No spring game. That’s disappointing.

That’s two years in a row, isn’t it? Last year because of construction, this year because of injuries?

Can we get a countdown clock to fanfest?

Come on, Dan–I know what you really want is a countdown clock to World Cup 2010!

I am stoked about the World Cup DRM, I’m fully expecting an offsensive explosion this year. I predict we’ll see seven goals throughout the entire tournament. Seven!

“He’ll do a fine job,” Moore said. “I think every defensive coordinator has his own personality. Dale was a great player at Tennessee. It’s his ship now, he’s sailing it. He’s may be a little more conservative than John, very fundamental.”

Anyone else think by this statement that Moore got a bad taste in his mouth for Wiley? Boy if it was something we lacked on defense last year was fundamentals.

Hey, seven goals in three matches (round robin stage, which is all that’s guaranteed for any of the 32 finalists) is more points than lots of football teams score in three games–if we use football’s x6 multiplier effect, that is!

Regarding the new DC, I hope fundamentals improve, but I also hope “more conservative” doesn’t equate to less aggressive.

Not sure how you can be more conservative than only running one defensive formation and rarely blitzing….Hope Dale has a little more imagination….

Not sure the reluctance to give Cadet a shot running the spread is a good thing. I know he tended to run first and throw second, but so did Armanti in his first season if you’ll recall. I hated to see Robert Welton leave with all his ability because he wasn’t getting any PT. Cadet is just too talented and athletic not to be given at least a chance to be in the backfield.

We got enough talented running backs, we’ll do fine without Welton. From what I hear he wanted to play ball but didn’t want to work for it.

He literally handed Richmond a touchdown

Good point Taylor. Felt for the kid, but that was stupid. Man that was an exciting game.

AE made another draft article on the net.

http://msn.foxsports.com/nfl/story/What-you-need-to-know-about-the-NFL-Combine

” . . . the only FCS player with more career yards than Edwards is Steve McNair.”

The only FCS player? Typical in-depth reporting by that bastion of journalistic excellence. At least they’re consistent from department to department.

I have that game on DVD in my computer right now herb. The row of fans yelling into the camera just after the Armanti interview right after the game is all my friends and me.

I hope our defense does become more fundamentally sound but a little less predictable.

gah, everyone judges everyone on here so harshly.

Taylor – “he nearly handed richmond the game” the year before armanti DID hand richmond the game! Legree misses way too many tackles! Coco has too many drops! the fumbles against JMU in 08 were devastating!

you could say something about everyone…
Cadet will be a huge assett for our team at whatever position he plays. He made a mistake then, yes, but every player on this team as, including god as a lot of people treat him around here.

Yokely at 3rd string? cmon….thats like saying that one year chase laws was 3rd string..

DRM – if the US scored 7 goals in 3 matches, I’d be downright giddy. We’d probably win the group!

More from the FoxSports article:

“…and little-known Appalachian State QB Armanti Edwards…”

Apparently this guy has been living under a rock for the last 4 years. I would guess most in the football world would recognize the name.

Appgrad, it’s sad but true. All my friends from up north know that we beat Michigan and our QB is really good but they sure don’t know his name. I’m guessing that’s how most of the country knows him, by his accomplishments, but not by his name…That should change once he enters the NFL though.

Tebow won’t throw a pass, but will improve his draft stock?

Ho-hum…..

I heard from an offensive starter on the team that Jamal Jackson is a lock for starting QB. His throwing ability is outstanding comparable to the other prospects. With Cadet in the field he will be much more productive than back up QB. Jackson also has 4 years, Cadet 1 or 2 years? With an easier start to our schedule it sets up well for Jackson who can get his confidence up before facing the tougher opponents.

Why do the nicknames stop with Richie? I propose Joe “Camel” Burchette

“Why do the nicknames stop with Richie? I propose Joe “Camel” Burchette

Comment by Dan 02.24.10 @ 1:13 pm ”

“He’s smokin’”

and meant to say this earlier. why do we always have redneck type country boys seeming to be our coaches? is it our blue collar approach? is it our identity? (doubt that) i dont know. but we have ZERO diversity on this staff, am i the only 1 who notices this?

We might not have diversity now, but anybody remember Coach Galloway or Coach Carter?? They seemed to add a little diversity…

Funny, I didn’t realize Lance Taylor didn’t add diversity.

“….why do we always have redneck type country boys seeming to be our coaches?”

parking lot – you should be drop-kicked for saying something so ridiculous.

