From the Bowels of YouTube: We Miss Football

3.10.10 8:05 pm by Alex and Pat

If you’re like me, you’ve certainly experienced a “YouTube loop” – that is to say, a time when you find yourself on YouTube for much longer than you’d planned, having clicked on video after video, and wondering, “How did I get here?”. This is our weekly segment where we share some of our favorite sports highlights that you may not have seen (or haven’t in a very long time). Feel free to share your favorites in the comments or tweet us and we’ll consider them for next week. Check back every week for the latest edition.

It’s March already, and Spring is on the way. College basketball is in full swing, opening day is right around the corner, and although we’re in the midst of free agency and the draft is coming up, we’re still almost six months away from meaningful football action. We miss it, and have decided to make our beloved football the subject of this week’s FTBOYT post. These two clips will remind you why we love football:
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Fallacy

2.18.10 7:13 pm by Matt

The Winter Games opened in mourning as Georgian luger Nodar Kumaritashvili died in a training accident in the days leading up to the Opening Ceremony.

Another person died at Vancouver on Friday: a straw man. The Vancouver Olympic Committee issued a statement blaming Kumaritashvili’s accident entirely on human error, concluding there were no “deficiencies” of any kind with the track.

Forget for a moment your disgust for these officials blaming a dead man’s “inexperience” before he’s even been buried. (He’s an Olympic athlete, how inexperienced can he be?)

No one said he didn’t make a mistake. The Vancouver Olympic Committee was stomping down a weak argument – a “straw man” argument–which no one was making, ignoring the crux of the opposing position: the track is too fast, which denies athletes the split seconds they need to save themselves from mistakes. Merely saying that the rider made a mistake doesn’t address the real argument.

(Note: Olympic officials backtracked from their early announcements and shortened the course, added walls, and added padding.)

Sportstalk is rife with logical fallacies such as the straw man. These statements lower the debate, prevent progress, insult fans, and occasionally, launch disgusting attacks on the dead. Let’s examine some less serious violators:

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The Sports Geeks Podcast – Episode 9

10.30.09 11:12 pm by Alex and Pat

Alex and Pat go through this week’s NFL schedule, make their picks, discuss the major issues going into the week, make some fantasy predictions and take your fantasy questions. Be sure to send us your fantasy questions or your predictions for this week’s top fantasy performers (QB, RB, WR, TE) if you think you have what it takes: podcast@thesportsgeeks.com and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/thesportsgeeks. We’re listed on iTunes so click here and subscribe. Thanks for listening!

 
icon for podpress  The Sports Geeks - Episode 9 [27:02m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (107)

Current Standings:

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The Sports Geeks Podcast – Episode 8

10.22.09 11:55 pm by Alex and Pat

NFL Week 7 – L.A. Franchise in the works? Should the Pats run up the score? Our Picks, fantasy talk, and more. Be sure to send us your fantasy questions or your predictions for this week’s top fantasy performers (QB, RB, WR, TE) if you think you have what it takes: podcast@thesportsgeeks.com and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/thesportsgeeks. We’re listed on iTunes so click here and subscribe. Thanks for listening!

 
icon for podpress  The Sports Geeks - Episode 8 [33:43m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (101)

Current Standings:

Game Picks: Alex (7-7 this week),(64-26 overall) – Pat (11-3),(66-24)
Fantasy Picks: Alex (2-2),(3-21) – Pat (1-3),(3-21)

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The Sports Geeks Podcast – Episode 7

10.16.09 1:16 am by Alex and Pat

Alex and Pat go through the Week 6 NFL matchups, rank the teams currently undefeated, talk about fantasy football, and answer your questions. Be sure to send us your fantasy questions or your predictions for this week’s top fantasy performers (QB, RB, WR, TE) if you think you have what it takes: podcast@thesportsgeeks.com and follow us on Twitter: twitter.com/thesportsgeeks. We’re listed on iTunes so click here and subscribe. Thanks for listening!

 
icon for podpress  The Sports Geeks - Episode 7 [23:52m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (102)

Current Standings:

Game Picks: Alex (11-3 this week),(57-19 overall) – Pat (10-4),(55-21)
Fantasy Picks: Alex (0-4),(1-19) – Pat (0-4),(2-18)

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Why the NFL is better than College Football

9.29.09 3:32 pm by Pat

A debate worthy topic that has been argued since the beginning of time (citation needed), the National Football League versus College Football has been the subject of sports banter far and wide.  While I write this column in defense of the NFL, please do not assume that I am not a college fan.  I enjoy watching college football immensely and the atmosphere on many college campuses’ across the nation is some of the best in sports.  That being said, I think that there are a handful of factors that put the NFL above college football, and I will outline them here.

I’ll start with the following formula:

BA=(hp/2825+up/1550+(c1+c2+c3+c4)/100)/3

What is that formula used for?  Calculating automobile insurance?  Nope.  It’s the formula used to determine Bowl Championship Series (BCS) standings and, ultimately, what two teams “earn” the right to play for the national championship.  If you are curious, go here to see the extensive list of rules and procedures associated with the BCS selection process.  I don’t know about you, but I like seeing teams duke it out on the field rather then let a computer determine which teams should play for the top spot.  In the current format, there could actually be several undefeated teams who do not get a shot at the championship game.  Plus, this systems allows teams like the 2008 Hawaii Warriors to cry like pacifier-less babies that they don’t get a shot at the big game (only to lose their bowl game against Georgia).  On the flip side, a really good team could have a bad game or be without their star player for a week or two, rack up a loss, and almost eliminate themselves from title contention.  This makes sense how?

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