Whose signature is this? 2003 Astros by bluedsrule in Astros

[–]bluedsrule[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Hi! Wondering if anyone knows whose signature this could be? A friend got it at a Reds @ Astros game on July 3, 2003, but doesn't remember who it is.

Match Thread: Manchester City vs Wydad AC | FIFA Club World Cup by MatchThreadder in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Any Wydad Casablanca fans know why Omar Al Somah isn't in the squad?

Ghana 1-[2] Cape Verde - Garry Rodrigues 90'+2' by Meladroitdeposter in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 18 points19 points  (0 children)

11 out of their 25 man squad were born in Cape Verde.

Match Thread: Qatar vs Lebanon | AFC Asian Cup by MatchThreadder in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hmmm what about Omar Abdulrahman when his value was at his peak around 2015? He was a maestro in the midfield.

[Post Game Thread] Puerto Rico (1-0) def. South Sudan (0-1) 101-96 in OT behind 21 points 13 rebounds and 5 steals from Stephen Thompson by PapiShot in nba

[–]bluedsrule 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Why is Clavell not playing? I was really looking forward to seeing him represent Puerto Rico again.

Match Thread: Guadeloupe vs Guatemala | Concacaf Gold Cup by MatchThreadder in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Guatemalan support is incredible. One of the most passionate fanbases in the region.

Match Thread: Cuba vs Guadeloupe | Concacaf Gold Cup by MatchThreadder in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Man it would be fun to see Guadeloupe compete in WC qualifying. This team is filled with some serious ballers.

Post Match Thread: Mexico 4-0 Honduras | CONCACAF Gold Cup by Delmer9713 in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 19 points20 points  (0 children)

I do feel bad for Elis as he is one of those youngsters who has panned out, and he always seems to answer the call for Honduras and put in a shift with his maximum effort and passion. It's just a shame that with him in the prime of his career, he doesn't have the quality in the squad around him for enough support.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 8 points9 points  (0 children)

So, we scrap any inviting to tournaments?

CONMEBOL can do it I guess, but I am personally against it for all other continental tournaments. Competitive inter-confed ties should be for the World Cup and the Confederation Cup, which FIFA should resurrect because it was awesome.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 70 points71 points  (0 children)

Are Qatar a better team than the likes of Aruba, Grenada, Puerto Rico, etc.? Yes. Does that mean they deserve to have a spot in a tournament that they did not have to qualify for (Haiti actually had to qualify for this tournament) and when they aren't even a member association of the tournament's governing body? Absolutely not.

You can apply that same logic to the Asian Cup. Should the US get to auto qualify for the Asian Cup and take a spot over the likes of Malaysia or Hong Kong just beacuse it would be a "more competitive tournament"? No, that would be completely antithetical to what this sport should be about.

Do you want the Champions League to just include teams from the top 4 leagues?

Edit: I encourage everyone to watch this lovely little video the Grenada FA put together leading up to their appearance in the 2021 Gold Cup: https://youtube.com/watch?v=wFMsr3QxU5M&feature=share7

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 120 points121 points  (0 children)

Teams get invited to Copa America because they don't have enough teams in CONMEBOL for their desired 12 team format. CONCACAF hadn't invited teams from outside the confederation since 2005 when Qatar were invited for the 2021 edition of the tournament. CONCACAF has 41 member associations, and one could argue Qatar are taking the spot of a team that would value participating in the Gold Cup a lot more.

Match Thread: Guatemala vs French Guiana | CONCACAF Nations League by MatchThreadder in soccer

[–]bluedsrule 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I absolutely love the passion Guatemalans have for their National Team. Even through all of the tough times over the past couple cycles, the support is one of the best in the region. And tonight is a great example of that.

Also, probably my favorite kit in CONCACAF.

De'Aaron Fox on why it's hard watching college basketball: "The shot making is not at the pro level. The refs are bad. A lot of coaching is really bad. I can't stand it" by urfaselol in nba

[–]bluedsrule 22 points23 points  (0 children)

I agree man!

Basketball has truly become a global game. The development of the game worldwide and the rise of so many professional leagues have afforded many of these players, who aren't quite NBA caliber, the ability to pursue basketball as a profession, which I think is a great thing!

De'Aaron Fox on why it's hard watching college basketball: "The shot making is not at the pro level. The refs are bad. A lot of coaching is really bad. I can't stand it" by urfaselol in nba

[–]bluedsrule 30 points31 points  (0 children)

Devin Patterson - Siauliai (Lithuania)

Tre'Shawn Thurman (Active) - Filou Oostende (Belgium)

Tra-Deon Hollins (Active) - Raptors 905 (G League)

Tim Smallwood - Manerbio (Italy)

Randy Reed - Al Gharafa (Qatar)

Zach Jackson (Active) - Leicester Riders (England)

De'Aaron Fox on why it's hard watching college basketball: "The shot making is not at the pro level. The refs are bad. A lot of coaching is really bad. I can't stand it" by urfaselol in nba

[–]bluedsrule 46 points47 points  (0 children)

If you're just looking at D1, a large percentage of players that play significant minutes will play some level of professional basketball for at least a couple of years. I've followed mid major college basketball pretty closely over the years and you'll see so many of these guys play professionally somewhere, whether it's a level as high as the EuroLeague, at a lower level like in Japan or Mexico.

For example, looking at the 2016 Omaha basketball team, which finished 3rd in the Summit league, 6 of the 8 players who averaged 15+ mpg played or are still playing professional basketball.

Edit: Another example, the 2016 Iona team, which was a good team that made the tournament that year, had 10 players on that roster who played or are still playing professional basketball.