I think our WR’s coach would take issue with your statement lot. Also, just because these guys are from the south doesn’t mean they’re redneck type country boys. I’m from the south and I would be pretty insulted if someone said that about me.

Probably so, Appgrad. England will be tough, Algeria will probably be athletic and offensive-minded–which could lead to a three goal match, depending on how good their keeper is–and who knows about Slovenia. No matter how many goals we score, on paper it will be an upset if the US doesn’t make it to the round of 16.

jey really looks like he’s about to puke in that picture

The QB tryouts if you can call it that, is just a formality. They knew last year who their QB was. They say that Glenn is giddy about him. If he is half as good as Armanti and standing at 6′3 I will be pleased. I hope he comes out and obliterates the competition and the pre season rankings.

Can’t believe we’re talking futbol on here. Geez.

With all due respect to Mr. Yokeley, this is a 2 horse race.

And everybody that actually knows something seems to think that its Jackson’s job. Personally, I’m not annointing him but, do expect him to be behind center early.

But, wouldn’t mind it if Presley set the world on fire.

Cadet is a better player than a quarterback.

Jamal Jackson will get the nod with Deandre as backup. Keep your eye on Kalik Barnes.

The WORLD’s sport, herbsteit!

I have to say that I am have “dreads” withdrawal. Seeing all of the guys with boring haircuts makes me miss Armanti even more.

“Cadet is a better player than a quarterback.”

Exactly.

Oh, and when I said, everybody that actually knows something…” I didn’t mean Midwest.

PS: I don’t like soccer.

the thing about having dreads is that you have to be a real bad @$$ to pull it off….otherwise, you just look like a guy that needs a haircut

PSS: No one who does cares that you don’t.

Countdown for Clayton (as secretly requested by Dan):

106 days, 1 hour, 25 minutes.

Way to miss quote me parking lot.

Does that mean I’m going to die?

I’m scared!

DRM,

TRUE… TRUE… Just not a fan although it’s making head way.

The dreads comment. I always wondered what it was like for him to have to carry the weight of all that hair plus the helmet. However he was the man so it didn’t matter. I would hate if someone grabs hold though. Ouch.

I would love to see D.P. in the spot but just from what I know right now, all internal people are saying Jamal. However D.P. is a God fearing man and he could get annointed between now and then.

Coco will be back midwest … he will be sporting some dreads!

Yeah seen Coco at the bball game Saturday night. He will have the hair. Appeared to be walking good too.

Nice, Coco will give me my dreads fix.

Clayton- Kind of surprised that a lefty liberal guy like yourself wouldn’t have a broader world view. They do call it the World Cup for a reason, you know.

By the way, you don’t have to take my political jabs so seriously. I’m just busting your chops a little.

To the world’s best soccer players: Congartualations, you’re good at cardio.

I can’t talk politics at a time like this!

I barely have 100 days left!

And I’m right handed.

That cracked me up Dan. Truthfully a little cardio wouldn’t hurt me. Maybe I should try out.

Incomplete, Dan, but there’s still hope for you! Virtually all serious soccer players, world’s best or otherwise, are good at cardio–whether or not they’re worth a damn as soccer players. World class soccer players are the second best team sport athletes on the planet, only marginally behind NBA players. I understand, however, that their game doesn’t appeal to everyone.

About dreads and helmets–always seemed to me that guys with hair like AE’s or Roman’s lose their helmets (and no, I’m not talking about being forgetful) more often than boring haircut or shaven head types. I always wondered if all the hair makes it difficult to properly fit the helmet so that it doesn’t get knocked off so easily.

No real argument against the athleticism DRM, but that doesn’t change the fact that soccer ranks below figure skating in entertainment value.

All a matter of perspective, Dan. Personally, I would rank figure skating behind everything other than hockey, NASCAR, and baseball, in that order. And with Danica having joined NASCAR, I might have to elevate that “sport” in my rankings.

Who is in charge of scheduling Clayton’s wake? He’s down to 105 days by now.

Almost forgot–there are lefties on this blog??? I thought a requirement for posting here was being so right of center as to be at risk of bumping into the rear of the left.

I have to think that the dreads provide a little extra padding, so maybe it is beneficial to have them. Hell, at this point, I’m just happy to have some hair left.

Soccer is underappreciated in the U.S. Although I grew up watching and playing baseball, I find it extremely boring at this point. Too slow, too many games, etc.

