Mr. PeanutButter

1 hour ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

Very cool!

Since it seems like you have the data handy, would it be too big of an ask to see if you could filter and partition the data out into time periods? The world record was at a 1:58 from 1994 until Phelps brought it down to 1:55.9 in 2003. I'm wondering how Leon's big jump compares to Phelps'. My memory is a little hazy from that time but it feels like worlds and Olympics were routinely being won with a 1:58-1:59 and then  Phelps came in with a 1:55 and, eventually, a 1:54. And even after Phelps and Lochte retired it wasn't until very recently that it took more than a 156 to win... Now we have a 152. Crazy crazy crazy 

2 hours ago, Antitroll2828 said:

He’s a predator for messaging women that go to the same school as him?

When you go to your frat's Halloween dance party your senior year, already in a "sublime and elevated" mental state,  and hit it off and eventually hook up with the hot brunette in the bouquet of baguette costume, only to learn the next morning that she is a freshman and turned 18 months ago, that is one thing. 

But when you serially target and message freshman girls en masse, like what Carter is alleged to have been doing? yeah that's a little odd.

Leon Marchand just completely destroyed the 200 IM world record. In the semifinals. 

4 minutes ago, manatree said:

Here’s the thing, in most sports that I can think of, when a new technique is developed, they don’t create a completely new event. 

Back in the early days of track & field, shot putters pretty much just stood in the circle and put it into the throwing sector. Then they developed the Hop Step which is pretty much as it sounds. In the early 1950s, Parry O’Brien developed the Glide technique. In the early 1970s, the Soviets popularized the Spin technique. While there are still some Gliders on the international circuit, most of the top throwers use the Spin. You can use whatever technique you choose as long as it complies with the rules, but there is only one shot put event.

Same thing with the high jump. Techniques have changed dramatically, but there is still only one high jump event.

In swimming, the front crawl/freestyle and even the breaststroke have a long history. The butterfly developed out of modifying the breaststroke as it was a faster technique For some reason they eventually decided to create a new event out of it. The backstroke, much like race walking, is a fine fitness endeavor, but should not be a competitive racing event. 

If logic were to prevail, competitive swimming would at least cut down to freestyle and butterfly.

It is illogical to try and compare swimming with track and field. Running comes natural to humans. It is an inherent trait for us. On the other hand, There is nothing natural about swimming. My sister told me recently that babies have a natural floating instinct. She then plopped her baby into the water in front of us (we were in a pool) only to have to rush to submerge and extract the poor girl when she started sinking. 

 In track, distance covered in the least amount of time is the whole point. In swimming, a huge component of the "point" is "style". If it weren't, everyone would swim freestyle (front crawl) and there would be no limit to how far you could kick underwater.

It's fine to criticize the sport for its number of events. I personally have mixed feelings about the stroke 50s being added to the Olympic program. I'm also sympathetic to the argument that the large number of events is confusing to the casuals and lessens the value of each individual medal. However, I think comparing the sport to track and field is a tired and ineffective argument since the historical backdrop of each sport is so different and their aims differ as I pointed out above. 

Day 2 finals wrapped up this morning. There was speculation that one of the US' stars, Gretchen Walsh, may have been sick when she was pulled from the relay yesterday. She must have mostly recovered as she ended up winning the 100 fly (my personal favorite event) with the 2nd fastest time ever, only behind her own world record.

The US men have missed the finals in the 400 free, 100 back, 100 breast, and 50 fly so far. That is the most missed finals that I ever recall seeing at the world champs. They also lost the 400 free relay, an event they were considerable favorites in. I'm just going to enjoy the races for what they are from this point on and brace for another 2023 type team performance 

Day 2 prelims wrapping up. Not a great start. First time in my lifetime that no American man made it to the semifinals in the 100 back, a stroke that the US has dominated for many, many years 

5 hours ago, manatree said:

Having multiple strokes is ridiculous. It’s the aquatic equivalent of adding backwards run, one legged hop, sideway shuffle, etc. to track. Just jump in the pool and swim whatever is fastest.

Good news, they are adding even more swimming events to the LA Olympics so you'll have no shortage of things to complain about 

13 hours ago, MizzouFan01 said:

This is an interesting match. Sinclair is probably a huge dog, but he’s a goer. 

As he gets younger, he gets heavier

It's usually the other way around

Is it dusty in here all of a sudden or is it just me?

