What is your favorite sport?

[SemiCharmedQuark]

Poll question: What is your favorite sport?

I think for me, it's soccer.

[ronnykmarshall]

1. The Gay Man's Superbowl

The red carpet at the Academy Awards.

[RevolutionaryActs]

11. I'm not a gay man, but can I get in on that too?

:7

[ronnykmarshall]

20. Sho 'nuff!

It's next weekend!! I can't wait!

[dubyaD40web]

2. lacrosse

[mongo]

3. Sportfucking

My favorite is the marathon. Much more fun than the sprint.

[kodi]

4. I know its not for everyone, but I like nude female roller derby

.

[wryter2000]

5. I know it's shallow of me

I know I'm being tres provincial and seduced by corporate whoredom masquerading as sports, but I adore NFL football. Maybe it's the pants. :evilgrin:

[two gun sid]

6. Horse racing.

Nothing gets my heart pounding like a good race. I can close my eyes and still see Secretariat up 31 lengths launching himself across the finish line in 2:24:0. Wow, the '73 Belmont was the most exciting moment in sports.

[u4ic]

13. Another racing fan here

but it's the turf that gets it going for me. Love the mile and route races - the latter are sadly lacking on the dirt nowadays.

Rounding out my top 3 are other equestrian sports, showjumping and then dressage.

[two gun sid]

22. Turf racing is great too. (I just can't handicap them.)

That cavalry charge on the final turn will get your blood pumping. John Henry, Fort Marcy, Sulimani, Beat Hollow great grass horses. Man, I can't wait for the good racing to start.

[u4ic]

27. I can't wait, either!! :-)

A lot of my favourites were retired last year...Sulamani, Paolini, Perfect Soul, Epalo...

I don't know if this will help you at all, but I look at 3 angles for turf racing:

-a Euro shipper
-the going
-the last quarter (if available)
-a horse that can relax early on

I usually give a Euro shipper a second look. A group 2 or 3 winner in Europe can often become a grade 1 winner in North America. Often horses who are good quality horses but not milers nor 12f horses will be sent here (not enough quality 10f races). Beat Hollow was a great example of that. A good quality horse, he finished a well beaten 3rd as the favourite in the Epsom Derby. 12f was too much for him, yet he did win a 10f group 1 in France over a not-so-stellar field. Yet he was shipped to the US, and knocked up 3 grade 1 wins and several placings.

Sometimes it can go both ways, as some very good runners in Europe can come here and not adapt to the training and stabling methods. (in Europe, they stable them at the farm and ship them on race day)Banks Hill, the 2001 Breeder's Cup filly & mare turf winner, is a good example.

Be sure to thoroughly check them and their competition out, though, as some duds are sent here because of the Euro 'shine'. They can't run anywhere, period. ;-)

The going is important, as many horses either prefer firm, or some cut in the ground. Others relish the heavy going. Many Euros are sent here because they prefer firmer ground, but be sure to check the pp's (as I'm sure you do) for what ground they do well on.

The final quarters can tell you a bit about their acceleration. As you noted, turfers accelerate at the end; horses can't accelerate on the dirt like the turf, so it's a different ball game. (this is relative to horses that have raced here in North America for a bit)

If you're checking out the pp's of a Euro horse, you may have noticed that they are quite different from ours. Positions and fractional times are not noted, only the finals. Often, you'll find race notes at www.racingpost.co.uk . It's free, but you have to sign up (no spam), then do a search of the horse in question and you'll find their racing record and pedigree. It's a great reference, because you can also click on the other horses in the race, and find out what THEY'VE done, to gauge the quality of the field and the ones that the horse in question beat or finished behind.

Oh, and times for the Euros in Europe is more indicative of the going, rather than how good of a horse they are. Heavy going will slow them down a lot.

I also love pedigrees, which can be helpful with handicapping, but it sure isn't the be all and end all.

I could yak on all day about racing...lol...and I don't know if this will help at all. And if you so wish, here are a couple of links to watch Euro racing.

http://www.britishhorseracing.com/owning_breeding/breeding/G1/ is all the group 1 races run in England in 2004 (and I believe 2003 is archived, as well).

http://www.empreinte.com/francegalop/index_en.html is Arc de Triomphe Day, and all the races of that day including the big one. The Arc is one of the toughest races to win (much more than the Kentucky Derby, there really is no North American equivalent). The Prix du Cadran is 20f! That's 21/2 miles.

These are from 2003 and 2002.

http://www.racingseries.com/racecall.asp Is a great international series...group/grade 1 races from Europe, Asia, North American and Australia.

Maybe we should start a racing thread in the 'sports' forum? :hi:

[two gun sid]

29. Thank-you for all the good info.

I mostly pass the turf races. I've read several books on turf racing but I'm never able to pick winners consistently. The Timeform ratings just throw my handicapping off. At the 2002 Breeder's Cup I sat behind some folks from Ireland and they said they liked our PP's better than the ones they used in Europe.

