I say yes, you say no, OR People are Strange

BarbaraA

Athena, that is me usually, but this year, since FL is in it and I live here, I am saturated with it day in and day out. I really hate basketball, too. It is like watching grass grow until there are two minutes left.

1Athena1

LOL!! What an excellent analogy. I was forced to sit through a game once and what a bore! Things I can't get over are how easy it is to score, how huge the men are compared to the size of the court and hoops, and how many timed periods there are. They need to make the court much bigger and the post much higher to make it a real challenge.

If only more sports were played like soccer, the real football, The Beautiful Game! (ducking for cover)

BarbaraA

I like rugby and hockey. Much more interesting to me and very fast-moving. I do, however, like baseball in the ballpark. It is more of a social outing: drinking beer and eating hotdogs and talking with friends then every so often a little game excitement then more socializing.

River_Rat

Ok, sorry - I have to disagree.  I think basketball is an exciting and entertaining game to watch, and when played well it's like a dance.  But I have to admit that I haven't been watching this year - it's not much fun for me to watch alone and since I've been sick nobody's been around except DH who hates all sports.

But my biggest disagreement is on baseball.  To me that is the game that is like watching grass grow.  That's probably because I don't drink beer or eat hotdogs.  Playing it is different though.  We used to like to play baseball with the my kids, my dad, my siblings and nieces and nephews when my girls were pre-teen to late-teens and that was great fun.  We've been thinking of starting to do that with the grandkids.  We also used to keep a ball and bat in the trunk of the car and when we were on trips we looked for parks to stop at and play a little ball to get out and stretch for awhile. - ok now I'm getting boring. 

I must agree that I like hockey, because I live in Michigan and if I didn't agree there's probably some sort of sentence or at least fine.  I don't watch many games, same reason as the basketball, but my mom is the Red Wings #1 fan.  She's so cute wearing her Red Wings sweaters, earrings, necklace etc on game days.

Note to Barbara - I saw your turtle pic in another thread and love it!

Edited to add note to Barbara  

BarbaraA

R_R, I like the social aspect of baseball. But I really do not get the whole 'dance' thing about basketball. Of course, my ex-DH would watch basketball 24/7 and would never even say hello to me during March so maybe that has a role in my hatred.

For those into turtles, this was taken on my cruise on Bequia, SVG at a turtle sanctuary. He is an albino hawksbill turtle and if released would be killed by other turtles for being different.

AnneW

Where I'm from, college basketball is a religion. Rivalries are bitter and genetic. (So, go Kentucky, beat UNC please!)

If I don't understand a game, it doesn't matter HOW fast paced it is--I can't watch it. I played basketball, so I am thrilled by it. Hockey? A bunch of big toothless guys skating in circles and knocking each other into the glass. Oh, and the puck-thingie has to go into the net. Hockey has rules? Lacrosse I can't follow. Soccer I'm learning, but it's exhausting to see people run up and down a field for hours with only a few scores and no memorable plays. Except for the women's team that won that year--I watched but still didn't understand. Rugby--that's a free-for-all! I used to love baseball at the ballpark, too. Now, I'm too ADD to sit for nine innings...The beer and hotdogs topped off a beautiful day in the stadium, though!

Anyway...spin class soon, then breakfast out, then hoops to watch, then brussel sprouts for supper.

River_Rat

Barbara, thanks for posting that here too.  He is so beautiful.  It's so sad that other turtles would kill him for being different.

Re basketball - it's just so beautiful to me when one player knows where the other will be with such timing to set up a beautiful dunk, or a perfect screen. 

crazy4carrots

The great Hank Aaron was on Letterman the other night.  He was talking about how stretched out baseball games are these days.  When he played (and the games weren't televised except for the playoffs), the game seldom went over an hour and he said the players could always call home and tell their SO's approx. what time they'd be home for dinner!!!  Nowadays, let's stretch it out so we can cram more commercials in!

Athena -- I'm with you!  Love soccer.  Those guys are THE athletes!

River_Rat

I just read the most amazing story of a hero in Japan.  It happened right after the tsunami but I missed the story until now.  But the article I originally saw contained some obscenities so I looked for and found another source:

http://articles.latimes.com/2011/mar/17/world/la-fg-japan-quake-scuba-20110317

For those of you not adverse to a little profanity the piece I saw first is way more colorful, exciting and fun:

http://badassoftheweek.com/akaiwa.html 

Edited to say that I have to idea if the story is true and make no claim for its veracity but it's a heck of a story. 

Wabbit

Wonderful story ... and the badass version is soooo much better.     

1Athena1

That turtle is too adorable!

Bren-2007

I love that beautiful turtle .. and I'm glad he's protected!

