SUMO! The Kyushu basho (November) began on Sunday and runs through the 22nd. Tournaments are every odd month and this month a larger number of fans per day are allowed in to watch the action as...
SUMO!
The Kyushu basho (November) began on Sunday and runs through the 22nd. Tournaments are every odd month and this month a larger number of fans per day are allowed in to watch the action as they have competent leadership, a population that isn't primarily concerned with themselves, and their nationwide daily new COVID cases are less than are in the city in which I reside. Sumo fans in the stands are much more lively this tournament and the perception is they're happy to be able to watch again. Previous months didn't allow fans at all and last month was the first that did so, but with only one person allowed per seating box which usually seat 4 people.
As outlined in a previous post, both Yokozuna are out this tournament with "injuries". I've only had the chance to watch Sunday's opener so far, but will catch up today with day 2 and day 3. After an honestly lackluster basho in September, the wrestlers at least opened this basho with some damn good sumo!
The Turkish GP is this weekend. I'm a bit sick of Mercedes and Hamilton winning everything, but I'm still looking forward to the race, maybe an accident will give us a surprise.
The Turkish GP is this weekend.
I'm a bit sick of Mercedes and Hamilton winning everything, but I'm still looking forward to the race, maybe an accident will give us a surprise.
Are you partial to any specific team or driver? And, as a sidenote, here's a potentially thorny question - do you consider drivers athletes, and why? @Micycle_the_Bichael asked a similar question...
Are you partial to any specific team or driver?
And, as a sidenote, here's a potentially thorny question - do you consider drivers athletes, and why? @Micycle_the_Bichael asked a similar question a while ago and I'm realizing now that I do think of them as athletes, but I'm not sure how to best justify that in line with my previous response.
I chose Max Verstappen just because he was the youngest when I started watching (I haven't been following F1 for too long), but I'm also a fan of George Russell. If a US Driver ever joins I'll...
I chose Max Verstappen just because he was the youngest when I started watching (I haven't been following F1 for too long), but I'm also a fan of George Russell. If a US Driver ever joins I'll probably be a fan of him too.
I think the athlete question is a good one. I'd say yes. They spend a lot of time in the gym and experience a lot of G-force throughout the race and physical stamina actually can play a pretty big role in the race.
In terms of eSports, I generally agree with you I think. Obviously I've read plenty of articles about how it's important for eSports pros to work out and remain healthy etc, but I think comparing them to chess players might be a more apt comparison.
Hey! Sorry! I looked back and realized I had written a reply to you in my notes app (easier for me to organize my thoughts) but never posted it! So I admit I probably have a different definition...
Hey! Sorry! I looked back and realized I had written a reply to you in my notes app (easier for me to organize my thoughts) but never posted it! So I admit I probably have a different definition of "Sports" than at least most Americans. I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, but I know my stance is very different than those around me. In my opinion a sport is "Organized competitive activity with set rules and expectations." Football? Sport. Hockey? Sport. Curling? Sport. Archery? Sport. Shooting a rifle? Sport. Driving? Sport. Esports? Sport. Speedrunning? Sport. Backgammon and chess? You guessed it! Sports.
For fun, I googled the definition of sport to see what it was. For starters, possibly the least useful definition of sport I have found. Next we'll try dictionary.com's definition: "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc." Which this definition takes me back to the crux of your question/divergence in thought: what is "athletic" about driving or hunting? I'm giving bowling a loose pass and call it a sport because I've managed to injure my shoulder while bowling and I need it to be a sport to make me less embarrassed. I was loosely into competitive archery for about 2 tournaments when I was a kid. I wouldn't say anything I did there was particularly athletic, but I would still call it a sport.
I personally think that the athletic aspect of the definition is both dated in terms of what we call sports, and closes people's minds off to a lot of really cool competitions and displays of skill because they "aren't real sports". I dunno. Maybe I'm over correcting after getting told all my life that the LITERAL SPORTS I played for 15 years in competitive swimming and cross-country weren't real sports like football, soccer, lacross, etc. I remember how alienating and frustrating it was being told the thing I was dedicating 3+ hours a day to train and compete in wasn't as valid as other sports, and that no matter how good I got it would never matter as much or be as impressive as anyone who did real sports. So now I just view anything where people are dedicating time to train and compete with each other as a sport, and equally valid of a sport as any other.