Soccer- The turning point for me was when Brandy Chastain pulled her shirt off. I am forever a fan of women’s soccer.

Nascar- As Jim Rome once said, turning left for a living is not a sport.

Golf- What fun is golf with out the hookers, booze, and after parties? Tiger has ruined everything.

Hockey- Until the sport becomes more diverse, the best athletes are not on the ice. Was it Barkley or Chris Rock who said “…and when they find a way to heat a hockey rink, brothers will dominate that sport as well.” Sorry, but that is funny.

Chris Rock said that. Hockey is infinitely more entertaining than soccer, racing, golf or baseball.

The problem with hockey and soccer is that there is so much disappointment because, scoring opportunities are usually squandered. Make the nets bigger.

USA! USA! USA!

The average American would probably embrace either sport more if the scoring numbers were greater. The hockey goal always looked unnecessarily small to me, but the soccer goal is already eight feet by eight yards. As much as the target being too small, the reason there isn’t more scoring in soccer is because of the difficulty of controlling the ball using any body part other than hands/arms, all the while being jostled by defenders. Relaxing the offside rule would increase soccer scoring at least as much as enlarging the goals, but it would probably also diminish the intricacy of an offensive build-up. Besides, we didn’t invent the game, so we don’t get to make the rules. FIFA isn’t about to enlarge the goals.

Hockey and indoor soccer are very similar. Some of the most entertaining soccer I watched throughout my son’s 17-year playing career was winter indoor tournaments. Not the most satisfying in terms of skill or tactics, but lots of fast, end-to-end action, shoulder charges (like a check in hockey) into the walls (like boards in hockey, except more rigid), etc.—lots more scoring, too. Similarities aside, however, hockey is boring to me—a bunch of overly padded guys skating in meaningless circles. The only entertainment is the occasional fight, sort of like the crashes in NASCAR.

It’s probably easier for the average American non-soccer fan to watch and root for the US WNT than for the men. After all, we Americans like to win, and our soccer women usually do, whereas the men don’t, particularly outside the CONCACAF region. Chastain became famous with that PK celebration. She was one of the last of the 1999 World Cup championship team members to hang up her cleats (or boots, as the English say). Hamm, Fawcett, Foudy, Scurry, Overbeck, Akers–all gone on to other careers, motherhood, or both. I think Kristine Lilly might still be playing in Europe, though.

Like most US soccer fans my age and even a decade or so younger, I grew to appreciate the game while watching my child play. It is beautiful both in its simplicity (very few rules—only 17) and in its complexity (combination of choreographed and spontaneous movement, both with and without the ball). I enjoy world class soccer more than any other spectator sport besides App football, and I very much look forward to each World Cup year (both men’s and women’s). It’s the only sport in which there is a true “world champion,” since virtually all 195 or so nations field a national team and go through qualifying to reach the actual World Cup. I’m not trying to convert the non-believers here, though—to each his own.

On baseball, Midwest, I’m with you all the way, from the growing up part to the slow, boring seasons-are-way-too-long part. I still enjoy tossing a ball around, but can’t stand watching the game, either on TV or in person.

Oh God, here we go….Curling is more interesting than soccer. Hockey, when it means something, is fun to watch, though a tad fast for these old eyes. Did you guys see the puck go through the net in the Canada-Germany game last night. Even the refs missed it.

Baseball= perfection. Basketball=interesting, I’ve played it in an organized fashion, believe it or not.
Football=something to talk about on Appfan.

Bobsledding=Bring back Herschel Walker
Figure Skating=Keeps the wife occupied while I watch hockey.
Skiing=Why go all the way down the hill, just so you can ride back up?
NASCAR=Get serious.

Thank you for the Herschel Walker reference on Bobsled.
If God wanted us to play soccer he wouldn’t have given us hands.

Curling is the best made for TV sport ever.

I’m going to be pissed if Pressley starts.

Don’t they mine 90% of the curling stones from Iceland? If so, why? By the way, how do you decide who the sweeper should be? Don’t ask my wife. She would tell you I couldn’t even find the broom.

I remember my son playing tee-ball. It was like watching paint dry. Inevitably, there’s one poor kid who simply cannot hit the ball off the damn tee. You sit there for ten minutes watching the poor kids as his parents hide their faces. Sign the kid up for rock climbing, basket weaving, or something. Geez.

