All Sports All The Time

[Richter]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)


The English batters, in two innings, scored a massive 921 runs, but that not in itself another record. But the rate at which they scored it was: 6.71 runs for every 6 balls bowled at them, from start to finish.

That's way way faster than in the entire 145-year history of international 5-day cricket, featuring 2,478 matches.

For baseball fans, a sport in which fractional differences in averages are significant, this is a little like a team doubling the number of home runs hit, and maintaining that for days. It's completely unheard of.

Then, Ben Stokes stopped their second innings before it was finished, setting the Pakistani side an entirely gettable target to win. But that very bold move also allowed the English bowlers enough time — maybe — to bowl out all the Pakistani batsmen.

"We're not afraid to lose", said Stokes.

The entire cricketing world started to pay close attention, holding its breath. And in the dying minutes of the 5-day game, England won. The sports writers could barely find words to describe what had happened.

In summary — as I tried to explain in my quoted post above — this is all about leadership, courage, and believing the impossible can be achieved. It's a metaphor that extends way beyond cricket. And the laughed-at underdogs of the cricketing world are now the most feared team that there is.

Pakistan vs England 1st Test Day 5 Highlights – December 05, 2022

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=NliunQywk5M

[Bill Ryan]

Baseball fans, don't look away. This may be interesting.

~~~~

Here's a Guardian cricket article I really enjoyed. It's about this man, Gilbert Jessop.



Jessop holds the record for the fastest 100 scored in English 5-day international cricket — 120 years ago, in 1902. The whirlwind against Pakistan a few days ago (reported above as best I could!), came close but didn't beat it.

This is the paragraph I loved:

~~~

There is something very endearing about the fact they are chasing after a record set so long ago. It’s as if the world’s best sprinters were still competing to beat times clocked by men with waxed mustaches running in plimsolls on cinder tracks, its swimmers measuring themselves against records set in striped bathing suits.

Only in cricket.

[Bill Ryan]

A post about the 2022 Soccer (football!) World Cup in Qatar. Held every 4 years, this is the largest global sporting event by far, way overshadowing the Olympics and anything else anywhere.

So far, it's been a tournament of upsets and tears — tears of anguish from losing teams and their unbelieving supporters, and tears of joy from unbelieving supporters whose teams have just won astonishing, heroic, David-and-Goliath victories.

We're now almost at the semi-finals. Spain, Netherlands Portugal, Belgium and Brazil, heavyweight teams all highly fancied for the title, have all been knocked out.

