General Sports Thread

[Michael Hopcroft]

1 hour ago, death tribble said:

Max Verstappen wins the Las Vegas Grand Prix

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/67462385

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/67467249

This race was a PR nightmare for the FIA. While the conditions were not quite as dangerous in Qayar, the condition of the street track was almost undrivable. By F1 standards the track in late night conditions was very cold, making traction an adventure. Cars were sliding all over the track, and Verstappen took a ridiculously mild five-second penalty for forcing pole-sitter Charles Leclair off the track on the very first turn. In the end it did not matter because Verstappen was Verstappen and Red Bull was, well, Red Bull.

 

Fortunately, a state-of-the-art F1-ready track is under construction in the Vegas suburbs and may be ready for the 2024 race. With so many issues regarding the track and the organizers' treatment of fans who paid up to two grand for a weekend of racing on the Strip, F1 street racing on the Strip will hopefully be left for the videogames where track conditions can be handwaved away.

 

I still don't know whether Andretti Racing will be the F1 equivalent of an expansion team or take the place of one of the existing bottom-feeders.

 

With one race left on the schedule, it's about time to look back on the past season. Certainly, Verstappen and Red Bull had the most successful season in Formula 1 history in terms of race results and point production, but what of the rest of the field? The racing was much better in the mid-pack than it was in front where it was like Verstappen taking an unpressured Sunday drive most weeks. So with a few exceptions (Qatar and Vegas) the races were not unwatchable. But it must have been truly demoralizing for fans of the other nine teams, and especially for the drivers consigned to the back rows of the grid in most of the races. You don't become an F1 race driver to compete for two to three points a week by getting in the Tope 10. You become an F1 driver because you want to win races and championships. So do we appreciate the incipient greatness of Max Verstappen or fervently wish for Ferrari or Mercedes to catch up in 2024 and give Max some compensation for the top of the table at last?

[Cygnia]

[death tribble]

Max Verstappen wins the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/67537239

 

Italy beat Australia to win their first Davis Cup title in 47 years

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/tennis/67537580

 

Francesco Dagnaia wins the Valencia Moto GP to retain the title

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/motorsport/67537608

[Cygnia]

Every player on the ice gets ejected after fight during NHL game

[unclevlad]

39 minutes ago, Cygnia said:

Every player on the ice gets ejected after fight during NHL game

 

I get the sense it was probably necessary because of this quote post-game:

 

Quote

There were a total of 167 penalty minutes doled out by officials in the game, which barely merited a shrug from Florida head coach Paul Maurice.

 

"That's mild," Maurice told reporters afterward. "We only got to about 160-some minutes. It's gotta get into the 250s before it gets too squirrelly."

 

NHL, you have a problem.

[Pariah]

It feels like this was inevitable.

 

Sports Illustrated Published Articles by Fake, AI-Generated Writers

[unclevlad]

Rafa Nadal has announced he's going to play Brisbane, one of the tune-up events before the Australian Open.  It'll be his first event since the Aussie.  Hopefully he'll be physically able to play, altho with the collection of problems he's had for the last several years...I have my doubts. 

 

He's said he expects to retire at the end of 2024.  I hope he can give the French one last run.

[death tribble]

Ronnie O'Sullivan has just won his eighth UK snooker Championship which is a record. He is now the youngest and oldest player to win this title.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/snooker/67607991

[Pariah]

A few days ago, Salt Lake City was named the preferred host for the 2034 Winter Olympic games. Basically that means they just have to hammer out the fiscal details with the IOC before the official announcement next year.

 

Thing is, pretty much all of the venues that were used in the 2002 Winter games are still up and running now ... and many are in better condition now than they were then. The city has better infrastructure now, too, including a light rail line out to the airport. In short, Salt Lake isn't going to have to spend a ton of money to get ready for the Olympics.

 

The games could actually be profitable, which is pretty much unheard of anymore.

[unclevlad]

I wonder how much that played into it.  Both sets of Games have had a terrible pattern of building up massive facilities that pretty much never get used again...and the host city/country takes a bath overall.

 

It makes FAR more sense to try to run the Games where this doesn't have to happen.  And heck, how often have many of the facilities been...let's be polite, and say "marginal" at the time of the Games because *that much* major construction couldn't get completed in time?

 

Of course, by '34 even prime time might be past my bed time...............

[Cancer]

A major factor leading to that sort of problem has been the corruption involved with site selection.

[Pariah]

I've been here long enough to remember the scandal leading up to the Games in 2002. 

[unclevlad]

The powers that be in golf have decided to institute new testing procedures for golf balls, for the specific purpose of shortening the distance the ball travels.  The Athletic dropped some numbers...

 

--13 players averaged 300 yards off the tee in '98;  in '22, it was 98.  

--The player ranked 75th in '22 hit the ball over 30 yards further than the player ranked 75th in '98.

 

This is something that's been mentioned for quite some time:  the pros hit the ball so far that they out-hit most courses.  30 yards for an average, if Tour-level, pro...is about 2 clubs...long iron to medium iron, medium iron to short iron or even wedge.  And most players are really, really good with short clubs.  Lengthening the courses is at best expensive as blazes.

[death tribble]

Nathan Lyon takes his 500th wicket in cricket

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/66052816

Australia beat Pakistan in Perth

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/67741224

[Bazza]

Congrats Aussies. 

[Cygnia]

Basketball legend Kareem Abdul-Jabbar hospitalized with broken hip

[slikmar]

Puttin this here instead of What Have you Watched because deals with Soccer.

We have been watching a series on showtime called The World According to Football with Trevor Noah. Basically does different countries about Soccer and an issue there. Starts with the anonymity and struggle of the women of Brasil. 2nd is on US and why we can't seem to  find players here, was surprising. 3rd was on Premier League of UK and the stress and depression a lot of the players seem to suffer from. Highly recommend.

[death tribble]

India beat Australia for the first time in Women's Test cricket

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/cricket/67815897

[Cygnia]

3-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Cale Yarborough dies

[death tribble]

Sports calendar for the coming year

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/67592570

[Cygnia]

[Cygnia]

German Soccer Great Franz Beckenbauer Dead At 78

[death tribble]

RIP

[death tribble]

JPR Williams dies. He was a Welsh rugby player and a player known as one of the best not only for his country. And as I grew up in the 1970s I became familiar with the Welsh team

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/rugby-union/52052510

[death tribble]

The former manager of the England football team, Sven Goran Eriksson, and the first from outside the UK has cancer and maybe a year to live.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/67942943