1 hour ago, Hilton Head Joe said:

Askren was the guy that could score 50 points in a match against guys he was better than. He was the father of the funk and the tech fall! Askren simply was not strong in comparison to the very top guys and when he met an equal opponent it was evident. Never could beat the top group of guys. He had an amazing marketable niche but should not be considered the greatest of an era. 

Are you aware that he was our Olympic rep?

the renderings show actual windows in the wrestling room. Thats not allowed!!1

amateur hour

11 minutes ago, CHROMEBIRD said:

What the? Another one??

Ed Ruth was a swimmer too

BigRedFan who posts here has a pretty fast 100 free time as well. 

It's a great sport. Very zenful. You should try!

32 minutes ago, BruceyB said:

I'm just not going to go on pretending like wrestling is a few tweaks away from unlocking some massive fan base that was being gatekept from the sport due to a lack of accessibility, promotion, or coverage.

Take three of the most popular sports in the Olympic games: track, swimming, and gymnastics. These sports receive massing viewership and interest once every 4 years. When was the last time you watched any of these sports on TV outside of the Olympics? I can be locked in on any of them for the games, but once they're over, I'm no longer following any of these sports, despite an enjoyable viewing experience. There just isn't enough excitement in the results for me outside of the magnitude of the Olympics.

Now take a viewer that isn't a fan of wrestling, but watches the coverage during the Olympics, or even a casual wrestling fan that watches the NCAA finals every year.. there is a massive gap to cross to convince these types of fans that an exhibition that holds absolutely zero weight in the sport is worth their time.

I think I mostly agree but I feel more optimistic about making wrestling a little less fringe. Maybe not mainstream level but I do think the sport has potential to be a lot more popular. After all, it is significantly more popular in many other countries. 

As to your other question, being a former swimmer, I actually watch swimming more often than wrestling. Having recently discovered a love for sprinting, I have started to follow track pretty regularly 

26 minutes ago, Wrestleknownothing said:

what story?

About a month ago it was alleged that Starocci was stealing some of Morningstar's pig semen 

1 hour ago, BruceyB said:

I can understand that. At the end of the day, RAF is not going to create any notable influx of new wrestling fans. Best case scenario it finds enough stability that it is another event for wrestling fans to enjoy. The most likely scenario is that it folds after a few events with little to no support from the wrestling community. I can tell you right now, I'm not going to be planning my Saturday nights around an exhibition wrestling league.

Wrestling will never be a sport that attracts non-wrestling fans. It's too nuanced and hard to follow, even for very knowledgeable fans. During the Fargo finals JD Rader was probably wrong more often than right when predicting the outcomes of coaches challenges. 

Damn bro. You sure are a downer this Monday 

Broooo my lunch break is almost over can we get to action already? Gosh this intro is drawn out 

This walkout sequence is one of the most awkward and sad looking things I've seen in the sport

Just now, Mr. PeanutButter said:

How do I watch this

Here you go dude

How do I watch this

Did "Boring", the poster formerly known as "666" get canned?

24 minutes ago, TylerDurden said:

It sounds like the real lesson here, aside from not driving with expired tags whilst you have a combo of drugs/guns in your car, is that talking to the police without your attorney present is almost always a bad idea. 

 

 

I thought I read that his fiance (?now wife?) is an attorney. If true, that makes this whole situation hilarious, in a sad way 

when you combine the PSU trash heap, the Bassett drama, and now this, PA wrestling is having quite the off season

Isn't it pretty fast and easy to get concealed carry permits transferred across state lines, like literally just filling out a form online in some cases?

And then you get busted for dope and driving an unregistered vehicle on top of that? C'mon, Sammy. There's dumb and then there's whatever this is 

20 minutes ago, okokzach said:

Coby outlasts Mocco to win 9-4! Mocco was impressive getting to Coby's legs and scoring (one TD and two stepouts), but his energy was completely gone with a minute left. I root for Coby but was kind of hoping to see Mocco vs Dreshaun. Oh well. Coby vs Dreshaun round 3 in the finals!

This is like the 4th time I've seen Mocco physically melt in the 2nd period in big matches. Future is still bright though

it's disgusting

6 minutes ago, 1032004 said:

So tagging onto the “where are the journalists” discussion from earlier…

Has anyone even asked Cael, or Jake Varner (the top coach listed on the NLWC site) the simple question of “is Carter Starocci still part of the NLWC?”

You have a plan?