and a 2nd rounder for one of the best WRs in the game? Four years ago this MIGHT have been fair when DJ looked like God in RB form but now they took what looks like a backup RB at best (a backup RB that is costing you $12,000,000) and a 2nd round pick for arguably one of the best WRs in the game.

I just don't get it...

 

[Xprimentyl]

Snip

You forgot my Vikings fleecing the hell out of The Bills!

Diggs (who clearly did not want to be here because he seems to be a giant man-child) for a 1st rounder, 4th rounder, 5th rounder, and 6th rounder? Hell to the yeah, don't let the door hit you on the way out Diggs!

Curious to see if Spielman (our GM) will use all his extra capital to move up and grab a big name or just use what we've got to fill in some of the holes we need filled.

Although what in the flying fuq is Houston thinking with that trade? Diggs isn't the talent level of Hopkins but we got way more for our WR . DJ and a 2nd rounder for one of the best WRs in the game? Four years ago this MIGHT have been fair when DJ looked like God in RB form but now they took what looks like a backup RB at best (a backup RB that is costing you $12,000,000) and a 2nd round pick for arguably one of the best WRs in the game.

I just don't get it...

Some might say the Bills got fleeced on that deal for Diggs, including myself, but I think I get why. Not that it makes sense, but I think that taste of greatness they experienced last year got them overly excited, and they?re grasping for anything to ensure it wasn?t a fluke. Like any team that signs Brady, they?re not looking to build; they?re looking to win and win NOW. The Bills, Dolphins and Jets have been locked in the basement of the AFC East for 20 years, and the Tom Brady padlock on the door has finally rusted off, and they?re all scrambling to be the first up the stairs. That division is getting shaken up like a maraca-filled snow globe in a paint mixer during an earthquake, and they?re finally going to be interesting to watch for the first time this century. Can Belichick do it without Brady? Are the Bills legit? Are the Dolphins finally going to find the glue to bring all that talent together into a contender? Are the Jets? um? can the Jeeeets? shit, let?s face it; someone?s gonna to finish dead last in the AFC East, and it?s gonna be the Jets.

 

[tippy2k2]

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1248656064540815361

RIP XFL

...again

 

[Xprimentyl]

https://twitter.com/espn/status/1248656064540815361

RIP XFL

...again

Well damn.

 

[balladbird]

Man. Saint Louis was so hype to finally have a pro football team again, too.

Sucks that the XFL did everything right and still failed because of circumstances it couldn't control. Sadly, a lot of businesses will be destroyed by this disease before all is said and done.

 

[Fieldy409_v1legacy]

This thread started so happy and then became like a timeline of Covid-19...