Thanks again.

[u4ic]

55. You're much more of a serious handicapper than I am

I don't think I even made a dent in your knowledge. ;)

The 2002 BC...wow, never been to one. What a bittersweet Mile that was...Landseer going down. :-( But a great finish.

[two gun sid]

58. I ain't that good of a handicapper.

2002 BC I had rotten tickets at the 1/4 pole so Landseer broke down right in front of us. I tell ya, that kinda thing rips my guts out. I hate to see any breakdowns. The Rock was awesome in defeat though. It was miserable cold and the wind blew into our faces all day. I had to watch the finishes on the diamond vision screen in front of us. The betting lines were so long I couldn't make all my bets. And it was the greatest day of racing I've ever had.

If you ever get a chance to see a Breeders Cup, do it. You'll never see so many good horses in one place, anywhere.

[tridim]

7. Watching: Hockey, Playing: Snowboarding

I don't care what anyone else says, Hockey is the most exciting sport to watch.. I like it because it's basically non-stop excitement, and it very artful if you watch closely.

[chenGOD]

8. I voted for football(soccer), but it was tough...

as Ultimate is an amazing sport to play but quite as much fun to watch as football.

So football won it by a nose.

[eyepaddle]

9. I love hucking the disc...

my problem is the team always wanted me to be deep man. "You can throw the thing a country mile, but you're slow--why don't you cover the other team's speedsters?" Nothing I like more than getting toasted in front of a crowd.

As a coach once said (not to me) "It's a good thing you got a brain--'cause you sure as HELL ain't got FEET!"

However, whitewater paddling has just got to be experienced! Everybody, get out there!

[chenGOD]

28. I'm about the opposite of you...

pretty speedy, but you put me in a head wind and I can't throw the disc more than 2 feet in front of me....

great sport though, I've only been playing for about a year and a half...

[arwalden]

10. Aussie-Rules Football

[sasquatch]

35. What are the rules to Aussie-Rules football?

[Skittles]

12. I don't care much for sports

but I do enjoy those baseball butts :thumbsup:

[KitchenWitch]

33. then you should see

http://www.bat-girl.com

many discussions, and photos of baseball butts are on the blog. (all Minnesota Twins, but fine baseball butts anyway)

[GOPisEvil]

14. To play or watch live or watch on TV?

Play - golf (yes I walk, when possible).
Watch live - baseball and horse racing.
Watch on TV - American football.

[Anarcho-Socialist]

15. Football (Soccer) followed by Rugby Union

:)

[yellowdogintexas]

16. I am from Kentucky. Basketball is an organized religion there

and March Madness looms on the horizon!!!!

[sasquatch]

34. So you moved from Kentucky to Texas?

Where's your next move, Tom Delay's neighborhood.

[all.of.me]

17. ncaa basketball...

...men's, of course!

arizona wildcats, and my favorite season is just around the corner - march madness!

[ghostsofgiants]

18. The only sporty activities I really give a shit about are...

Skateboarding and snowboarding. And I don't even pay attention to the competition scenes in either anymore.

[Cuban_Liberal]

19. Beisbol!

:)

[underseasurveyor]

41. Be berry berry goot to you?

Hey Chico Esquella, dude where ya been all these years;-)

[CubsFan1982]

21. As if my name doesn't clue anyone in.

Go Cubbies!!!!!!!!

:D

[Cooley Hurd]

23. Is masturbation a sport?

If so, then I'm an All-Star, baby!

I won a contest!

[underpants]

24. Typical!! No ballroom dancing

:eyes:

[Melynn]

25. NASCAR is my favorite

Today is our holy day, Daytona 500 day. :bounce:

[Lugnut]

32. Got that right

:thumbsup:

[WilmywoodNCparalegal]

26. Men's college basketball and calcio/football/soccer

I am from Italy, which explains my soccer obsession (Juventus), and I lived for 15 years in the Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill area of NC, attending two major basketball schools, where basketball supercedes religion...

My team has been sucking of late... Virginia tech... WTF was that, uh? I can understand Maryland, but Virginia Tech?????

Well, my guys have a chance tonight with Wake Forest.

[TexomaDem]

30. World Cup Soccer

The only "real" World Championship.

[bloodyjack]

31. Anyone for tennis?

"NO"

[pintobean]

36. To play - baseball, to watch - football

[MrSlayer]

37. NHL and NFL

So therefore I have nothing to watch for the next 6 months or so. Damn you to the deepest layer of the abyss Gary Bettman!

[ChairOne]

38. Baseball, car racing, and golf aren't sports....

... they're games....

Soccer and hockey are, abstractly, the same sport. They suffer from the same defect: it's too hard to pass successfully.