I certainly don’t have the time, inclination, or expertise to convert Naysayer to my libertarian political persuasion. Maybe there’s a chance with football???

is galloway our coach? no. he’s gone. is carter our coach? no, he’s gone. why would you back up your statements with coaches that arent here? i just rememebr watching the 08 year recap video on vimeo and i couldnt understand half the things those coaches were saying….there’s a big difference in southern and being “homer” as one mentioned on appfan.com.

I don’t know where they get curling (or kidney for that matter) stones. Iceland makes sense, though. And I find curling much more interesting that poker on TV. Lots of strategy at work and in a few more years I’ll be playing shuffleboard, “wearing my pants around my neck and complaining about the government full time.” So watching curling is good preparation.

Baseball is also for geeks like me who enjoy stats and strategy. Admittedly not everyone “gets it.” It’s a lot like church. Many attend, few understand. And it’s the only sport in which an “all star game” actually works.

lot – As Rick and I pointed out, our Receivers coach is ‘diverse’ i guess is the appropriate way to say that. Hows that for backing up a point with coaches currently on staff?

I understand a ton goes into baseball in terms of strategy, however, it’s mind-numbingly boring save for 2 or 3 moments per game (much like soccer). Hockey at least has tons of back and forth action and lots of scoring chances. College basketball is very entertaining, the NBA is awful.

Fans go to baseball games mostly as a social event. I had season tickets to the Braves for 5 years, mostly to entertain clients. We drank beer, talked business, and would sneak a peak at the game every so often. It was mainly a venue to guarantee a captive audience for 3 hours.

As for baseball being a cerebral sport. Huh? Most baseball players never attended college. I guess the Skoal fade on the left back pocket of the blue jeans serves as a degree for most baseball players.

Maybe I’m living in the past and wishing I had some game, but I love the intensity of football. There’s nothing like it.

My thoughts on a QB “battle”…….. I know we haven’t had one in a long time and it can only be a good thing. If this really is Jackson’s position to lose (as everyone with a connection is saying) I hope it pushes him to continue his development. I just don’t want this to be a bunch of “drama” that takes away from our guys getting better. I want DP to be given a realistic shot to see the field. Really at any position we saw him in last year since I don’t believe he is going to be our QB. The reason I say this is because I think it can only be good for our guys to see a hard working team player doing what is necessary to help the team.

As for curling, its awesome.

Clayton, sorry to hear the tragic news, you will be missed…..

I think it comes down to having a decent dog in the fight . . . Hockey used to do nothing for me, but after getting into the Hurricanes, I am a huge fan and am amazed at the sport. Probably the same with Soccer, I only care about it every 4 years. Hockey is however, quicker action and more scoring opps.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2010/football/nfl/02/17/combine/index.html?eref=sihp

Dear Sports Illustrated

Did you leave somebody off this list? Intelligent move…

I have been glued to work for the past three weeks and haven’t been here to annoy most of you, but what’s the word with Clayton being missed? Sorry, I had to get my priorities in order for a few weeks.

I’m sorry, but this just seems wrong. I’m all for capitalism, but is nothing sacred anymore? Tarholes tied for last place…hahahaha. I hope we play them in the NIT if we miss the tourney.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=4943587

Dan, “lot” is going to continue to ignore the obvious fact, it doesn’t coexist with his misperceived conception. “I reject your reality and substitute my own.”

Curling rules. Especially Maddy Dupont from the Danish team.

Baseball is “boring” only if one has the typical American attention span–roughly parallel to that of the common flea. As George Will once wrote, the stupidest thing ever said about baseball is that it’s leisurely or slow-paced. “There’s barely enough time for the amount of thinking necessary between pitches.” To enjoy baseball, one has to think along with the game. And that’s something most modern Americans just can’t do.

Baseball=Masterpiece Theater
Football=Jersey Shore

(And by the way, in relation to the other thread about JMU’s guest list, I’d say Snooki is proof that the South–despite its valiant effort–has not yet cornered the market on white trash.)

re: Maddy Dupont – Schnorgen! (Wayne’s World anyone?)

Been looking for AE’s Combine date and time. Anyone stumble across that?

Mission Accomplished. Naysayer is quoting George Will. I’ll take it.

Pro football may be more Jersey football.

College Football= Old Fashioned Pentacostal Tent Revival. Can someone give me an Amen?? A lot of similarities actually…fans speaking in tongues after a half dozen Jack and Cokes, Coaches/Ministers yelling and screaming, telling others they are going to hell, teenagers setting up their post-game hook ups, etc.

herbie – QB’s and WR’s all workout on Sunday. No idea beyond that.

