Non-Hockey Sports Thread XVI

[Wabit]

I'm not a big baseball guy, but how often does a top 3 pick like Buxton end up being a bust?

Sano went undrafted from what I can tell, but research shows he was at one point the #3 prospect in baseball.

Is it common for guys like this to just absolutely fall off the map?

It's not uncommon for top-3 MLB picks to amount to nothing.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

It's not uncommon for top-3 MLB picks to amount to nothing.

No it isn’t. Happens in every sport. The thing is Sano was an all star last year. The talent is there but I question his heart.

 

[Wabit]

No it isn’t. Happens in every sport. The thing is Sano was an all star last year. The talent is there but I question his heart.

It's hard to hit a baseball. Each pitch takes between .4-.5 seconds (90-100 mph pitches) from pitchers release to the catchers glove. It takes ~.25 seconds for players to see the pitch for what it is.

There is a line in Bull Durham that explains it the best I've seen.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

It's hard to hit a baseball. Each pitch takes between .4-.5 seconds (90-100 mph pitches) from pitchers release to the catchers glove. It takes ~.25 seconds for players to see the pitch for what it is.

There is a line in Bull Durham that explains it the best I've seen.

I realize how tough it is to hit a mlb pitchers pitch. What I and many others question is Sano’s work ethic and desire to be the best he can be. It almost looks to me he wants out of Minnesota. Time will tell.

 

[Wabit]

I realize how tough it is to hit a mlb pitchers pitch. What I and many others question is Sano’s work ethic and desire to be the best he can be. It almost looks to me he wants out of Minnesota. Time will tell.

I don't watch the Twins except when they play the Brewers, so I can't comment on that situation. What you're describing sounds like what the Cubs dealt with for years with Starlin Castro.

 

[SupremeNachos]

Sano was an international signing which the Twins got in trouble for the way they handled. This to me is a scenario where if either was traded they would reach their potential with a new team.

 

[Wild11MN]

This U.S. Open course is a killer, like many of them. Dustin +4 on the day, and the leaders are at even par in the third round. Plenty of big names missed the cut.

 

[Wabit]

This U.S. Open course is a killer, like many of them. Dustin +4 on the day, and the leaders are at even par in the third round. Plenty of big names missed the cut.

The 1st round had brutal winds. The course doesn't look that bad, the Mother Nature is winning this tournament.

 

[Ban Hammered]

They're major leaguers. In a league like the MLB, that is very, very far from a given, even on guys drafted early in the first round.

I get that Sano was sent down, but it's not like he's never coming back.

They're busts.

 

[Wild11MN]

The 1st round had brutal winds. The course doesn't look that bad, the Mother Nature is winning this tournament.

Zach Johnson said they "lost the course" today. Then I just saw that Phil did this earlier:



Wonder if I could break 130 on the course.

 

[Wabit]

Zach Johnson said they "lost the course" today. Then I just saw that Phil did this earlier:



Wonder if I could break 130 on the course.

130 would be my front 9 score...

Phil lost it on that one. lol

 

[Dakota Sioux]

This U.S. Open course is a killer, like many of them. Dustin +4 on the day, and the leaders are at even par in the third round. Plenty of big names missed the cut.

4 guys tied at +3 for the lead. This course is eating these pros up. I’d much rather watch this than some guy winning at -20. Makes for unpredictable golf at any moment

 

[BigT2002]

Mexico beating Germany is going to be the upset of the entire World Cup....wow

 

[Wild11MN]

4 guys tied at +3 for the lead. This course is eating these pros up. I’d much rather watch this than some guy winning at -20. Makes for unpredictable golf at any moment

I kinda like it too, though I get the complaints. With some of the hole locations, you were almost punished for good shots. Yesterday one of the holes had zero birdies, and no one was within 34 feet of the hole on their birdie attempt. Crazy.

Still, I like the increased difficulty.

 

[Wabit]

I kinda like it too, though I get the complaints. With some of the hole locations, you were almost punished for good shots. Yesterday one of the holes had zero birdies, and no one was within 34 feet of the hole on their birdie attempt. Crazy.

Still, I like the increased difficulty.

I don't mind the difficulty level. What I didn't like was how the greens changed from morning to the afternoon. The last group on Sat might as well have been putting on concrete, but the morning groups had decent greens to work with.

 

[Dakota Sioux]

I don't mind the difficulty level. What I didn't like was how the greens changed from morning to the afternoon. The last group on Sat might as well have been putting on concrete, but the morning groups had decent greens to work with.

That happens at many courses. Greens dry out during the day unless of course it rains

 

[Wild11MN]

That happens at many courses. Greens dry out during the day unless of course it rains

Yeah, and it's not totally fair, but I don't know what they would do about it. There are definitely many courses that way, but the course yesterday was apparently drastically different in the morning than the afternoon. It's a challenge to get it right for the Tour.

 

[Wabit]

That happens at many courses. Greens dry out during the day unless of course it rains

I understand that, but the greens shouldn't be unplayable, like they were, in the afternoon. That's just bad preparation by the groundskeepers or the PGA.

I have no problem with the hole locations, they should be as tough as can be for pro golfers in a Major. But the greens have to have some grip to them so soft taps aren't rolling 20ft past the hole on a miss.

 

[BigT2002]

Yeah, and it's not totally fair, but I don't know what they would do about it. There are definitely many courses that way, but the course yesterday was apparently drastically different in the morning than the afternoon. It's a challenge to get it right for the Tour.

Considering the USGA came out and apologized, says more about this than I think the common watcher realizes. Typically governing bodies don't come out and say they jacked something up by not preparing properly. I highly doubt they'll be back at that course for some time -- at least for the major.

But...all things considered. I'll side with the sports radio host yesterday as they were rounding the 11th hole on KFAN. He basically said that anyone who enjoys watching golf should have been happy. Because of that crappy Saturday, it basically put the entire field within 2 shots of each other. So it was going to be a fight to win it. Fowler was the only one who really took himself out of the running with his 3rd round play. And considering how crappy that course was, looking at the results -- not like too many of those who were going to compete were THAT far off par for the course. That is saying something to their playing abilities, because yes, the greens were horrid.

On my own personal perception, it looked like they made that course stupid easy for Sunday to make up for it the debacle.

 

[57special]

What's weird is that the exact same thing happened the last time the Open was on that course.

 

[SupremeNachos]

So it looks like US Bank has been mentioned as a place for a potential 2026 WC game. Do they have real grass there or turf? And with the new Loons stadium wouldn't that be a better venue or does it not hold enough people?

 

[puckMAN]

So it looks like US Bank has been mentioned as a place for a potential 2026 WC game. Do they have real grass there or turf? And with the new Loons stadium wouldn't that be a better venue or does it not hold enough people?

I thought Minneapolis pulled it's name from potential WC location.

 

[Wabit]

I thought Minneapolis pulled it's name from potential WC location.

Not sure but they did up the number of teams so maybe they needed another stadium?

 

[Ban Hammered]

They did pull it. Closest game to us would be in KC in the U.S.

United 2026 FIFA World Cup bid - Wikipedia

 

[SupremeNachos]

Wow not even Portland got one. I would think the big MLS cities would all make a bid to host a game.