favorite sports and teams?

[ElmosWorld]

no other sport has something this silly. you don't get an extra run for hitting a 450 foot homerun or 4 points for a 50 yard field goal. this ain't pinball.

in fantasy football you get 5pts for 50 yd field goal

[Concord]

you also sit down while you play it

[ElmosWorld]

you also sit down while you play it

So?

[nelg]

Meh????    

[Phytotron]

the canucks are pacifists nowadays

According to the logic represented by hockey, it's not only acceptable but encouraged to assault other players for reasons having nothing to do with the game itself. No other sport has a gimmick this silly.

according the logic represented by the scoring, there's this line, and if you cross it, even by just a millimeter, the shot has become 50% more difficult. It'd be one thing if all shots were scored according to their distance from the basket, at least then the internal logic would be consistent.

That's what Denny Crum said.

no other sport has something this silly. you don't get an extra run for hitting a 450 foot homerun or 4 points for a 50 yard field goal. this ain't pinball.

Discus? Javelin? Long and high jump? Curling? Doesn't cricket have some wacky scoring? I don't have much problem with the 3-point line. Foul shots are worth one point. Field goals in football are three, and safeties are two. It's just variety in scoring, I reckon. I wouldn't necessarily be distraught if it were removed, though.

Worth mentioning: Women's basketball uses the same height goal and same distance free-throw and three-point lines. Also, no block/charge restricted arc. Some of the best basketball is being played by the women these days. I couldn't care less about the likes of an ogre like Blake Griffin.

By the way, what do you think about the shot clock? Or the outlawing of zone defenses in the NBA?



Fantasy football isn't a sport.

[Concord]

disclaimer: I write this between the 2nd and 3rd periods of a playoff hockey game

as to discus, javelin, etc. like a lot of various events (running, swimming, rowing) the sport is a measurement of ability. Whoever has the most ability wins. The absolute distance within each event is irrelevant, it's not about if you can throw it so many feet, it's about if you can throw it further than me. none of those sports have defense or any other type of direct competition. They're similar to the 3pt shootout or the home run derby.

as to football, field goals and safeties are fundamentally different methods of scoring, as is a free throw in basketball (no defense, still shot from set distance).

not a big fan of the shot clock, but I accept as necessary to the viability of basketball as entertainment. the number is somewhat arbitrary, and I wouldn't mind seeing it increased to another arbitrary number.

I support banning the zone as little as I support rules demanding "open" or "loose" play in this game.

l and same distance free-throw and three-point lines.

the 3pt line is 3 inches closer, but it's irrelevant. The ball is also smaller and this is also irrelevant

[Phytotron]

as to discus, javelin, etc. like a lot of various events (running, swimming, rowing) the sport is a measurement of ability. Whoever has the most ability wins. The absolute distance within each event is irrelevant, it's not about if you can throw it so many feet, it's about if you can throw it further than me. none of those sports have defense or any other type of direct competition. They're similar to the 3pt shootout or the home run derby.

as to football, field goals and safeties are fundamentally different methods of scoring, as is a free throw in basketball (no defense, still shot from set distance).

I suppose. I would bet there are better examples than those I gave (still wonder about cricket), but those were just off the top of my head, and I'm not enough of a sports nut to be familiar with much more. Golf, maybe? Well, anyway, regardless, even if basketball is the only sports with such a rule—so what, really? It's a sport, a game. It's not a philosophy, public policy, or mechanical engineering; its rules don't have broader implications beyond the game itself. It's something that was made up more or less from whole cloth. Many sports have rules that may not seem to make sense—like, say, what I noted about hockey.

I respect your purism, though, if that's what it is—we haven't actually established that. I'm still not bothered by the existence of the three, but like I said, also wouldn't be terribly disappointed were it removed. I don't think it ever will be, however. As we see with even Armagetron, the fashionable trends tend toward more gimmicks and supposed excitement. Sophisticated simplicity isn't appreciated by the masses. Look how much the popularity of baseball has deteriorated—with the only recent upswing being during the steroid slugger era. We're presently in a sort of pitching renaissance, and no one cares. We've seen it in football as well, with spread offenses and rule adjustments seemingly every year that unfairly benefit the offense. There are a lot of people who feel about rules changes in football the way you do about the three point line.

Also, on the subject of zone defense, you know that the NBA did outlaw zone D from its inception up until about ten years ago, yeah? (If you're wondering, I'm a proponent of zone defense.)

I still don't know what Karl Malone has to do with the three point line.

the 3pt line is 3 inches closer

NBA versus WNBA, yes. NCAA, no. In fact, the NCAA line is further out than the WNBA and International (men's and womens') line.

The ball is also smaller

Slightly. The upper limit for women's is only a half inch smaller than men's, both college and pro.

...it's irrelevant. ...this is also irrelevant

Irrelevant to what? The discussion about the existence of the three point line? Sure. I didn't intend it to be relevant to that. Irrelevant to the thread? Absolutely not. Also, the height of the goal and distance of the lines is relevant to comparing men's to women's basketball since women are, on average, shorter and less strong than men, yet still have to shoot the ball (yes, slightly smaller to accommodate their smaller hands) an equal distance.

[ItzAcid]

well lesean mccoy was way better then westbrook
And he(Vick) still is and so is lesean mccoy

Mccoy hasn't been in the league NEAR as long as Westbrook. To say that he's better is ludicrous (or Ludacris ). He's been solid so far, but there's no way to compare his career to Westbrook's . It's your opinion of course, but I've been a huge fan of Mr. Westbrook for a long time haha. Look up some of his stats.

Edit: Nice Titan links, Phyto .

[Phytotron]

My bet is Donut is barely old enough to even remember Westbrook's career. And that he's an Eagles fan because of some twisted "cool" factor, not much more. Doesn't matter if they win, it's about the personality or some other superficial nonsense.

Football players are cool and all; but Track and Field athletes are where it's at.

A lot of football players are/were also track and field athletes. One such fellow just went #2 overall in the NFL draft. (I don't think he ran in college, but many, many others do.)

[Concord]

I meant irrelevant to the quality of women's basketball as compared to mens. who cares where the line is? I don't because I don't think it should exist. Maybe extend to a perimeter surrounding the arena, if you can score from the parking lot, give him the three.

the phillies and giants rotations these past two years have been the single best thing to watch in all of sport for my money


anyway, karl malone has nothing to do with the 3pt line. he's symptomatic to the downfall of the nba in a different way. he was really at the front end of the internal war going on in the sport's culture. for every jordan, there was a malone, it's kobe bryant vs. allen iverson. champion vs all star. rings vs record books. Lebron James is so fascinating because he is the synthesis of this divide. all he cares about is winning, he's a fantastic team player, but all he has to show for it are individual stats.

[Phytotron]

I meant irrelevant to the quality of women's basketball as compared to mens.

Not an argument I made.

anyway, karl malone has nothing to do with the 3pt line. (Obviously, heh; the most threes he ever attempted in a season was 45.) he's symptomatic to the downfall of the nba in a different way. he was really at the front end of the internal war going on in the sport's culture. for every jordan, there was a malone, it's kobe bryant vs. allen iverson. champion vs all star. rings vs record books.

I agree with that. Heck, see me Eagles comment above. It's one of the things that was included in my "and that's not even going into other issues" bit.

Lebron James is so fascinating because he is the synthesis of this divide. all he cares about is winning, he's a fantastic team player, but all he has to show for it are individual stats.

LeBron Marino and the Cleveland Chargers?