Baseball season is when I feel closest to Naysayer.
NBA = Jersey Shore.

Spot on, Gwalt.

“Baseball is “boring” only if one has the typical American attention span–roughly parallel to that of the common flea.”

That is precisely the reason a majority of Americans don’t appreciate soccer. Well, that and, perhaps, the fact that we didn’t invent the game, plus we can’t contrive a “world” championship that is, at most, a North American championship, and we can’t then proclaim ourselves legitimate world champions in soccer.

Baseball has one and only one superlative relative to OUR other team sports: it has a far longer history and tradition. Much of that is largely meaningless, however, as things change significantly from era to era in the game—all that history and all those stats don’t represent legitimate comparisons. Game management practices (starter is expected to go the distance versus today’s platoon pitching, designated hitter versus pitcher has to bat, etc.), circumstances (juiced/unjuiced balls, corked/non-corked bats, alcoholics versus druggies), variations in outfield sizes from stadium to stadium, differences in rules from league to league (designated hitter again), and on and on—all serve to diminish statistical comparability across baseball’s long history. According to Tim Kurkjian, baseball considers the 1900’s as its “recent” period. Stats from the ’20s and ’30s, or even 40’s and 50’s compare to stats in the steroid era (for hitters or pitchers)? Or the designated hitter era? Or the middle reliever/late reliever/closer BS era? Don’t think so. But if one gets off on statistical comparisons, I guess that’s fine, even if they’re really not comparable After all, there’s not a hell of a lot else going on in baseball anyway, aside from all the spitting and scratching.

Gwalt, be careful about focusing so much on the use of hands—no telling where that could lead. Oh, and George Will? If that guy is a baseball aficionado, I’m quite positive I’m right—‘er CORRECT!—in finding the game intolerably boring.

The other think I don’t like about baseball is that most of the players are not true “athletes”. John Kruk, for example.

I was always turned off by the red-neck appeal of baseball. Just seems like a sport for those without true athletic skills (some exceptions of course).

I actually think the majority of baseball players are very good athletes, I think the John Kruks of the sport are more the exception.

Kruk probably is an exception–one would certainly hope so. But relative to other sports (including soccer), very few baseball-only guys have more than average athletic ability, maybe not even that. Some of the football plus baseball types who–for whatever reason– choose baseball may possess somewhat above average athletic ability, but those who could have had legitimate pro careers in either sport are relatively few in relation to the entire population of MLB players.

So, parking lot, do you have a problem with the race of the coaches or their dialect?

And since Jerry Moore is responsible for staffing his coaches you are essentially questioning his fairness in selecting members of his staff.

Fortunately for the rest of us, his focus is far beyond someone’s color and more into their character, their ability to contribute to and blend into the chemistry of the existing staff and players, and their knowledge of and passion for the game of football.

There is a long list of minority coaches that have been assistants during Jerry Moore’s tenure at Appalachian State and quite frankly I find your comments to be completely misguided and uninformed.

Screw soccer.

Compared to other sports, sure baseball guys are on the low end of the totem poll. That doesn’t detract from the fact that their ‘average’ athleticism is still better than 97% of the general populations ‘great’ athleticism.

Hitting a baseball is the single most difficult feat in all of sports. Take it from the those who study physics:

–Dr. Paul Kirkpatrick, “Batting the Ball,” Am.J. of Physics, 1963

Hitting a baseball has been described as the single most difficult feat in sports. And for good reason. Imagine the quality of hand-eye coordination required to make contact with a little white sphere traveling at over 95 miles per hour, using a 2 ¾ inch wide piece of wood being swung at over sixty miles per hour. Consider the intense concentration. A batter standing just 56 feet from the pitcher’s hand has only about 45/100’s of a second to decide if he’ll swing, predict where the ball will be, instruct his muscles to move, and bring the bat to a point of impact. If all goes well, the bat and ball rendezvous a few inches in front of the plate. The ball is crushed to half its diameter, springs back, and is launched on its return flight at speeds close to a hundred miles per hour. Timing is essential. The difference between a hit over second base and a foul near first or third is a swing mistimed by 0.01 second. Baseball is the only sport where being a failure seven out of ten times is considered to be outstanding – only about a dozen players in each major league bat .300 annually. A basketball center who sank only 30 percent of his baskets or a quarterback who hit his receivers only 30 percent of the time would be selling insurance instead.

