Soccer, Sports and Politics - Part Deux

As if the city needs another all-Jewish high school.

 

My Alma ran into one of those private schools in the playoffs a decade or so ago. They had a bunch of former Tide players on their coaching staff and some former NFL and college players' kids on the team. Typical Get Around Brown Christian school for sure, probably every POC is an athlete of some kind. At least a pub school beat them before they got to the finals.

 

Early baseball play-by-play

Play-O-Graph, New York City, 1911- Think of it as an ESPN GameCast 112 years earlier. Before radio broadcasts of baseball games, this invention was really the only means for the general public to follow the play-by-play of a baseball game, like these baseball fans in New York City are doing following the 1911 World Series between the Philadelphia Athletics and New York Giants.

Paul Lukas of Uni-Watch describes how it worked:

"The Playograph — produced and manufactured by the Playograph Company of Stamford, Connecticut — was basically a giant animatronic scoreboard, sort of like an analog version of ESPN’s gamecast feature. In that photo I just linked to, there’s a runner on first (denoted by the X), a runner has been put out at third (the O), and a fly ball has just been hit to right field. Each pitch of the game was depicted, with the ball starting on pitcher’s mound, shooting toward the plate (supposedly with some curvature if the operator wanted to represent a curveball), and then moving toward the appropriate part of the field. It took a three-man Playograph crew to accomplish all of this: one to receive the play-by-play info over a telegraph wire, one to operate the little white ball, and one to control all of the other graphics."

Over the years there were many forms like the Poly-O-Graph until radio broadcast eventually made them obsolete. But nonetheless, they were a fascinating part of the game and a great example how the fans of today and yesterday were not much different in their dedication to following the game and teams they loved.

 

I hope the New York/New Jersey MetroStars fans making the long, sad trip home today get their flights delayed and miss their connections in Detroit.

 

If a tie is like kissing your sister, what's 2nd place? Kissing Roby's mustachioed MIL?

 

Rod Stewart & Elton John warming up for Watford, 1972

 

A&M's a cult, right?

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I know their rugby coach!

 

what does this mean?

 

Mets sign the biggest free agent this year, Juan Soto. But it wouldn't have been possible if the Wilponzis were still owners.

 

It seems the Mets stopped themselves just short of another Bobby Bonilla contract. 15 years for a 26-year-old?

 

Damn! Quiet day at the office, I take it? That's a lot of people.

 

I'd get a red card for this!

 

Can opt out after 5

It was just as much a statement to the Yankees from Mets over Steve Cohen:

 

Looks good on paper

 

As a Pirates fan, I can't tell you how true that is. And how much that hurts.

 

Brickball!!!

 

Great stadium tho

 

Dude was 32 when this picture was taken

 

So there's been a rule change where mid-range jump shots have been outlawed?

 

Old Time Hockey! Like Eddie Shore!

 

Awkwaaaard!

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Here's the play.



Did Favre take a dive? YOU MAKE THE CALL!

 

You Make the Call videos are on youtube.



Skip ahead to 50 the fifty second mark to see the decision. Or watch the IBM commercial (You make the call!)

I got this one mostly right. It's possible I remember it.