International break so no European leagues to watch this weekend. I just finished my Masters pool though and can't wait for a weekend of commercial-free golf.
International break so no European leagues to watch this weekend. I just finished my Masters pool though and can't wait for a weekend of commercial-free golf.
If you only watch the Masters, I would look out for some of the newer names among the young guys that you may not recognize like Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, and Scottie Scheffler. All 3 of...
If you only watch the Masters, I would look out for some of the newer names among the young guys that you may not recognize like Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, and Scottie Scheffler. All 3 of them turned pro since the Masters was last held in April 2019, and they've been competing near the top ever since. Morikawa actually won the PGA Championship over the summer (shot of the tournament around the 1:20 mark). He's #4 in the world now that I'm looking up the rankings.
For big names, Dustin Johnson and John Rahm are always fun to watch as the world #1 and #2 and with how their years have gone. Both had multiple wins this season and deep runs in the FedEx Cup (DJ won it in the end). Check out this shot Rahm had from yesterday's practice round. Add Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy to this group to round out your big bombers.
I really think Xander Schauffele or Tyrrell Hatton could win based on form, playing strengths, etc. though. Both are current top 10 but without a major win. Tyrrell didn't make a run in the FedEx Cup because he didn't play enough on the PGA Tour this season (Englishman on the European Tour), but he's arguably the best player in Europe by current form. Just won a big Rolex Series event over there that was much more recent than the end of the FedEx Cup back in September. A winner does come out of nowhere sometimes, but more often than not, it's someone in good form.
You're welcome! And just remember that you can watch 4 different streams for free without interruption on the Masters website for the whole tournament. Starting tomorrow, they will have streams...
You're welcome! And just remember that you can watch 4 different streams for free without interruption on the Masters website for the whole tournament. Starting tomorrow, they will have streams for a main broadcast, featured groups, and multiple featured holes (Hole 16 is prime viewing on Sunday because of pin location), plus they introduced a new build-your-own feature to follow any player shot for shot. I think they have also done a practice range stream for players warming up in previous years.
It really is one of the greatest sporting events from a TV viewing perspective, and people who follow golf greatly appreciate it because they know how awful the coverage can be for the other tournaments. I hope you enjoy and the weather holds off for us!
SUMO!
The Kyushu basho (November) began on Sunday and runs through the 22nd. Tournaments are every odd month and this month a larger number of fans per day are allowed in to watch the action as they have competent leadership, a population that isn't primarily concerned with themselves, and their nationwide daily new COVID cases are less than are in the city in which I reside. Sumo fans in the stands are much more lively this tournament and the perception is they're happy to be able to watch again. Previous months didn't allow fans at all and last month was the first that did so, but with only one person allowed per seating box which usually seat 4 people.
As outlined in a previous post, both Yokozuna are out this tournament with "injuries". I've only had the chance to watch Sunday's opener so far, but will catch up today with day 2 and day 3. After an honestly lackluster basho in September, the wrestlers at least opened this basho with some damn good sumo!
Love the coverage you've been giving us, along with the breakdown of sumo politics. Keep it coming!
The Turkish GP is this weekend.
I'm a bit sick of Mercedes and Hamilton winning everything, but I'm still looking forward to the race, maybe an accident will give us a surprise.
Are you partial to any specific team or driver?
And, as a sidenote, here's a potentially thorny question - do you consider drivers athletes, and why? @Micycle_the_Bichael asked a similar question a while ago and I'm realizing now that I do think of them as athletes, but I'm not sure how to best justify that in line with my previous response.
I chose Max Verstappen just because he was the youngest when I started watching (I haven't been following F1 for too long), but I'm also a fan of George Russell. If a US Driver ever joins I'll probably be a fan of him too.
I think the athlete question is a good one. I'd say yes. They spend a lot of time in the gym and experience a lot of G-force throughout the race and physical stamina actually can play a pretty big role in the race.
