Minor things that annoy you-sports edition

[Big John]

Timeouts and breaks in sports near the end of games- makes games last forever. (Mostly a problem in basketball)

Also in football within 2 minutes.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

[hotdogPi]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

Has anyone accidentally done this with someone on base?

[Roadgeekteen]

Timeouts and breaks in sports near the end of games- makes games last forever. (Mostly a problem in basketball)

Also in football within 2 minutes.

Especially when they go to commercials during every timeout.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

Has anyone accidentally done this with someone on base?

I'm not sure I follow.

[Big John]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

Has anyone accidentally done this with someone on base?

I'm not sure I follow.

A time out is called while this happens, so the base runners can't steal bases.

[NWI_Irish96]

I don't watch it much, but what annoys me about college basketball is the intentional fouls at the end of close games. Besides making the last minute of game time take forever, the fact that getting a foul is advantageous is ridiculous. The point of a foul is that it's a punishment for breaking the rules of the game. If that punishment is putting your team in a better position, clearly something should be changed. But nobody seems bothered by this and it's just "part of the game".

All levels of basketball are like this, including Pro and HS as well.

There is something inherently wrong with this.  Football has it to a minor extent that only works occasionally, and there are rules in place to make sure a team can't do this multiple times to their advantage.  Baseball, same thing, especially in terms of a intentional walk.

My take, which another friend one mentioned to me, is that you should get a foul shot and then retain possession. The incentive for fouling goes away if you don't get the ball.

Howabout the team of the fouled player having the choice of taking the ball out of bounds from the sideline spot closest to the spot of the foul or shooting free throws from the choice of either the free throw line or the spot of the foul?

Mike

I apologize for the bump, but the NCAA did actually experiment with this rule in one of the pre-season NIT tournaments years ago.  Once a team was in the double bonus (10+ fouls), they were allowed to either shoot two FT's or to just retain possession and pass the ball back in to resume play.  This was a one-time deal though, and the NCAA never tried out this rule change again.

I had no idea, but I love that concept. It eliminates the most annoying part of basketball toward the end - intentional fouling so that 2 minutes takes 30 minutes. You're 6 points behind, too bad. Shoulda played better.

I do believe that in some European leagues, once you are over the foul limit, the opposing team gets 3 chances to make 2 free throws, in other words, if you miss either of the first two you get a third. Makes fouling when you are behind more punitive.

[hbelkins]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

That's done to give the relief pitcher more time to warm up in the bullpen, especially if they had just gotten started throwing.

Timeouts and breaks in sports near the end of games- makes games last forever. (Mostly a problem in basketball)

Media timeouts are what's bad. I've seen it happen several times: a team calls a TO just prior to a scheduled media break. Say, with 12:04 on the clock. Sometimes you will even hear the announcer say that a coach is hoping to get to the next scheduled TV timeout but has to call one to regroup before it happens. Play resumes, and there's a dead ball with 11:50 on the clock. Boom. Time for the under-12 TV timeout. The rule should be that if there's a timeout called within a certain time (say, a minute or 90 seconds) of the TV timeout mark, there is no TV timeout at the next dead ball.

[NWI_Irish96]

Timeouts and breaks in sports near the end of games- makes games last forever. (Mostly a problem in basketball)

Media timeouts are what's bad. I've seen it happen several times: a team calls a TO just prior to a scheduled media break. Say, with 12:04 on the clock. Sometimes you will even hear the announcer say that a coach is hoping to get to the next scheduled TV timeout but has to call one to regroup before it happens. Play resumes, and there's a dead ball with 11:50 on the clock. Boom. Time for the under-12 TV timeout. The rule should be that if there's a timeout called within a certain time (say, a minute or 90 seconds) of the TV timeout mark, there is no TV timeout at the next dead ball.

In all sports, the broadcaster has sold a certain number of commercial blocks. They have budgeted for an average number of called timeouts in addition to the planned timeouts. It's more noticeable when the called timeouts happen very close to the planned ones, but it really isn't adding any time. Those called timeouts will come at some point.

During a football game, you'll notice that most possession changes have commercial breaks, but sometimes, when multiple possession changes come quickly, there won't be a commercial break. If there have been a very low number of possession changes, you sometimes get the "sandwich" commercials both before and after a kickoff. Called timeouts in the last 2 minutes are short (30 second) timeouts unless they have a commercial block they haven't gotten to yet.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

That's done to give the relief pitcher more time to warm up in the bullpen, especially if they had just gotten started throwing.