This opens the door to the argument about whether hand-eye coordination counts as athleticism. If the argument is yes, then there are tons of people out there playing video games that are way more athletic than they look.

I love all these sports except for soccer even though they are all very different and mnay have roots outside of the USA. Baseball is a thinking man’s game and anyone that thinks you can be unathletic and be a good baseball player obviously hasn’t played the game much. Middle infielders and ouotfielders are top notch athletes as are catchers.

Hockey when played at its highest level is probably the most exciting and fast paced sport in the world. The skating ability those guys have is amazing. Not to mention trying to shoot or stop a puck going 100+ MPH.

I don’t know what it is about Soccer, but to me it is a combination of the worst aspects of all other major sports. Big field, low scoring, lots of time away from the net, and a lot of positioning for a slim chance at a goal. IMO they need to take 2 guys off each team to open the field up a little.

Also, I hope Jamal is as good as advertised. I like DeAndre but I’m still concerned over his play at ECU in a big game. I jut don’t know if he can handle the pressure in those situations.

Okay, Naysayer, here’s a challenge for you–try hitting a baseball thrown by an average MLB pitcher, then try hitting a 40-yard cross, off a dead run, with a defender on your shoulder, and having it land precisely on your teammate’s foot or head. On the receiving end, try deadening that airborne cross traveling 40 or 50 mph, again under defensive pressure, and having it drop within a foot of your position.

You probably wouldn’t succeed in hitting the baseball, though you might foul one off now and then. You damn sure won’t succeed in executing the cross or in receiving the pass.

That aside, I agree with what I believe to be an implied conclusion in Dan’s post—hand – eye coordination, be it in baseball, golf, basketball, football, whatever—or foot/head/chest – eye coordination in soccer are learned skills. It may take a certain amount of athletic ability to learn them, but then maybe not—the video game players making the argument against, perhaps. The skills required in soccer are less natural (no hands, I mean), and probably a bit more difficult to learn. Whether or not the whatever – eye coordination skills constitute “athleticism,” in soccer (as in basketball and football and hockey) those skills have to executed on the move. Baseball is a stand still sport.

“Baseball is the only sport where being a failure seven out of ten times is considered to be outstanding . . . “–exactly, largely because of the inferior athleticism of baseball players relative to athletes playing other team sports.

Waco, don’t go to the “haven’t played,” “don’t understand” place. For guys as old as I am, or Naysayer or Midwest even, baseball was about all we played growing up. Opinions of the game (be they positive or negative), for those of us near or over 50 at least, is not based on lack of familiarity with it or experience playing it (and I’m not just talking about Sunday afternoon pick-up games with the cousins at Grandma’s house).

Not gitting a hit is not failing all of the time. Not catching a ball is failing all of the time. That average has to be near 97.5%.
Is not scoring every kick a failure?
Is ending in a tie a failure?

‘try hitting a 40-yard cross, off a dead run, with a defender on your shoulder, and having it land precisely on your teammate’s foot or head.’

Does that happen that often? The pass hitting your teammate ‘precisely’? I don’t watch enough paint dry, er, soccer to know, but what little i’ve seen looks like you’re trying to put the ball within 2-3 yards of your man, not directly on his foot. At least, not from 40 yards away.

Is not scoring every kick a failure?
Is ending in a tie a failure?

Yes and yes.

Hitting is but one aspect of baseball. Surely you would not contend that say, Curtis Granderson, is not athletic or that Derek Jeter (much as it pains me to say it) is not athletic.

I think baseball requires conditioning, but perhaps it’s a different sort of conditioning than basketball or soccer. Baseball requires relaxed concentration then quick acceleration/decision-making whereas basketball or soccer may require something more akin to distance running.

Soccer is just plain un-American. The Nationals play on the Fourth of July, not DC United. But I would never say that soccer players aren’t athletes.

I will concede that hockey is fast. The puck that went through the net in the Germany-Canada game the other night actually left burn marks. But I just can’t get into any sport where the players wear sweaters–even over shoulder pads.

I look at baseball like I view playing a guitar or singing. I enjoy playing baseball. There’s nothing like the thrill of hitting a home run as a kid. I just can’t stand to watch other people play it. It bores me.

If you play guitar, you may find that the music you like to play is far different from the music you like to listen to. Sounds counterintuitive, I know, but many musicians would agree.

Same with vocals. You may like to listen to Stevie Wonder, but if your voice sounds more like George Strait, you may gravitate to country.

