GAME THREAD - World Cup

[Tano]

Baseball can at least have a lot of scoring and has all of the strategy, if not more, of soccer.

Soccer couldn't score if it was a hot woman who's a sex-addict.

Yeah has he watched the last few world series where the games go back and forth and go into extra innings.

I have yet to see a Soccer game do that. Especially during championship games.

 

[Faceplant]

I remember playing FIFA once WAY back in the day (maybe on a PS2 or something) and they had the flopping and rolling around in "agony" built into the damn game!!! I laughed out loud at that.

As far as popularity, you have to remember how many 3rd world nations are padding those #s, lol. Also, Madonna and Taylor Swift have sold a lot more records than Metallica has, but I'm still not planning on becoming a Swifty or listening to that old battle axe Madonna any time soon!

 

[Tano]

I remember playing FIFA once WAY back in the day (maybe on a PS2 or something) and they had the flopping and rolling around in "agony" built into the damn game!!! I laughed out loud at that.

As far as popularity, you have to remember how many 3rd world nations are padding those #s, lol. Also, Madonna and Taylor Swift have sold a lot more records than Metallica has, but I'm still not planning on becoming a Swifty or listening to that old battle axe Madonna any time soon!

I kind of like Madonna's songs. Taylor Swift on the other hand - eww

 

[RamUK]

Yeah has he watched the last few world series where the games go back and forth and go into extra innings.

I have yet to see a Soccer game do that. Especially during championship games.

Firstly, I thought the blue font would intimate that I was joking.

I actually used to quite like baseball, though I don't watch it now.

I suspect there were individual games in the last few World Series that didn't actually go back and forth. It more so happened over the series.

The clue is in the name. It's a series. This was a one-off game.

The fact that you haven't seen a soccer game do that just tells me you haven't watched many games or youre very unlucky. I've seen literally hundreds do that over the last 50 years.

They tend not to be as common in international finals, especially when you get a team like Argentina, who just want to shut the game down.

I know almost nothing about basketball, but there's a big difference between baseball, football, and soccer. With soccer, all 11 players from both sides are on the field at the same time, and any one player can blow the game or win the game for the entire team.

They also have more time on the ball and a lot more time to think. That can create hesitancy and a desire to do what's safe, rather than what may necessarily be exciting, or even right.

 

[Tano]

Firstly, I thought the blue font would intimate that I was joking.

I actually used to quite like baseball, though I don't watch it now.

I suspect there were individual games in the last few World Series that didn't actually go back and forth. It more so happened over the series.

The clue is in the name. It's a series. This was a one-off game.

The fact that you haven't seen a soccer game do that just tells me you haven't watched many games or youre very unlucky. I've seen literally hundreds do that over the last 50 years.

They tend not to be as common in international finals, especially when you get a team like Argentina, who just want to shut the game down.

I know almost nothing about basketball, but there's a big difference between baseball, football, and soccer. With soccer, all 11 players from both sides are on the field at the same time, and any one player can blow the game or win the game for the entire team.

They also have more time on the ball and a lot more time to think. That can create hesitancy and a desire to do what's safe, rather than what may necessarily be exciting, or even right.

Well I was responding to Kurt Faulk not you.

But again I have never seen championship games go back and forth like the world series has in the last 10 years.

Did you watch the Dodgers Yankees and Dodgers Blue Jays the last two years. (I would say the Dodgers Astros world series was the most exciting series ever but the damn Astros cheated so that cancels that out.)

Regular season soccer may have those types of games but championship games tend to be boring low scoring defensive battles.

I don't really care for low scoring football games where each team 3 and outs over 5 times during the game. And thats the majority of low scoring soccer games. I was at Vegas where they had a soccer games on the big screen at the pool and I would watch the game trying to get into it. I just couldn't.

Edit - Low scoring football games where each team drives down the field for the majority of the game can be exciting and seeing the defense make a great play to stop the scoring drive.

However - I will say Ted Lasso is a great show.

 

[HX76]

I’m not overly sure what a championship game is? If you’re referring to the World Cup Final (for example) then you obviously didn’t watch the final in Qatar 4 years ago.

