Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
Showing posts with label sports. Show all posts
29.5.08
(Actual) Technical Difficulties
Due to Blogger not apparently not agreeing with the content intended to be posted today, I submit this: Chuck Klosterman illustrating why he is more deserving of his own podcast (or show of any format) than Bill Simmons.
16.5.08
The Majesty of Game Seven
I absolutely love series-formats in sports playoffs. It provides the one thing that any sports fan craves - whether it is while they bask in the glory of a championship, or while they ponder if they will ever reach double-digits in the win column.
It makes excuses impossible.
No matter which sports or teams one follows, one of the most difficult things to watch is a player or coach be interviewed following a particularly heartbreaking loss. As with any loss, it's difficult to single out anything as being the sole thing that lead to their defeat - especially immediately after having had your heart ripped out in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators. If it happens to be a player, then that player was simply too good to be beaten by your team. If it is due to questionable officiating, it is difficult to ever properly express your frustration with the result of the game you play having been taken out of your hands.
And to watch, much less have to experience that firsthand - three or four times over the course of around a week-and-a-half, is excruciating. No matter what it was that caused your side to come up short - the more it happens, the harder it becomes to explain why the proper adjustments were never made.
This is actually a lot harder for most people to comprehend than most would believe. Because the more a person watches or reads about sports, the more the events themselves become just another accessory. Once you read enough about the upcoming final, and how this team has the proper mismatches to beat their opponents - the easier it becomes to visualise it all, to the point where it seems as though it has all happened already.
But for an athlete, each matchup is far from a bygone conclusion - and no matter how hard we believe they are trying, they have most likely done more in their preparation for the game than those watching have in their analysis. And that is not to discount the work that goes into breaking down these games, but the fact remains that it takes both mental and physical conditioning to get that athlete up each day and compete. And even then, it may still take the encouraging words of this coach or that teammate to really make them feel comfortable about any of it. And as they are posed questions such as "how much do you feel that missed shot cost you in the end," as though there was a way for them to go back and correct that mistake.
And trust in this, if there is ever a time travel device invented - the most likely candidate would be an athlete scorned by a loss. Especially those who have lost a seven game series.
I know most American sports fans are more used to this format (NBA, NHL, MLB) than not (NFL football) - while most European fans are used to nothing but do-or-die style playoffs and championships. Yet, this year we will all but have a case for such a matchup between Man Utd and Chelsea. Regardless of who you support in the match, or even if you couldn't care less which one of the clubs wins - it is still unquestionably an incredible situation to be in. Should Chelsea manage to avenge their loss in the Premiership, they would do so in grand fashion - winning the Champions League, widely considered to be the most prestigious club title of all.
Really, it's only fair. How many down-to-the-wire series have the NBA, NHL and MLB combined for? At this point most American fans probably take it for granted that their team can even get another shot. They look for those chances, even during their seasons - striving for not just playoff berths, but hoping for the top position in the standings so as to obtain the all-important home-(field/court) advantage. Meanwhile, on the final day of another season in the Premiership - a team can be bounced from the top spot by a team who doesn't even have to defeat them for the championship (unless some very specific criteria are met ).
All said, it can still be argued that this is all made up by things like the Champions League, FA Cup, UEFA Cup - and to a lesser extent, the UEFA Super Cup. But the majesty of Game Seven is still another beast entirely. I'll put it this way - if playing a sport professionally is flirting with glory, then the first six games of a seven-game series are outright foreplay - OVER SIX DAYS. Even most women aren't up to such a task.
It makes excuses impossible.
No matter which sports or teams one follows, one of the most difficult things to watch is a player or coach be interviewed following a particularly heartbreaking loss. As with any loss, it's difficult to single out anything as being the sole thing that lead to their defeat - especially immediately after having had your heart ripped out in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators. If it happens to be a player, then that player was simply too good to be beaten by your team. If it is due to questionable officiating, it is difficult to ever properly express your frustration with the result of the game you play having been taken out of your hands.
And to watch, much less have to experience that firsthand - three or four times over the course of around a week-and-a-half, is excruciating. No matter what it was that caused your side to come up short - the more it happens, the harder it becomes to explain why the proper adjustments were never made.
This is actually a lot harder for most people to comprehend than most would believe. Because the more a person watches or reads about sports, the more the events themselves become just another accessory. Once you read enough about the upcoming final, and how this team has the proper mismatches to beat their opponents - the easier it becomes to visualise it all, to the point where it seems as though it has all happened already.
