Category Archives: Sports

LOUD STADIUMS.

LOUD STADIUMS. The fans at the World Cup can be thankful that the stadiums are open air. In the United States, “domed” or roofed stadiums hold in the noise. Football fans take advantage of this by making lots of noise … Continue reading

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THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORLD CUP.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE WORLD CUP. The World Cup reminds me that I had never thought that apartheid would end in my lifetime. And it was done peacefully and wound up with a democratic government. I welcome the opportunity to … Continue reading

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IN PRAISE OF VUVUZELAS.

IN PRAISE OF VUVUZELAS. As this New York Times article indicates, vuvuzelas are controversial. Vuvuzelas are plastic trumpets, some almost three feet long, that seem to be played by everybody in the stands at the World Cup in South Africa. … Continue reading

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THE AESTHETICS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION.

THE AESTHETICS OF INDUSTRIALIZATION. De Botton asserts that the achievements of logistics (the distribution of goods in the global economy) are beautiful and neglected. He points out that premodern travelers would take a great interest in a new country’s “granaries, … Continue reading

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MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS AS ATHLETES.

MEDIEVAL KNIGHTS AS ATHLETES. Mary Jane commented that the actors we saw in the Guerrilla Theatre production of King John, who stripped to the waist for fight scenes, were really “ripped.” Then she commented that the muscularity seemed to be … Continue reading

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ARMANDO GALARRAGA—THE NEED FOR REPLAY.

ARMANDO GALARRAGA—THE NEED FOR REPLAY. Dick Weisfelder e mailed me to urge me to post on a baseball game that ended a short time ago. I have posted a number of times, including here, on the need for baseball to … Continue reading

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ENFORCING A 55 MPH LIMIT WHEN EVERY CAR IS GOING 75.

ENFORCING A 55 MPH LIMIT WHEN EVERY CAR IS GOING 75. I had been thinking about the previous post since I read the Custance article. I was not thinking about any particular game. Nevertheless, so that people who are not … Continue reading

Posted in Basketball, Sports | 1 Comment

PLAYOFF HOCKEY AND PLAYOFF BASKETBALL.

PLAYOFF HOCKEY AND “PLAYOFF BASKETBALL.” The Sporting News had an article on May 24 by Craig Custance about how much hockey has improved in the last five years as a result of the determination to enforce the rules precisely during … Continue reading

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NOT BENDING YOUR KNEES IN TENNIS.

NOT BENDING YOUR KNEES IN TENNIS. This article in the current Harvard Magazine describes a revolutionary change in how tennis players move that is now being taught to Harvard tennis players. Traditionally, tennis players are taught to stay low when … Continue reading

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DOES THE STRIKE ZONE CHANGE WITH THE PITCH COUNT?

DOES THE STRIKE ZONE CHANGE WITH THE PITCH COUNT? John Walsh has another study here in The Hardball Times (a very important site). The study is based on 200,000 pitchers to right-handed batters. He concludes that the strike zone is … Continue reading

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