Kiteboarding is the best new sport around. If you’ve never seen it, visit Hatteras Island on the Outer Banks(Rodanthe area, 25 miles south of Nags Head). This is on one of the top three places in the world to watch this sport.

There’s a place called REAL kiteboarding where you can sit outside on the sound side, have a beer, and watch kiteboarders with the sun setting in the background.

http://www.athleticbusiness.com/editors/uploads/george_will_2.jpg

That guy can’t tell me something about sports.

Kiteboarding sounds dangerous, especially for aging bones.

I’m no longer even sure where all this started, but I’m pretty sure no one—me included—would say Jeter is not an athlete. I honestly don’t know who this Granderson person is—that’s an indication of how little baseball, or baseball talk, I can stomach watching/hearing. But if he’s similar to Jeter, then I’d say he’s definitely athletic, as well.

(Aside: You don’t like Jeter, Naysayer? To me, he seems about the only really big-name MLB guy who hasn’t had his reputation smeared by drugs, affairs, cheating, general orneriness, or some combination thereof. Maybe you’re a Red Sox fan—that would explain it, I guess. I grew up a Dodgers fan, and I hated the Yankees because (1955 being an exception—Don Newcombe vs. Whitey Ford, Johnny Podres vs. Bob Turley, Roger Craig vs. somebody, etc.)the Dodgers could never beat them.

Anyway, I believe the discussion was a comparison of relative athletic ability sport-to-sport. I contend that the average MLB guy is less athletic than the average NBA or top-level soccer (not MLS—more like the English Premier League or the Italian Serie A) player, or than most NFL “skill” guys. No question conditioning is different sport-to-sport, though. A typical soccer training regimen includes a combination of sprints and distance running—there’s a lot of start-stop-cut in soccer, though as in basketball little of it begins from a dead standstill as it does in baseball.

Dan, re: your question-at top levels, that kind of play happens much more often than you’d think—not on every possession exchange, by any means, but pretty frequently. At lesser levels, including MLS, your “close proximity” is much more the norm. The ability to pinpoint long passes on the move is one of the things that made David Beckham famous and marketable (though Posh may have more to do with both). He hasn’t been much of a plus for MLS, though, and he isn’t listed on the English national team roster for South Africa. Age gets everyone eventually.

As to not scoring on every shot (I assume that’s what you guys mean by “kick”), it’s a failure only if you expect the keeper to fail 100% of the time, which of course you don’t. Not putting the ball on the face of the goal at least 80% of the time (the other 20% being hopeful/speculative, blocked or sheer desperation shots)? Yep, I’d say that’s a failure, but of skill, not necessarily athleticism.

soccer is for pretty-boys.

I would argue that hockey players are the best athletes out of all of the major sports. What other sport do you have to rotate every 1:30 to 2:00 minutes because the players are exhausted. In very few sports do the players stay in motion and play at full speed as much as hockey players. Add to that skating forward/backward, stoping and starting, passing and receiving passes of the puck, shooting slap shots and wrist shots, diving in front of 100 MPH shots, and getting physically beat on constantly. It is amazing any of those guys can play more than 5 years.

Hey who wants to debate whether or not race car drivers are athletes??? LOL J/K

DRM- You’re right about Beckham. Everyone thinks that he was one of the best players ever, but it was his pinpoint accuracy (bend it like beckham) and his good looks that made him famous.

Think of the best quartack from a passing perspective. Now, have the QB pass with his feet.

Soccer is a real sport, although it has taken me decades and two sons to come to appreciate it. Another sport that may be more fun to play than to watch.

Someone–Midwest, maybe–already quoted Jim Rome on that one, Waco. Not sure his opinion (Rome’s I mean, not Midwest’s) is much of an endorsement of the “guys who spend their day making left turns aren’t athletes” argument, but nevertheless it’s an argument with which I would agree. The formula/Indy/ARCA/whatever it’s called drivers look more athletic than the NASCAR guys, but who knows? It probably requires a certain type of stamina, not to mention concentration and guts, to be a race driver. But it’s a boring sport, in my opinion. As, for me, is hockey.

Dan, just admit it–you have a man crush on Landon Donovan. Or is it Brian Ching?

The worst part about top-level (that is, international) soccer is feigned injuries/diving. The Italian team, among others, is notorious for that tactic. You rarely see the Germans or the Dutch or even the English flop. Americans either, but then we’re only borderline world class– maybe we haven’t learned all the tricks yet.