But for an athlete, each matchup is far from a bygone conclusion - and no matter how hard we believe they are trying, they have most likely done more in their preparation for the game than those watching have in their analysis. And that is not to discount the work that goes into breaking down these games, but the fact remains that it takes both mental and physical conditioning to get that athlete up each day and compete. And even then, it may still take the encouraging words of this coach or that teammate to really make them feel comfortable about any of it. And as they are posed questions such as "how much do you feel that missed shot cost you in the end," as though there was a way for them to go back and correct that mistake.
And trust in this, if there is ever a time travel device invented - the most likely candidate would be an athlete scorned by a loss. Especially those who have lost a seven game series.
I know most American sports fans are more used to this format (NBA, NHL, MLB) than not (NFL football) - while most European fans are used to nothing but do-or-die style playoffs and championships. Yet, this year we will all but have a case for such a matchup between Man Utd and Chelsea. Regardless of who you support in the match, or even if you couldn't care less which one of the clubs wins - it is still unquestionably an incredible situation to be in. Should Chelsea manage to avenge their loss in the Premiership, they would do so in grand fashion - winning the Champions League, widely considered to be the most prestigious club title of all.
Really, it's only fair. How many down-to-the-wire series have the NBA, NHL and MLB combined for? At this point most American fans probably take it for granted that their team can even get another shot. They look for those chances, even during their seasons - striving for not just playoff berths, but hoping for the top position in the standings so as to obtain the all-important home-(field/court) advantage. Meanwhile, on the final day of another season in the Premiership - a team can be bounced from the top spot by a team who doesn't even have to defeat them for the championship (unless some very specific criteria are met ).
All said, it can still be argued that this is all made up by things like the Champions League, FA Cup, UEFA Cup - and to a lesser extent, the UEFA Super Cup. But the majesty of Game Seven is still another beast entirely. I'll put it this way - if playing a sport professionally is flirting with glory, then the first six games of a seven-game series are outright foreplay - OVER SIX DAYS. Even most women aren't up to such a task.
9.5.08
Even Across the Atlantic
As these words are typed, it is nearly half-five in the morning - and merely 'awake' isn't strong enough to describe our mood - this type of energy is the kind usually seen around noon (excluding today, as I was a bit knackered around noon) - all thanks due to Chris Paul and Tony Parker. The two of them combined for sixty-six points (Paul with 35, Parker with 31) twenty assists (Paul 9, Parker 11), only four turnovers (Paul 1, Parker 3) - and shooting percentages of 50% (Parker) and 60% (Paul).
While not being quite sure how many basketball fans are reading, rest assured that it isn't hard to get into games like this - especially with some of the absolutely mind-blowing displays that were showcased. If ever there was a matchup that fit the billing of Irresistible Force against Immovable Object, this one is it.
The biggest problem the Immovables face in this series, or for the matter, against any physical/scoring point guard on any team at any time - is the fact that while Tony Parker absolutely dazzles on the offensive end, he simply cannot properly guard anyone at his position who can return the favor.
On the flip, the biggest problem the Irresistibles (sounds like a late-60s R&B group, no?) face in this series is if someone figures out Chris Paul's rhythm (as Michael Finley did in the second quarter, and Tim Duncan did in the third), even if only for a moment - the team does not have another self-starter to pick up the slack. As effective and versatile as David West is, he simply does not have the power to create opportunities for his teammates.
And given that scenario, logic would dictate that twelve guys should be able figure out how to stop one a lot easier than one can methodically dismantle twelve.
But sports are not about logic.
While not being quite sure how many basketball fans are reading, rest assured that it isn't hard to get into games like this - especially with some of the absolutely mind-blowing displays that were showcased. If ever there was a matchup that fit the billing of Irresistible Force against Immovable Object, this one is it.
The biggest problem the Immovables face in this series, or for the matter, against any physical/scoring point guard on any team at any time - is the fact that while Tony Parker absolutely dazzles on the offensive end, he simply cannot properly guard anyone at his position who can return the favor.
On the flip, the biggest problem the Irresistibles (sounds like a late-60s R&B group, no?) face in this series is if someone figures out Chris Paul's rhythm (as Michael Finley did in the second quarter, and Tim Duncan did in the third), even if only for a moment - the team does not have another self-starter to pick up the slack. As effective and versatile as David West is, he simply does not have the power to create opportunities for his teammates.
And given that scenario, logic would dictate that twelve guys should be able figure out how to stop one a lot easier than one can methodically dismantle twelve.
But sports are not about logic.
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