Field Theory by Hadyn Green

Sports and music: You can play music during football. You wait till World Cup 2010 and the vuvuzelas, if you can describe that as 'music' (cue outrage from any South African readers).

I also hate the constant fouls and timeouts towards the end of basketball. I watched most of the second part of Reunion while waiting for the bball to finish. Normally I'd have preferred to watch the live sport, but not much seemed to be happening except endless tactical chat.

I don't know about that comparison... The Silver Ferns can catch and pass, which gives them one over on the All Blacks.

Is there some Christmas bonus for the PA blogger who comes up with the most surreal headline? :)

There were island drums set up along the baseline and they played almost constantly.

Apparently they were told to stop drumming during free throws. And whoever did that has never seen a game in the US.

Is there some Christmas bonus for the PA blogger who comes up with the most surreal headline? :)

Now you mention it...

I bet you thought no one could improve on Jandals. Well, Speedo just did.

I think speedo has completely missed the point on jandals in summer - their version has only a limited ability to swat flies.

I dunno, after that Armistice Day test what, three years ago? The French have taken to having a brass band play at rugby games. Not as big as the ones that play at NCAA games though (didja forget that one?).

Also I just wanna stick my hand up for a sec. NASCAR drivers are in the main rightly stereotyped as hicks, but there's this little Australian fellow called Marcos Ambrose - casual V8 followers will remember him as the one who had that disagreement with Murph in 05) who is in his first ever season of top-tier and has recorded 2 podium finishes in a row - a big feat for a rookie, a huge feat for someone who only started racing on ovals 3 years ago)

Also, NASCAR is Southern states, Indy is Northern. I'd assume that Indy is more democratic. NASCAR only had its first black driver 2 years ago, while Indy still trumpets the fact that it has women drivers (more than just Danica).

By the time we got to the awful drawn out final two minutes of the game (easily the worst thing about basketball) the game was already decided and the Australian's fouls were only adding to the points differential.

I assume fans and the people who run basketball like this, because it makes no sense to me. Crying out for some further penalty to be applied for a 'deliberate foul' like there is in rugby.

I'd suggest free throws, plus the fouled team gets the ball back at the opponent's baseline afterwards.

I'd suggest free throws, plus the fouled team gets the ball back at the opponent's baseline afterwards.

Kyle, there is a call for this, the intentional, or unsportsmanlike, foul, with exactly the penalty you described. (Except you get the ball at half court.)

The problem with the last 2 minutes is that in a close game - 4 or 5 points, the strategy can work. Rarely, but it happens. Basically, you are looking for the other team to use their possession in as quick a time as possible, so you can get it down your end and score to catch up.

And refs are loathe to call the intentional foul in that situation, the reasoning being, I assume, that it is part of the strategy of the game.

But yeah, when you are down by 15 with 3 minutes to go, drawing out that last gasp is an exercise in futility and it's frustrating to watch.

But in this particular game, going to a full court press, with 3 minutes to go, down by 15 points, was one of a handful of bizarre coaching moves.

But in this particular game, going to a full court press, with 3 minutes to go, down by 15 points, was one of a handful of bizarre coaching moves.

I suppose though to win the series they were only 7 points down.

Also I just wanna stick my hand up for a sec. NASCAR drivers are in the main rightly stereotyped as hicks, but there's this little Australian fellow called Marcos Ambrose - casual V8 followers will remember him as the one who had that disagreement with Murph in 05) who is in his first ever season of top-tier and has recorded 2 podium finishes in a row - a big feat for a rookie, a huge feat for someone who only started racing on ovals 3 years ago)

Um, Naly did you have a point or did you just want to talk about Ambrose for a bit? :)

I suppose though to win the series they were only 7 points down.

Good point, I hadn't considered that. Then it was kind of justified. It didn't work though, and constantly fouling Kirk Penney who is a good free throw shooter (9/13) just allowed the Tall Blacks to stretch the lead.

Kyle, there is a call for this, the intentional, or unsportsmanlike, foul, with exactly the penalty you described. (Except you get the ball at half court.)

In which case, it makes no sense for the game not to enforce it to be called. It makes it a dreadfully dreary end to a game, in which, instead of taking risks to try and steal the ball off someone or intercept the pass and open up your defences, you just foul them and know the referees won't make the call. Drags it out and leads to half the game being played from the foul line, rather than in the court of play, which is three times as interesting.