I'm well aware of the "why"  behind it; it isn't fun to watch regardless.

[HTM Duke]

Timeouts and breaks in sports near the end of games- makes games last forever. (Mostly a problem in basketball)

Media timeouts are what's bad. I've seen it happen several times: a team calls a TO just prior to a scheduled media break. Say, with 12:04 on the clock. Sometimes you will even hear the announcer say that a coach is hoping to get to the next scheduled TV timeout but has to call one to regroup before it happens. Play resumes, and there's a dead ball with 11:50 on the clock. Boom. Time for the under-12 TV timeout. The rule should be that if there's a timeout called within a certain time (say, a minute or 90 seconds) of the TV timeout mark, there is no TV timeout at the next dead ball.

I believe that the NCAA amended its media timeout rules to do just that.  If a team calls timeout within thirty seconds of the next media timeout, then the called timeout becomes the media timeout.  (If the game is in the second half though, the first called timeout is instead extended into an additional media timeout instead of replacing one.)  A much more insignificant change was also established so that the media timeout can now called at the XX:00 mark exactly, instead of just under it [i.e., XX:59].

[Alps]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

That's done to give the relief pitcher more time to warm up in the bullpen, especially if they had just gotten started throwing.

I'm well aware of the "why"  behind it; it isn't fun to watch regardless.

I don't think it happens that often. It takes a pitcher that's really struggling suddenly, because otherwise the other reliever would already be warmed up.

[gonealookin]

Here's one thing that doesn't necessarily annoy me, but has piqued my curiosity.

When did putting "Jr." on the back of your uniform become a thing? Seems like it's been the last 5-10 years for college athletes.

Sounds about right.  There is someone on the LA Clippers that has Sr. on his jersey as well.

Just a nice way to honor one's father / son I guess.

I was watching the Baltimore Orioles game tonight.  A pitcher named "Travis Lakins Sr." entered the game.  Lakins Sr. is 26 years old.  I get that he's proud to be a parent, but dubbing oneself "Senior" seems a little pretentious to me at 26.  Let the child develop his own identity and then I'll go along with the Senior/Junior differentiation, but for a while "Travis Lakins" ought to be sufficient for the adult.

That's not purely a sports observation, but sports is the only place I've ever noticed <40 year old men calling themselves "Senior".  Maybe it goes along with the ego trip of being a professional athlete.  At least Lakins doesn't compound it by putting the "SR" on the back of his uniform.

[Big John]

Here's one thing that doesn't necessarily annoy me, but has piqued my curiosity.

When did putting "Jr." on the back of your uniform become a thing? Seems like it's been the last 5-10 years for college athletes.

Sounds about right.  There is someone on the LA Clippers that has Sr. on his jersey as well.

Just a nice way to honor one's father / son I guess.

I was watching the Baltimore Orioles game tonight.  A pitcher named "Travis Lakins Sr." entered the game.  Lakins Sr. is 26 years old.  I get that he's proud to be a parent, but dubbing oneself "Senior" seems a little pretentious to me at 26.  Let the child develop his own identity and then I'll go along with the Senior/Junior differentiation, but for a while "Travis Lakins" ought to be sufficient for the adult.

That's not purely a sports observation, but sports is the only place I've ever noticed <40 year old men calling themselves "Senior".  Maybe it goes along with the ego trip of being a professional athlete.  At least Lakins doesn't compound it by putting the "SR" on the back of his uniform.

It started with Robert Griffin III doing it in college, then when he was drafted to the NFL, they changed the rules to allow it. Then other sports followed suit.  Not every team allows it, like you never see a suffix on a Packers jersey.

[Alps]

Here's one thing that doesn't necessarily annoy me, but has piqued my curiosity.

When did putting "Jr." on the back of your uniform become a thing? Seems like it's been the last 5-10 years for college athletes.

Sounds about right.  There is someone on the LA Clippers that has Sr. on his jersey as well.

Just a nice way to honor one's father / son I guess.

I was watching the Baltimore Orioles game tonight.  A pitcher named "Travis Lakins Sr." entered the game.  Lakins Sr. is 26 years old.  I get that he's proud to be a parent, but dubbing oneself "Senior" seems a little pretentious to me at 26.  Let the child develop his own identity and then I'll go along with the Senior/Junior differentiation, but for a while "Travis Lakins" ought to be sufficient for the adult.