Midwest, my appreciation of the game came the same way, from watching my son play from age 5 until he finished his college eligibility. Other than knocking the ball around with him and trying to help out at club team practices, I’ve never played–wish I were a tenth as skilled as even a good DIII player is, because it is lots of fun to play.

I also enjoy watching, though, as long as the teams playing are high level. MLS games are often too much like college games–lots of over-the-top, little true build-up, lots of fouls. Either at home or at work, I won’t miss a World Cup game (in case you weren’t aware, Dan, all 63 matches are being televised by the ESPN family!).

Fantastic, ESPN can’t get off its ass to put the FCS playoffs on TV save for 3 or 4 games, but they’ll nut up and put on all 63 soccer matches. Don’t they realize that the FCS and World Cup soccer have roughly the same fan base in America?

Let’s see… the entire country of Spain and the entire country of Germany watching a World cup game versus 5,000 Villanova fans and 10,000 Montana fans. Tough call.

Not scoring every kick is not a failure. But it should put in perspective not getting a hit every at bat.
Naysayer and Dan…we may need to meet up at a few App baseball games this year. I think we play at Wake Forest this year.

Wasn’t talking about international appeal midwest, just state-side. And you can’t use that sarcastic argument that soccer and FCS football have equal popularity here in your next FBS-flavored rant.

Worst ESPN desk “talent:”

Male:
1 Stuart Scott (tie)
1 Kirk Herbstreit (tie)
3 Chris Berman (distant third to the two #1s)
4 Brent Musburger
5 Mike Patrick

Female:
1 Linda Cohn (tie)
1 Cindy Brunson (tie)

Best male:
1 John Saunders
2 (distant second)–Tony Kornheiser and Mike Wilbon, as long as they’re together; alone, they might each make the worst list

Best female: Is there one? Probably
Doris Burke, though she isn’t desk-bound

Sadly, Dan, my bet would be that World Cup interest in the States is significantly greater than for FCS–huge youth (and therefore parental) involvement in the sport, plus we have significant numbers of immigrants from countries where futbol is king.

As I said, that’s a sad state of affairs for those who love FCS football.

There is no debate whatsoever. World Cup beats FCS state-side by 5:1 easily.

I would rather watch women’s basketball than soccer.

Actually, I would rather watch UCONN women’s basketball than college or MLS soccer. Any other team, not so much.

There’s nothing like World Cup (men’s or women’s), however. I saw five matches in Orlando in 1994–most electric (and eclectic) sports atmosphere I’ve ever experienced, by far. I hope the US hosts again sometime soon.

You may eventually come to appreciate the game the same way Midwest and I did, Dan, through your kids, if you have (or eventually have) any. But maybe not.

Any child I may have that wants to play soccer will be disowned and sold to a family in Brazil.

I like Sage Steele.

DRM – best female @ ESPN is Suzy Kolber but she’s probably not in the ‘desk’ category.

Yeah, sure Dan—then, after Brazilians made a star of the kid, you’d want him or her back so you could live vicariously through the accomplishments of your progeny. Not to mention the lucrative contract he (assuming son) might garner in Europe. Actually, sending (not selling) budding soccer talent to Brazil for training would be a great idea—that might elevate MLS to something other than a league for mostly boring US players and over-age foreign stars.

I like Steele, too—she’s far better (and cuter) than that Candidate woman. But she’s rarely in a desk position. Agree re: Kolber, too. As for females regularly on the desk, I really can’t think of any that impress positively.

Ernest Hemingway once wrote, “There are only three sports: bullfighting, motor racing and mountaineering; all the rest are merely games.”

Guess that means Hemingway wouldn’t have considered any participants in the “games” we’ve mentioned here as worthy of being called athletes. Also, to be a sport, apparently Hemingway thought risk of life had to be involved.

Well in Hemingway’s case, European soccer may count. Those psycho fanboys over there will kill somebody over one of those matches.

Yeah, some of those fans are basically crazy, no doubt. Especially some of the ones in England.

It’s not always just the Europeans, though. After he scored an own goal against the US in 1994, causing Colombia to lose the match, Andres Escobar was murdered in a bar in Medellin. Some attribute the murder to his World Cup screw up, though most that do think it was because his own goal cost Colombian drug lords big money in gambling losses, rather than the result of any national angst at a loss to the lowly US team.

Hey I know this is random. But do you guys know if the football players have practice during their spring break.
Thanks