I don’t tend to chime in regarding the intricacies of the NFL on here as I’m still learning (mostly from you good people). It’s a shame the same can’t be said of people when it comes to football, the amount of bollocks I’ve read.

Oh well, it’s all done now so we can forget about it and concentrate on the upcoming Rams season.

 

[kmramsfan]

The world cup is finally over...

I know that some others out there loved this Cup and it was great for the states, but I only could stand to watch the part where Spain scored and the rest of it to see if Argentina could come back.
That's it.
Two hours of next to zero exciting plays, but yeah, a fairly interesting last 10 or 15 minutes.
Bravo ........... now let's que up some Rams football for the masses !!!!!

 

[Merlin]

Firstly, I thought the blue font would intimate that I was joking.

I actually used to quite like baseball, though I don't watch it now.

All games have pressure. The difference is in how and when it's applied.

Baseball gets absolutely intense, with a pitch by pitch build at times to massive moments. I love the game because I played it more than any other growing up.

Basketball can milk out the final 2 to 5 minutes and make it feel like forever, with rising intensity during that stretch.

NFL has an advantage in how the game is structured for TV. But pressure comes all through the game, which is why it is so dominant in the US.

Soccer there's a lot of nuance. In a defensive game many in the US think is boring, the pressure is there in winning corners and possessions, and creation of opportunity. You just have to watch it enough to gain appreciation for it.

 

[PhillyRam]

I know that some others out there loved this Cup and it was great for the states, but I only could stand to watch the part where Spain scored and the rest of it to see if Argentina could come back.
That's it.
Two hours of next to zero exciting plays, but yeah, a fairly interesting last 10 or 15 minutes.
Bravo ........... now let's que up some Rams football for the masses !!!!!
View attachment 76280

Just stop the flopping BS. That ruins the sport

 

[PhillyRam]

All games have pressure. The difference is in how and when it's applied.

Baseball gets absolutely intense, with a pitch by pitch build at times to massive moments. I love the game because I played it more than any other growing up.

Basketball can milk out the final 2 to 5 minutes and make it feel like forever, with rising intensity during that stretch.

NFL has an advantage in how the game is structured for TV. But pressure comes all through the game, which is why it is so dominant in the US.

Soccer there's a lot of nuance. In a defensive game many in the US think is boring, the pressure is there in winning corners and possessions, and creation of opportunity. You just have to watch it enough to gain appreciation for it.

This is soccer's problem

 

[XXXIVwin]

I wasn't bored at all by that game.

But then I like defense. I appreciate how Spain plays, cutting off the passing lanes and disciplined in spacing and all that.

Exactly.

Those who understand soccer can appreciate inspired defense.

Argentina went 115 minutes without getting off a single shot. Spain defense was smothering, absolutely dominating.

Most exciting NFL game I ever saw was the Rams-Bucs defensive slugfest in the 1999 playoffs. Every play felt like a battle. And the score was only 6-5 all the way up until the Proehl catch. I bet most folks on ROD also loved that low-scoring game because they understand football.

I was captivated by the entire Spain Argentina final. Stakes were huge and both sides competed their asses off. Spain was the dominant team but Argentina somehow managed to stay in it the entire way.

I thought the 1-0 Final was a better game than the 6-4 England-France game. That sloppy game had a lot of shitty defense.

Bottom line: those who have played competitive sports, or taken the time to follow and understand soccer, can appreciate a hard-fought low scoring game.

Those who don't understand the sport, or haven't played it, can't appreciate it the same way.

 

[XXXIVwin]

Baseball can at least have a lot of scoring and has all of the strategy, if not more, of soccer.

When I think of baseball, I think of:

Pitcher stares off into space. Looks at catcher. Steps on mound. Looks at runner on first. Batter signals for time. Adjusts his grip. Stares at his bat. Spits out his tobacco. Adjusts his crotch. Pitcher wanders off mound after batter calls for time. TV wastes time by showing a few shots of people in the stands. Pitcher steps off mound....

