Curling. The dudes with the brooms.

[Drunk Bob]

I was just just struck by a thought,


They are melting the ice to make the rock go to the opposite side that they are sweeping.

Now if I can figure out hockey.

[drewjustdrew]

Is this a poker corollary, Drunk Bob?

Are you saying that you have to take action against Rocks to take them out of their game/comfort zone?

[Gamblor]

They are melting the ice to make the rock go to the opposite side that they are sweeping.

You're goot.

Close. Sheets (the curling word for "rink") are pebbled and rough, so the spinning rock catches the rough surface (friction) and curves in the direction of the spin. When they sweep, they are trying to melt the ice to reduce the friction i.e. the rock will not turn as much and will go farther.

Good call though.

Hockey is far and away the best sport ever.

Ever.

Lacrosse second, and football and baseball a close third.

Basketball is a joke. There's nothing particularly athletic about the game - i.e. a total newbie can play in a pickup game of 21 or HORSE and he won't look out of place if he's given a two minute lesson.

Let's see you put on a pair of skates. Or hit a 90 mph fastball.

[Nottom]

[ QUOTE ]
Basketball is a joke. There's nothing particularly athletic about the game - i.e. a total newbie can play in a pickup game of 21 or HORSE and he won't look out of place if he's given a two minute lesson.

[/ QUOTE ]

Now I'm not a huge basketball fan, but this statement is absurd. HORSE hardly qualifies as Basketball and I don't know what games you play in where a total newbie doesn't get his ass handed to him.

[TheGrifter]

[ QUOTE ]

I don't know what games you play in where a total newbie doesn't get his ass handed to him.

[/ QUOTE ]

Psssst...he's CANADIAN. He could be practicing for the olympic team and a total newbie wouldn't look out of place.

[Gamblor]

I'm a total newbie, and my friends (who play a lot, and know I think the game is a joke) still call me when they need players...

...they definitely ain't callin' me for my company. [img]/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

The fundamental mechanics of the game, i.e. passing, dribbling and shooting, can be taught in about 5 minutes (obviously, doing them well is another matter entirely).

In hockey, skating can not be taught in 5 minutes. It just can't. You can't even stand up, you have no semblance of being able to play the game. It takes hours and hours of practice just to stand up and move in the direction you want to go on a consistent basis. Let alone the years it takes to skate backwards!

[Gamblor]

The European basketball champions this year were:

Maccabi Tel Aviv. My hometown team.

[Alobar]

[ QUOTE ]

Basketball is a joke. There's nothing particularly athletic about the game - i.e. a total newbie can play in a pickup game of 21 or HORSE and he won't look out of place if he's given a two minute lesson.

.

[/ QUOTE ]

This is the funniest statement I've read in a loooong time. Basketball is prolly one of, if not the most ahtletic sport there is. I can't believe you would even compre it athletically to a sport like baseball, where you can be old fat and slow and still play.

Saying you can teach the fundamentals in basketball in 5 minutes is also a retarded statement. You can teach the fundamentals of anysport in 5 minutes, that doesnt mean you are any good at it. I could teach a 3 year old in 10 minutes how to throw a football, so what?

[Gamblor]

I could teach a 3 year old in 10 minutes how to throw a football, so what?

Realistically, despite physical differences necessary for playing 1 spot, as opposed to 5 spot on a basketball court, could Shaq not play point guard at any given time? Obviously his body type isn't the same, nor is his outside shot as solid as it needs to be, but does he lack any fundamental skills? How long would it take for him to learn the mechanics of a jump shot? A minute? If he doesn't already know?

On the other hand, put a quarterback in the linebacker's role. How long do you think it will take him to learn how to properly tackle backs bigger than he is, running full steam at him? A long time.

I always close my basketball argument with two words:

Manute Bol. Never played serious ball in his life, he's an instant NBAer.

Next.

[fnurt]

Bob Hayes was a big star for the Cowboys in the 1970s. Some say he changed the game of football. But before the Cowboys drafted him, he was nothing but an Olympic track star.

Of course, he's not typical of the game of football, any more than Manute Bol is your typical NBA player.

If you want a sport with simple fundamentals, think about soccer. If you can kick a ball, you can play soccer. But if you want to say it's not a real sport, you're going to find a few billion people who disagree with you.