The latest upset, as of an hour ago, is that tiny, ignored Morocco have just beaten superstars Portugal. Here's how huge that was, as reported by the BBC:

~~~

It’s deafening here at Al Thumama stadium — the fans are euphoric — Moroccan fans had dreamed of this moment but not many expected that it would actually happen. Moroccan fans are celebrating their victory across the world.

Morocco’s side has just become the first Arab and African team ever to make it to the World Cup semi-finals. The tension was palpable on the pitch and in the stands, with Morocco’s fans chanting ‘seer’ or ‘go ahead’ in Arabic, and roared into a massive cheer as their team scored.

This is a mammoth sporting moment and is the best performance in this team’s history — but it goes beyond football. This is a much needed moment of collective joy and pride for a whole region and a whole continent.

Fans have travelled from across the Arab world to be here in Doha. “Now I can tell my kid I was there when my team made history”, one fan told me.

[Isserley]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
A post about the 2022 Soccer (football!) World Cup in Qatar.

I was thinking about whether to write about yesterday's Croatian victory over the biggest favorite Brazil or not... and now that Bill has already mentioned world cup - why not By the way, I don't support this competition because too much money has been poured into it, and there is also a lot of controversy regarding the construction of stadiums in Qatar for this purpose. But let's look at the bright side! Croatia goes to the semi-finals!

Small Croatia with population barely 4 million beat Brazil, which has about 2 million registered active football players, crazy..
I must mention that 4 years ago at the world cup in Russia we managed to reach the finals where we lost to France and finished second, so it's not that we are not the favorite, but still, it is a big thing for such a small country.

People here are in heavy euphoria, celebrating at every step - it's nice to see that they are happy in these difficult times.
One interesting thing - Croatia was statistically better than Brazil - more possession of the ball, more passes, more shots on target, while Morocco has much worse statistics, but they still succeeded and kudos to them.

The sensation of this championship was also South Korea and Japan, who reached the round of 16.

Croatia is now waiting for Argentina in semi-final on Tuesday, it will be interesting!

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Isserley (here)
Croatia goes to the semi-finals!

(I'm betting on Morocco )

[Isserley]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
(I'm betting on Morocco )

Of course you are

We'll see what they'll do on Wednesday. It will be interesting to watch France vs the French colony
On wednesday i'm rooting for them too

[Patient]

Posted by Isserley (here)
Cro is loosing 3:0 to Arg.. not good


thanks for the thread, I love it

Croatia did have a great team. Some of the passing of the ball up field from player to player looked so smooth it almost looked fake. I feel for Modric (and other players too of course).

I have played football (it's called soccer here though) and watched many international teams and players throughout my life. Seeing someone play their last game in the world cup without ever winning it while playing so many games with their country is sad.

I think all of the football world will be rooting for Argentina to win so that Messi can have the win!

Too bad that they have to go to penalties to end a game. Even when I won a game in penalties, it never felt right.

[Isserley]

The Croatian team is excellent, as is the coach - they are all very modest and nice guys, but it's just a game... there's still a game for 3rd place with Morocco on Saturday.
All in all, this is a great result..
Well done guys!

[Ewan]

What a World Cup final that was, best I've seen in my lifetime I think. The game had everything.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Ewan (here)
What a World Cup final that was, best I've seen in my lifetime I think. The game had everything.

I'll let others comment with authority. I know much more about cricket than football/soccer!

(Americans/Canadians, do remember that this is the most widely played sport in the world, and this is way by far the biggest sporting event.)

Here are just three comments from the BBC's coverage page. (The result? Argentina beat France... JUST. Croatia were third, and Morocco fourth — to Africa's great pride. )

• Never ever stop talking about this World Cup. Never. I've never seen anything like it. From all the shocks in the group stages to the story of Morocco and the other shocks in the knockout stages. And to finish with this final. This final...

• We're breathless up here. It was just an unbelievable final. It was staggering. I've never seen anything like it and I don't think I'll ever see anything like it again.

• We'll never see anything like this again. I can't imagine that happening. Where you see two great teams going toe to toe, no-one takes a back step. The two superstars on either team again slugging it out, goal for goal. Magnificent.

[Open Minded Dude]

I never watch football games anymore except very other year for the two great tournaments (WorldC and EuroC). But I have to say this final was a true delight to watch. I watched all WC/EC finals of the recent years and remember also many of my childhood. This was the best I've ever seen.

[Vicus]

Argentina goes wild after World Cup glory (VIDEO)
Thousands flocked to celebrate the team’s success

Overjoyed Argentinians took to the streets in their thousands on Sunday as they celebrated wildly after Lionel Messi led the team to the title at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.

Argentina ended a 36-year wait for football’s biggest prize, defeating defending champions France on penalties at the Lusail Stadium after a pulsating game had ended 3-3.

The winning spot kick was struck by defender Gonzalo Montiel at just before 9pm local time in Qatar – triggering raucous celebrations thousands of miles away in South America.

Footage showed the streets of Buenos Aires flooded with masses of fans, many of whom were decked out in the traditional national team colors of sky blue and white.

many videos:

https://www.rt.com/sport/568495-arge...-buenos-aires/

[Bill Ryan]

I think this has to be recorded here. Pelé, the greatest footballer of all time, has died in Brazil aged 82. Brazil announced three national days of mourning, and the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer overlooking Rio de Janeiero was bathed in Brazil's footballing colors.



Even Americans and Canadians will have heard of Pelé. He was not only a great footballer, he was a great man, regarded in Brazil as a national hero.

Just a tiny handful of iconic photos in his honor:

[Johnnycomelately]

Mountaineering, Nims Purja interview.

Climbing: What about the criticism that chasing speed records is putting climbers in unnecessary danger?

Purja: I don’t agree with that because everything we do in these sports is dangerous. I do mountaineering and skydiving and paragliding, and I’m still climbing these mountains and leading the expedition from the front—not from base camp or from Kathmandu. There is always danger in what I am doing. It is up to the individual how to mitigate those risks, and the evolution of that comes down to how much experience, knowledge, and planning perspective that individual has.

https://www.climbing.com/news/we-ask...ism-hes-faced/

[Hermoor]

One and a half minutes of record breaking and history making darts from the recent world championship final in London.

The final was won by England's Michael Smith for the first time. Smith raised his game to stellar new heights to eventually defeat former three times world champion Michael van Gerwen of the Netherlands.

In the early stages of the final Smith and van Gerwen played unquestionably the greatest single game ("leg") of darts ever seen on television since coverage began in 1937. Van Gerwen threw eight perfect darts and missed with his ninth, allowing Smith to throw nine perfect darts and win the leg.

They threw a combined 17 out of 18 perfect darts in a single leg. The feat is statistically impossible to better. It has never been done before and it will never be beaten.

Poetry in motion from the best two dartists on the planet!

[mountain_jim]

https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/s...69485728514048

[Journeyman]

Posted by mountain_jim (here)
https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/s...69485728514048

That was magnificent and terrifying at the same time. So close to the mountain.

I never will, but would love to do it. Skydiving was an amazing rush, windsuits look another level again and then some.

Thanks for sharing it Jim

[mountain_jim]

Thanks to Bill (or other mods) for moving it where it belonged

[Patient]

Posted by Journeyman (here)

Posted by mountain_jim (here)
https://twitter.com/WallStreetSilv/s...69485728514048

That was magnificent and terrifying at the same time. So close to the mountain.

I never will, but would love to do it. Skydiving was an amazing rush, windsuits look another level again and then some.

Thanks for sharing it Jim

I have seen some other great wingsuit videos as well. I will always watch them and enjoy the flight - although I myself could not do it.

If I stand near a tall tree or building and look up, I will fall right over without realizing that I am falling until I hit the ground.

I understand the thrill and the addiction to wanting to do it again and again.

Hats off to those who do!

[Johnnycomelately]

Copied here for the celebration of his ocean heart. Marcio Freire of Brazil, paddling in to surf big waves. RIP Mad Dog.

Posted by Johnnycomelately (here)

Posted by pueblo (here)

'Mad Dog' Marcio Freire dies in surfing accident in Nazaré, Portugal



“He surfed all day with a big smile on his face. That’s how I’ll keep him in my memory. Legend,” posted fellow big wave surfer Nic von Rupp.

Respect. Water has a weight of 1 tonne per cubic metre, and there’s lots of that behind the picturesque foam of those waves crashing.

Surfing in Hawaii to 2:00/3:11, interview — and he seems like a nice guy — 2:00-3:00.

Jaws Paddle In - Marcio Freire

aclfilms
610 subscribers

34,217 views May 11, 2008
“Marcio Freire paddles into Jaws lefts. Footage from Feb. 14, 2008.”

Source: https://youtube.com/watch?v=8w9w4NHTQ4Y