And over and over and over again, endlessly.

The new "pitch clock" has improved the game tremendously. But good Lord, before the pitch clock, the stalling tactics made the game unwatchable.

 

[RamFan503]

The new "pitch clock" has improved the game tremendously. But good Lord, before the pitch clock, the stalling tactics made the game unwatchable.

And that’s where you show yourself to be a casual fan or not a fan at all - not one that gets into the strategy and nuances of the game. Y’know… much like the complaints soccer fans have of those who don’t like soccer.

I’m ok with the pitch clock as there was a fair amount of delay but much of it was to upset rhythms or to adjust one’s junk. Something soccer players do way more dramatically. As a baseball fan, I don’t concern myself with the average sports fan or the 20 minutes or so it has shaved off the average game.

But seriously, there is a mind battle going on in baseball with virtually every pitch. The batter is trying to read tells by the pitcher, consider pitch count, balls and strikes, runners on board, fielding alignments, etc. while getting ready to hit a little ball that might be tailing away, up and in, sinking 3 feet right before crossing the plate going 85, 90, 95, 100 MPH from 90 feet away, whether he wasn’t to take a pitch with a 3-1 count if it might be 2” outside, etc…. There’s a reason they say the hardest thing in sports is to consistently hit a baseball and if you’re successful 30% of the time, you are a potential HOFer.

Pitchers are letting catchers know if the pitch they call is what they agree with based on each batter and their history with that batter, what a batter likes to hit, where a batter likes the pitch, if a runner on base is getting a little too far off base or he thinks is going to try to steal on him, etc… The interaction before the pitch with the catcher, allows the catcher to have a good idea of where to catch a 90+ MPH little ball heading his way.

There’s strategy with virtually every pitch from the manager on through each batter, pitcher, and fielder and a lot of that strategy (“stalling”) takes place while a batter scratches his nuts.

I realize there is strategy and nuance to soccer but I find it hard to compare to what takes place in baseball.

 

[PhillyRam]

When I think of baseball, I think of:

Pitcher stares off into space. Looks at catcher. Steps on mound. Looks at runner on first. Batter signals for time. Adjusts his grip. Stares at his bat. Spits out his tobacco. Adjusts his crotch. Pitcher wanders off mound after batter calls for time. TV wastes time by showing a few shots of people in the stands. Pitcher steps off mound....

And over and over and over again, endlessly.

The new "pitch clock" has improved the game tremendously. But good Lord, before the pitch clock, the stalling tactics made the game unwatchable.

You haven't watched baseball lately. Pitch clock changed all of that.

Again, soccer's problem...

 

[Karate61]

Ok. Listen up.

Soccer sucks.
Baseball sucks.
Basketball Sucks (Since the 3 point shot took over amongst other things).
Hockey Sucks (Can't see or follow the puck, especially on tv)

Only thing worth watching is the NFL. Only thing I can watch start to finish.

P.S. Tennis sucks too!

 

[Faceplant]

The batter is trying to read tells by the pitcher, consider pitch count, balls and strikes, runners on board, fielding alignments, etc. while getting ready to hit a little ball that might be tailing away, up and in, sinking 3 feet right before crossing the plate going 85, 90, 95, 100 MPH from 90 feet away

60' 6"

Agree with everything else in your post!!

 

[majrleaged]

And that’s where you show yourself to be a casual fan or not a fan at all - not one that gets into the strategy and nuances of the game. Y’know… much like the complaints soccer fans have of those who don’t like soccer.

I’m ok with the pitch clock as there was a fair amount of delay but much of it was to upset rhythms or to adjust one’s junk. Something soccer players do way more dramatically. As a baseball fan, I don’t concern myself with the average sports fan or the 20 minutes or so it has shaved off the average game.

But seriously, there is a mind battle going on in baseball with virtually every pitch. The batter is trying to read tells by the pitcher, consider pitch count, balls and strikes, runners on board, fielding alignments, etc. while getting ready to hit a little ball that might be tailing away, up and in, sinking 3 feet right before crossing the plate going 85, 90, 95, 100 MPH from 90 feet away, whether he wasn’t to take a pitch with a 3-1 count if it might be 2” outside, etc…. There’s a reason they say the hardest thing in sports is to consistently hit a baseball and if you’re successful 30% of the time, you are a potential HOFer.

