- NASCAR: Not enough crashes. I've got a pinched nerve in my neck (two parts overwork; one part overblogging). So twisting 'round and 'round to follow the cars just plain hurt--post-game replays were better. Besides, I thought Jimmy Johnson was a former Cowboys coach, now Sunday sports-show blowhard. Rating: C
- Basketball: PTI's Michael Wilbon called the NBA All-Star game "America's must significant sports cultural event," showing I'm MIA from mainstream culture (given the plethora of earrings, shouldn't they be "All-Studs?"). I found the game sloppy and choppy; homeboy Gilbert Arenas did too (one point, one assist). I'm thrilled for MVP LeBron James, though that will be small comfort for fellow Orangeman (I graduated) Carmelo Anthony, not named an All-Star again. And I would have though it harder to hide 7 foot 5 inch Yao Ming (five points, one assist). In sum, the basketball was less than professional--and I don't care for professional basketball. Rating: B-
- Winter Olympics: This was good-bad-good. Best news: Bode laid another egg. Bad: 18 million other ho-hum events (e.g., bobsledding, curling) some of which (e.g., ice dancing) aren't a sport (defined as a zero-sum-game physical/mental contest1). But yesterday's winner and still champion: Hockey. Finally, given the proliferation of cable channels and the bulking-up of broadcast networks, two in NBC's corporate family -- CNBC and MSNBC (what's the diff. since Gates bolted?) -- allowed Americans to access live Olympic hockey. Incredibly, games are shown in real time, even between non-American squads! Now that's good multi-culti! Rating: A+ for hockey; all other events: C+
3. a half-hour of NASCAR.Thankfully, Sunday also opened workouts for pitchers and catchers.
2. the first and fourth quarters of the NBA's All-Stars.
1. Finland's shutout of Team Canada, easily the "best in show."
___________________
1 Hence poker and pinochle are more "sporting" than soccer.
4 comments:
I grew up on Wide World Of Sports, so watching a sport like bobsledding every few years is fine with me. I couldn't follow it every week, but once in awhile, it's interesting. I share your sentiments on ice dancing. Just because something involves athletic ability doesn't mean it's a sport.
My son is a student intern at the Freestyle events (moguls and aerials). Very cool gig.
I've enjoyed the hockey. It's been far more competitive than I had imagined it would be.
Canada made a big mistake by not taking Sydney Crosby with them. He's the best player to come out of Canada since Lemieux. Both US and Canada have been stale. The Fins are dirty but they are tenacious. Credit goes to the Swiss team as well.
As for the other sports...honestly, I just don't have time to watch them.
Did anyone catch that American, I think a figure skater, sporting an old "CCCP" (Soviet Union) warm up jacket? If that were my son.......
The CCCP guy is Weir. In addition he made some Anti-bush remarks in a later interview. The best part is that he is so young he didn't see what "CCCP" stood for, the wall was coming down and the Soviet Union was just some outdated word.
As for the Games in general. I will say I love the luge and skeleton. Not saying they are a sport up there like football or baseball, but I honestly love watching watching it for some reason.
> some of which (e.g., ice dancing) aren't a sport
Very little of what classifies as "sport" these days is.
hint: if the winner is decided by judges, it ain't sport.
It may be athletic and it certainly may be a game (even a good game -- no value judgement is applied), but if the result is primarily subjective, it ain't a sport
Post a Comment