Author Topic: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds  (Read 11526 times)

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Offline Clever

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #225: August 09, 2012, 11:38:26 PM »
They dropped baseball for THAT?

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #226: August 10, 2012, 09:01:35 AM »
Right...because "baseball is not an internationally competitive sport" (just pretend Japan and Cuba weren't in the WBC final). 

They dropped baseball for THAT?


Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #227: August 10, 2012, 09:12:19 AM »
You really don't want a sport that Carribean nations can dominate if you are a European country.  I hear they are going after the 100 metre and 200 metre dashes next.

Actually, didn't the Netherlands win the major international baseball competition last year over Cuba?

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #228: August 10, 2012, 09:22:01 AM »
And when was the last time someone from outside of Ethiopia or Kenya won the marathon or 10,000?  Granted those are two of the most historic running events in the Olympics, but they certainly don't pass the "internationally competitive" sniff test.  Excluding American football or Scottish dwarf tossing, fine, but baseball is hugely popular throughout much of Asia, the Caribbean, and Central/South America and has a significant following in lots of other places as well (IIRC there's an actual pro league in Israel).

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #229: August 10, 2012, 10:18:29 AM »
Aussie synchronised swimming team's routine is to AC/DC  :thumbs:

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #230: August 10, 2012, 10:29:49 AM »
The Israeli League folded after one season due to some weirdness in the finances and the lack of fields and local interest. made for a good documentary, though.  Apparently the DR has pretty good connections with Israel for jobs, and to see the Dominican kids and some of the non-Jewish Americans get to go to the Christian holy sites was moving.  The Duke was hired as the baseball guy and talent assembler and did a decent job.

Netherlands, Italy are the biggest Euro countries, but I think the game is played in France, Germany, and Spain as well.  Didn't Derby used to play on the Baseball Grounds?

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #231: August 10, 2012, 10:37:32 AM »
And they were very form-fitting pants. Those German girls... wow.
Me too. Although the pants were understandable because its London and its cold up there.


Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #232: August 10, 2012, 10:41:09 AM »
The Israeli League folded after one season due to some weirdness in the finances and the lack of fields and local interest. made for a good documentary, though.  Apparently the DR has pretty good connections with Israel for jobs, and to see the Dominican kids and some of the non-Jewish Americans get to go to the Christian holy sites was moving.  The Duke was hired as the baseball guy and talent assembler and did a decent job.

Netherlands, Italy are the biggest Euro countries, but I think the game is played in France, Germany, and Spain as well.  Didn't Derby used to play on the Baseball Grounds?

why does that even matter- does anyone outside of Scandinavia actually participate in the biathlon?

Offline OldChelsea

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #233: August 10, 2012, 10:45:17 AM »
[...]Didn't Derby used to play on the Baseball Grounds?

The Baseball Ground was Derby County's home ground from 1895-1997 (it was home to that county's baseball club from 1890-98, hence the name).

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #234: August 10, 2012, 12:41:22 PM »
And when was the last time someone from outside of Ethiopia or Kenya won the marathon or 10,000?  Granted those are two of the most historic running events in the Olympics, but they certainly don't pass the "internationally competitive" sniff test.  Excluding American football or Scottish dwarf tossing, fine, but baseball is hugely popular throughout much of Asia, the Caribbean, and Central/South America and has a significant following in lots of other places as well (IIRC there's an actual pro league in Israel).

Not sure about the marathon, but a Brit and an American came in 1-2 in the 10K.

IIRC, a big reason why baseball isn't in the tournament is because MLB didn't want to allow their best players to take two weeks off, or shut down the sport like hockey does every 4 years, to go play in the tournament.  The IOC basically said, ok then, we won't host the sport.