In terms of eSports, I generally agree with you I think. Obviously I've read plenty of articles about how it's important for eSports pros to work out and remain healthy etc, but I think comparing them to chess players might be a more apt comparison.
Hey! Sorry! I looked back and realized I had written a reply to you in my notes app (easier for me to organize my thoughts) but never posted it! So I admit I probably have a different definition of "Sports" than at least most Americans. I don't know how it is in the rest of the world, but I know my stance is very different than those around me. In my opinion a sport is "Organized competitive activity with set rules and expectations." Football? Sport. Hockey? Sport. Curling? Sport. Archery? Sport. Shooting a rifle? Sport. Driving? Sport. Esports? Sport. Speedrunning? Sport. Backgammon and chess? You guessed it! Sports.
For fun, I googled the definition of sport to see what it was. For starters, possibly the least useful definition of sport I have found. Next we'll try dictionary.com's definition: "an athletic activity requiring skill or physical prowess and often of a competitive nature, as racing, baseball, tennis, golf, bowling, wrestling, boxing, hunting, fishing, etc." Which this definition takes me back to the crux of your question/divergence in thought: what is "athletic" about driving or hunting? I'm giving bowling a loose pass and call it a sport because I've managed to injure my shoulder while bowling and I need it to be a sport to make me less embarrassed. I was loosely into competitive archery for about 2 tournaments when I was a kid. I wouldn't say anything I did there was particularly athletic, but I would still call it a sport.
I personally think that the athletic aspect of the definition is both dated in terms of what we call sports, and closes people's minds off to a lot of really cool competitions and displays of skill because they "aren't real sports". I dunno. Maybe I'm over correcting after getting told all my life that the LITERAL SPORTS I played for 15 years in competitive swimming and cross-country weren't real sports like football, soccer, lacross, etc. I remember how alienating and frustrating it was being told the thing I was dedicating 3+ hours a day to train and compete in wasn't as valid as other sports, and that no matter how good I got it would never matter as much or be as impressive as anyone who did real sports. So now I just view anything where people are dedicating time to train and compete with each other as a sport, and equally valid of a sport as any other.
International break so no European leagues to watch this weekend. I just finished my Masters pool though and can't wait for a weekend of commercial-free golf.
If you only watch the Masters, I would look out for some of the newer names among the young guys that you may not recognize like Matthew Wolff, Collin Morikawa, and Scottie Scheffler. All 3 of them turned pro since the Masters was last held in April 2019, and they've been competing near the top ever since. Morikawa actually won the PGA Championship over the summer (shot of the tournament around the 1:20 mark). He's #4 in the world now that I'm looking up the rankings.
For big names, Dustin Johnson and John Rahm are always fun to watch as the world #1 and #2 and with how their years have gone. Both had multiple wins this season and deep runs in the FedEx Cup (DJ won it in the end). Check out this shot Rahm had from yesterday's practice round. Add Bryson DeChambeau and Rory McIlroy to this group to round out your big bombers.
I really think Xander Schauffele or Tyrrell Hatton could win based on form, playing strengths, etc. though. Both are current top 10 but without a major win. Tyrrell didn't make a run in the FedEx Cup because he didn't play enough on the PGA Tour this season (Englishman on the European Tour), but he's arguably the best player in Europe by current form. Just won a big Rolex Series event over there that was much more recent than the end of the FedEx Cup back in September. A winner does come out of nowhere sometimes, but more often than not, it's someone in good form.
You're welcome! And just remember that you can watch 4 different streams for free without interruption on the Masters website for the whole tournament. Starting tomorrow, they will have streams for a main broadcast, featured groups, and multiple featured holes (Hole 16 is prime viewing on Sunday because of pin location), plus they introduced a new build-your-own feature to follow any player shot for shot. I think they have also done a practice range stream for players warming up in previous years.
It really is one of the greatest sporting events from a TV viewing perspective, and people who follow golf greatly appreciate it because they know how awful the coverage can be for the other tournaments. I hope you enjoy and the weather holds off for us!
I was wondering about that too actually, so I appreciate the link because I'd been watching without commentary all morning!
Looks like they have commentary today on the Masters website. No idea what the deal is, but I'll take it.