Pitchers are letting catchers know if the pitch they call is what they agree with based on each batter and their history with that batter, what a batter likes to hit, where a batter likes the pitch, if a runner on base is getting a little too far off base or he thinks is going to try to steal on him, etc… The interaction before the pitch with the catcher, allows the catcher to have a good idea of where to catch a 90+ MPH little ball heading his way.

There’s strategy with virtually every pitch from the manager on through each batter, pitcher, and fielder and a lot of that strategy (“stalling”) takes place while a batter scratches his nuts.

I realize there is strategy and nuance to soccer but I find it hard to compare to what takes place in baseball.

I loved the game growing up. Me and my brothers listened to all the dodgers games. Vinny was great. My brothers and I even went in on season tickets. Then the players went on strike and cost us the series. Took me a couple of decades to even care about the game. I only watch the play offs if the dodgers are playing.

 

[rdlkgliders]

Love em all, Basketball's changes have had the worse impact on the game to me, but still a fan.

I don't understand why anyone would care too much about popularity, they are all easily available to view and nobody is sending me a check or giving me a discount based on popularuty, the opposite in fact.

 

[thirteen28]

Soccer there's a lot of nuance. In a defensive game many in the US think is boring, the pressure is there in winning corners and possessions, and creation of opportunity. You just have to watch it enough to gain appreciation for it.

I used to not like the sport until my son started playing, but having watched many soccer games now I can attest to the above. Even in a scoreless tie, the longer these games go on, the more the pressure mounts and the more intense it gets, because any mistake or any play can completely turn the game.

And sometimes games that go to PKs can be thrillers. My son's HS team won a playoff game this past season that went to PK's and it was one of the most exciting and intense sports events I've ever seen. My heart rate graph on my Fitbit app looked just like it does during a Rams playoff game that goes down to the wire.

That being said, the one part where I emphatically agree with soccer's detractors is in the flopping. I was so fucking happy when that dude got the red card for flopping during the quarterfinals.

 

[LARAMSinFeb.]

And that’s where you show yourself to be a casual fan or not a fan at all - not one that gets into the strategy and nuances of the game. Y’know… much like the complaints soccer fans have of those who don’t like soccer.

I’m ok with the pitch clock as there was a fair amount of delay but much of it was to upset rhythms or to adjust one’s junk. Something soccer players do way more dramatically. As a baseball fan, I don’t concern myself with the average sports fan or the 20 minutes or so it has shaved off the average game.

But seriously, there is a mind battle going on in baseball with virtually every pitch. The batter is trying to read tells by the pitcher, consider pitch count, balls and strikes, runners on board, fielding alignments, etc. while getting ready to hit a little ball that might be tailing away, up and in, sinking 3 feet right before crossing the plate going 85, 90, 95, 100 MPH from 90 feet away, whether he wasn’t to take a pitch with a 3-1 count if it might be 2” outside, etc…. There’s a reason they say the hardest thing in sports is to consistently hit a baseball and if you’re successful 30% of the time, you are a potential HOFer.

Pitchers are letting catchers know if the pitch they call is what they agree with based on each batter and their history with that batter, what a batter likes to hit, where a batter likes the pitch, if a runner on base is getting a little too far off base or he thinks is going to try to steal on him, etc… The interaction before the pitch with the catcher, allows the catcher to have a good idea of where to catch a 90+ MPH little ball heading his way.

There’s strategy with virtually every pitch from the manager on through each batter, pitcher, and fielder and a lot of that strategy (“stalling”) takes place while a batter scratches his nuts.

I realize there is strategy and nuance to soccer but I find it hard to compare to what takes place in baseball.

There are definitely a lot of dimensions and complexities, including mental and psychological, going on in baseball. I thought it was slow and boring until I started following the Dodgers more ardently. It’s really pretty fascinating.