We’re in Boston to visit Kate’s parents, and while we wait for SteelyKid to wake up and demand food, we’re watching “Mike and Mike” on ESPN2 (the live simulcast of the radio show). They’ve been talking about how tonight’s NFL kick-off (our long national nightmare is over…) was pushed up so as not to conflict… Continue reading If You Were a Republican…
Category: Sports
Olympic Comments
I am generally not hugely enthusiastic about the Olympics, and I really wasn’t following the run-up to the Beijing games this year. The games turn out to be great mindless distraction while SteelyKid is between feedings, though, so I’ve ended up seeing a fair amount of them. I know you’re dying to hear my comments,… Continue reading Olympic Comments
Non-Dorky Poll: Beer Pong
The video that accompanies this PopSci.com article is pretty impressive. A bunch of college kids show off their ability to hit trick shots with ping-pong balls, bouncing them off walls, doors, floors, moving skateboards, people, and items of furniture and into beer cups. As the PopSci piece notes, there’s a good deal of physics in… Continue reading Non-Dorky Poll: Beer Pong
What’s the Deal with Horses?
The sports talk shows today were all abuzz with chatter about the death of second-place finisher Eight Belles at the Kentucky Derby, with no end of hand-wringing and moralizing about the nature of horse racing. I have to admit, I find the whole thing a little puzzling. I’m not puzzled that people are upset– I… Continue reading What’s the Deal with Horses?
Athletics and Alumni
Inside Higher Ed reports on a new study of the connection between college athletics and alumni giving, with some interesting findings: First, they find that male alumni who played on teams while they were undergraduates are more likely to donate more (to the athletics department and to the university as a whole) when the teams… Continue reading Athletics and Alumni
Non-Dorky Poll: Drinking Songs
I’m feeling pretty harried this week, because I’m teaching using a new curriculum, which requires all-new lecture slides and notes and homework assignments. I’m also going away this weekend, to Williamstown for the celebration marking the 50th anniversary of the founding of my college rugby club. As a result, I’ve been losing more mental processor… Continue reading Non-Dorky Poll: Drinking Songs
Fundamentals of Sports Announcing
Brent Musberger is the single worst announcer in sports. “That’s a bold assertion,” you say. “I find that hard to believe. I mean, he’s famous.” Allow me to explain: Musberger generally calls games for ABC as part of a two-man announcing team. Musberger is the “play-by-play” guy, and the other member of the team, the… Continue reading Fundamentals of Sports Announcing
Steroid Madness
Steroid scandals in sports, most particularly baseball, have been dominating sports media for a couple of years now. I thought that there really wasn’t anything I could possibly care less about, but the New York Times proved me wrong with an article on steroid use among hip-hop artists. Actually, the Times story is a report… Continue reading Steroid Madness
Leave My Childhood Icons Alone!
It was sort of amusing when people started doing kitsch holiday commercials in a CGI version of those old quasi-claymation holiday specials (Rodolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the like). I’m ok with hipster irony, at least to a point. It was a whole lot less amusing when somebody (I’ve forgotten who) did a commercial this… Continue reading Leave My Childhood Icons Alone!
The College Football Bowl Picture
Over at Inside Higher Ed, they have a piece looking at the state of college football as we enter bowl season. This is dominated by two large tables of numbers, one good, and one bad. The first table is the good one, as it explains why the college football “championship” is so messed up. It… Continue reading The College Football Bowl Picture