To hell with the fringe sports - they're only for folks who aren't good enuff to play normal sports...

That leaves football and basketball. I choose basketball, but it's close.

Flame away :)

[warrens]

54. Consider yourself a crackled, blackened cybercorpse

Baseball is a game, but basketball and football aren't? In what universe?

[ChairOne]

56. Activities which are sports have to be athletic *by nature* /eom

[welshTerrier2]

39. kayaking, cycling, frisbee ...

i'll assume you meant "favorite sport to play" as opposed to "favorite sport to watch" ...

if you meant watch, i'll vote for baseball ...

[underseasurveyor]

40. What? No Boxing fans?

The first time I ever watched a boxing match I was about 8 or 9 years old. My big brother was 'stuck' babysitting me and he and his buddies said I had to sit there and be quiet because they were going to watch the fight and I better not whine about it or bug them. Or else I was gonna be in big doo doo x( It was the Ali and his Rope-a-Dope match. I've been hooked ever since

Horse racing is alright. I would prefer no animal racing of any kind if I had my way, so I only watch the big three now and I don't keep up on the horses names and the jockey's like I use to.

In the early 70's (73-74?) I was watching the big-hyped-up Colt v Filly race of the century live on TV, rooting for the girl horse of course, when Ruffian's front leg suddenly snapped on the track. It sickened me and it crushed my heart when they decided they had no choice but to put her down. I cried for many days after:cry: When you're a super horse-crazy girl like I was, putting a horse down is the worst thing ever in the world.

Other than those two things, I'm not into sports and could care less about em :shrug:

[TyeDye75]

46. Im definately a boxing fan

The first match I watched was almost exactly 10 years ago.

Nigel Benn and Gerald Macllelan (spelling) It was a truley brutal and intense contest...which unfortunatley ended in permanent damage to Mcllelan.

In recent years Ive enjoyed following.. Ricky Hatton from just down the road in Manchester.

[tjwmason]

42. Rugby and Cricket jointly

Rugby (union that is), the sheet physicality of it (three cheers for the 6 Nations - even though England is doing badly).

Cricket because only the English could invent a game where you stop mid-afternoon for tea, play for 5 days, and still have a draw at the end. Nothing quite like a glorious English summer day watching the gentle flow of a cricket match.

That all for watching, I'm worse than useless at all of them. The only sport I can play at all is croquet and that really does need a Gin and Tonic to carry round with me, or maybe even a Pimms.

[Spider Jerusalem]

43. To watch, or to play?

To watch...boxing. To participate in, singles tennis.

[latteromden]

44. Football. I mean, fotball. Oh, hell, I mean soccer.

Damn Americans and their sports names... :P

[Spider Jerusalem]

45. fußball?

Heh. American "football" is like rugby for sissies (yes, most rugby players aren't 350+ lb. pituitary freaks, but they play without pads and helmets, too).

[TyeDye75]

47. Imagine the look of horror on Peyton Manning's face

if he was told he had to play offence and defence...without any breaks or pads.

Seriously though Rugby and American football are both brutal and thats why I love them both.

Although being from the north I'm more of Rugby league fan "Come on you saints'...Union is OK too though.

[MAlibdem]

48. American Football to watch, Football Rugby to play.

[GreenPartyVoter]

49. This is my fave sport

http://whatisprox.com/clipplayer.asp?clip=abs-highlight.mov

Yah, yah. I know not everyone agrees on the definition of a sport, but having done it and knowing how hard it is to do, I say it is one. (And if you don't watch the video, you don't get to complain. *g*)

[SemiCharmedQuark]

52. Oh hell, if that's not a sport, I don't know what is.

[Huckebein the Raven]

50. "The beautiful game" is my favorite sport

with the NFL,college football, college basketball, and F1 racing not far behind

[Dave Sund]

51. Baseball

I love it. Can't ever get enough. College, minor league, major league, whatever. Baseball is awesome. I can't wait for the season.

[ThorsHammer]

53. 3 way tie between college FB, college BB, and soccer

[pilgrimsoul]

57. Am I the only figure skating fan here?

It's the best exercise - I take group lessons twice a week and practice every chance I get. So far, skating has helped me lose enough weight to go down two dress sizes. I told my husband that when I die, I want to be buried with my skates on! Hahaha

[lavenderdiva]

59. Competitive Ballroom Dancing...

Seriously.

[SemiCharmedQuark]

61. Fantastic sport!

One of my favorites to watch. It's amazing how graceful and agile they are.

[khashka]

60. Australian Rules Football

The only sport that really gets my blood pumping and the adrenaline flowing. Violent, sexy, incredible athletics. Sport at it's rawest. I have huge respect for those men.

Women's tennis. I don't know why women's tennis is so exciting while men's tennis just bores me. But it is.

Khash.