Yikes .. Mr. Tim will be home this afternoon .. and you guessed it, basketball 24/7 until he leaves out again!  Since his beloved Duke lost, he's having to change his favorite team to Butler ... arghhh .. he still won't root for UNC!  Traitor!  Butler plays this afternoon at 4:30 and UNC tomorrow afternoon.  I'll be glad when March madness is over.

Like Barbara said, the best part of basketball is the last two minutes!

hugs to all,

Bren

Bren-2007

I thought better of posting the link.  Don't want to upset any friends of Beck.

hugs to all,

Bren

Alpal

I love basketball and most other sports - but only when one of my teams is playing! Really funny guy named Lewis Grizzard (humorist from Atlanta) described watching sports contests when you weren't a fan of either team as "watching two mules fight over a turnip". That's exactly the way I feel. Bren - will Mr. Tim cheer for Kentucky tomorrow? Does he hate UNC that much? GO CATS!!!!!

1Athena1

Bren, I saw the link and had a good laugh. Considering the NYT readership, both in newspapers and on the web, I suspect many shared that laugh. We all have free speech - even Beck's critics.

Hugs to you! 

Bren-2007

((( Athena )))

Alpal .. Tim may not cheer for UNC, but I will root them on!  It's so much fun when we cheer for opposite teams, especially when my guys win!

Bren

Bren-2007

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42283362/ns/politics-more_politics/&2

A friend of mine just posted this on Facebook.  Geraldine Ferraro just passed.  She was such an inspiration to all women.  This is so sad.

Delegates in San Francisco erupted in cheers at the first line of her speech accepting the vice-presidential nomination.

"My name is Geraldine Ferraro," she declared. "I stand before you to proclaim tonight: America is the land where dreams can come true for all of us."

Bren

River_Rat

Bren, you are so right about cheering for opposites.  DH doesn't like sports but when the kids are here we have U of M and Michigan State rivalries.  It's not really even because both daughters and one SIL are for U of M so I usually take up for Michigan State to help out the other SIL.  It's so funny because the grandkids even get into it.

CherrylH

Bren, thanks for supporting the TEAM.

AnneW, where I come from basketball is a religion also, and our dieties are the Tarheels. After all, if God isn't a Tarheel, why is the sky Carolina Blue.

1Athena1

So how is Obama doing with his bracket so far - I understand he participated in that - does any of you know?

Bren, does Mr. Tim keep a bracket, or would it be considered Heresy to even predict a win by any other than one's favorite? 

River_Rat

"even after losing his second Final Four team, Obama’s bracket is still in the 99.8 percentile at 9,543 out of 5.9 million participants in ESPN’s tournament challenge."

More at the link: 

http://www.sportsgrid.com/ncaa-basketball/president-obamas-bracket-still-probably-better-than-yours/

Edited to add, it is kind of a cute piece. 

1Athena1

Lol! Thanks for the link, River.

Bren-2007

Nope .. Don't think Mr. Tim has a bracket.  He's always on the road, so just tries to watch when he's home.  I'm not even sure what a bracket is, except that's what we called my sis' basset hound! ha!

Bren

River_Rat

And now you know why my husband calls me "Google Queen."  Cuz if he mentions something and I don't know the answer I can't stand that the information might be out there and if I don't look I'll never know.  Even something like "How's Obama doing on his brackets?"  

I need to learn to let go. 

1Athena1

RR - I am an information hound too. I could never let go of that trait, so keep at it!

BarbaraA

He has three of his final four picks as of today: Kansas, Kansas State, Kentucky and Villanova. Not Villanova.

River_Rat

Athena, I thought you would understand.  I don't think there's much choice but to keep at it!

River_Rat

Bren, thanks for the news on Geraldine Ferraro's death.  Here's a release from the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation:

http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20110326005025/en/Multiple-Myeloma-Research-Foundation-MMRF-Mourns-Loss 

Fear is the highest fence. ~Dudley Nichols

River_Rat

I was hoping some of the Canadian ladies might drop in to discuss the vote of non-confidence and citing of contempt against Harper's government and what the result of this might be.

I find this an interesting concept but then don't know how much it will actually change anything.  It seems that Harper's poll numbers look like he would still be elected so does anything really change? 

AnneW

Bren & Alpal--I'm with Mr. Tim and will NOT pull for UNC. I will pull for Kentucky to win it all.

Cheryl--I know all about that God is a Tarheel propaganda. I'm from NC and a Carolina grad. I don't believe in god, and sky blue is just a washed out shade of Duke blue! That's my religion! And in my religion, no self-respecting Dookie can root for a Heel. Never.