Offline HalfSmokes

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #235: August 10, 2012, 12:45:41 PM »
mens soccer is a under 23 tourney

Offline DPMOmaha

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #236: August 10, 2012, 12:47:57 PM »
mens soccer is a under 23 tourney

I know, which is a little bizarre to me, I guess mens soccer doesn't need the star power to draw the crowds.  Even more interesting is that the women's tourney isn't an under 23 tourney. For baseball,  I thought I heard somewhere that the IOC was pushing for the top players in the sport, like basketball and hockey and MLB said no.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #237: August 10, 2012, 01:11:53 PM »
Heh, ok you got me, my apocryphal point about the 10k itself fails the sniff test  :lol:

But really, pro players have only been in the Olympics for the past 20 or so years, right?  Wasn't the 'dream team' at the Barcelona games and the men's ice hockey tournament at Lillehammer the first time pros played in Oly team sports? (Unless of course one counts the "amateur" teams the USSR and Czechoslovakia, etc put out in the 70s and 80s). 

Men's soccer has (I think) an allowance for two 23+ players per team.     

Not sure about the marathon, but a Brit and an American came in 1-2 in the 10K.

IIRC, a big reason why baseball isn't in the tournament is because MLB didn't want to allow their best players to take two weeks off, or shut down the sport like hockey does every 4 years, to go play in the tournament.  The IOC basically said, ok then, we won't host the sport.

Offline JCA-CrystalCity

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #238: August 10, 2012, 01:45:14 PM »
Well, soccer, hockey, and hoops were established international sports, while baseball is a newbie.  Also, up until 1972 - 1984, international pros could not compete with American collegians.  I think after 1988, the US said, f this, we are sending our best to prove no one is equal to us, and the Olympics and FIBA said, great for our ratings.

Offline Slateman

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #239: August 10, 2012, 06:05:52 PM »
Women's field hockey

Athletic women in skirts who spend the game bent over


Offline cmdterps44

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #240: August 10, 2012, 07:00:13 PM »
Women's field hockey

Athletic women in skirts who spend the game bent over



are the dutch playing

edit: Oh they won gold. They're hot.

Also, it sucks the Olympics are coming to an end.

Offline Slateman

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #241: August 10, 2012, 10:29:28 PM »
USA Women's 4x100 team won the gold and destroyed the old record

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #242: August 11, 2012, 12:36:38 PM »
There should be a big dent put in local stocks of Herradura and Modelo by tonight...good for Mexico.

Offline Ali the Baseball Cat

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #243: August 11, 2012, 01:27:46 PM »
A friend (who is a bit of a fatass) was snickering about the women's racewalk...I'll bet he could run any way he wanted for one block and any of those women would still beat him walking.  Hell, they would probably beat him even if he were on a bike.  What a cool sport.

Offline Obed_Marsh

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #244: August 11, 2012, 02:36:40 PM »
How long has baton twirling been an olympic "sport"?

Offline mitlen

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #245: August 11, 2012, 04:09:39 PM »
I ain't likin' this USA/France match up.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #246: August 11, 2012, 04:20:25 PM »
Gotta be awful for your joints.
A friend (who is a bit of a fatass) was snickering about the women's racewalk...I'll bet he could run any way he wanted for one block and any of those women would still beat him walking.  Hell, they would probably beat him even if he were on a bike.  What a cool sport.


Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #247: August 11, 2012, 04:21:00 PM »
Mitlen, it's the French. They'll begin arguing with each other and self destruct soon enough.
I ain't likin' this USA/France match up.


Offline mitlen

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #248: August 11, 2012, 04:23:00 PM »
Mitlen, it's the French. They'll begin arguing with each other and self destruct soon enough.


They'll surrender in the 3rd quarter.   Got in trouble the last time I had France and surrender in the same sentence.   But what the hell.   It's so easy.

Offline GburgNatsFan

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Re: 2012 Summer Olympics and Qualifying Rounds
« Reply #249: August 11, 2012, 04:25:44 PM »
At some point it had to happen. The words "France" and "surrender" have been in the same sentence so many times...
They'll surrender in the 3rd quarter.   Got in trouble the last time I had France and surrender in the same sentence.   But what the hell.   It's so easy.