That's not purely a sports observation, but sports is the only place I've ever noticed <40 year old men calling themselves "Senior".  Maybe it goes along with the ego trip of being a professional athlete.  At least Lakins doesn't compound it by putting the "SR" on the back of his uniform.

I know a Sr. under 40 who is not in sports.

[hbelkins]

A certain seven-time NASCAR champion's given name was Ralph Dale Earnhardt. His dad was named Ralph Earnhardt. When the seven-time champion's son started racing, he did so under the name Dale Earnhardt Jr. Is his name Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Or did he call himself Dale Jr. to capitalize on his dad's name?

The "Jr." thing has been a NASCAR phenomenon for along time. Even if a driver's dad wasn't in racing, or in the same series, the Jr. suffix has been popular. Look at Martin Truex Jr. Anytime his name is mentioned, it's with the "Jr." I know his dad was involved in racing, but never at the levels his son was/is. No one would confuse the current driver with his dad.

[Scott5114]

A certain seven-time NASCAR champion's given name was Ralph Dale Earnhardt. His dad was named Ralph Earnhardt. When the seven-time champion's son started racing, he did so under the name Dale Earnhardt Jr. Is his name Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr.?

Yes

[SP Cook]

A certain seven-time NASCAR champion's given name was Ralph Dale Earnhardt. His dad was named Ralph Earnhardt. When the seven-time champion's son started racing, he did so under the name Dale Earnhardt Jr. Is his name Ralph Dale Earnhardt Jr.? Or did he call himself Dale Jr. to capitalize on his dad's name?

#3 father's full name was Ralph Lee Earnhardt.
#3's full name was Ralph Dale Earnhardt.
Jr.'s full name is indeed Ralph Dale Earnhardt, Jr.
Although he was not #3's first born son, coming from the 2nd of #3's 3 marriages.  His oldest son was Kerry Earnhardt, full name Kerry Dale Earnhardt, although #3 abandoned the kid and had no relationship with him from before he was one until he was 16, and he was legally adopted by his step-father and went by Kerry Key until he began racing.

Theresa Earnhardt, #3's widow, who is the mother of neither, sued Kerry for trademark infringement for selling "Earnhardt Collection" mobile homes.

[CNGL-Leudimin]

Cycling: When an "intermediate" sprint is placed in the last 10 km (6 miles) or so of a stage.

[Roadgeekteen]

They put an NHL team in Las Vegas before Houston.

[TheHighwayMan3561]

When people suggest if a big moment happened a different way, that the entire game would stay the same after that.

[Takumi]

Here's one thing that doesn't necessarily annoy me, but has piqued my curiosity.

When did putting "Jr." on the back of your uniform become a thing? Seems like it's been the last 5-10 years for college athletes.

Sounds about right.  There is someone on the LA Clippers that has Sr. on his jersey as well.

Just a nice way to honor one's father / son I guess.

I was watching the Baltimore Orioles game tonight.  A pitcher named "Travis Lakins Sr." entered the game.  Lakins Sr. is 26 years old.  I get that he's proud to be a parent, but dubbing oneself "Senior" seems a little pretentious to me at 26.  Let the child develop his own identity and then I'll go along with the Senior/Junior differentiation, but for a while "Travis Lakins" ought to be sufficient for the adult.

That's not purely a sports observation, but sports is the only place I've ever noticed <40 year old men calling themselves "Senior".  Maybe it goes along with the ego trip of being a professional athlete.  At least Lakins doesn't compound it by putting the "SR" on the back of his uniform.

Whenever I see someone calling themselves Senior like that I just want to tell them "congrats on the sex" .

[texaskdog]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

There should just be a time clock much like the play clock.  If everyone is not ready in place by the time the clock hits zero, the next batter draws an intentional walk.

[Big John]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

There should just be a time clock much like the play clock.  If everyone is not ready in place by the time the clock hits zero, the next batter draws an intentional walk.

They do have a clock, but it is not enforced.

[texaskdog]

Baseball managers who trudge to the mound at a pace that makes a snail embarrassed, BS with the obviously departing pitcher for two minutes, then only signal for the new pitcher when the home plate umpire arrives to break it up.

There should just be a time clock much like the play clock.  If everyone is not ready in place by the time the clock hits zero, the next batter draws an intentional walk.

They do have a clock, but it is not enforced.

Baseball is a sport that badly needs clocks. Plus walks to the mound should be limited like timeouts are.  Give them 3 per game.