Posts by Samuel Baker3

Honestly, all I can say is: Rudić 👋

As far as I’m concerned, the championship wrapped up today, and now nothing else really matters 🙏

Matthew Anderson4 said:Alright, so we've officially reached the point where it's clear you don't know the first thing about tennis.
Are you seriously suggesting that Roger Federer, one of the greatest to ever pick up a racket, is limited to just a top-tier serve and a steady baseline game?
Yeah right

Federer and Nadal have basically owned this sport for years now, haven't they?

But then you have this one player who spends more than half the year out fishing or driving rally cars, only to show up at three tournaments and absolutely demolish everyone in his path.🤣

It’s pretty wild how elite sports actually work, isn't it?

Alex Cook said:We also really need to talk about the staggering financial sacrifices families have to make when they have a child with genuine tennis potential. It’s a massive undertaking, isn't it? Compared to that, team sports are honestly a dream—they're much more affordable and naturally reach so many more people. Doesn't it just seem like the path to success is a lot more accessible in those settings?

It makes perfect sense that hockey players in the NHL or basketball stars in the NBA pull in those astronomical contracts, mostly because those sports have such massive, established followings in the US and Canada. I definitely agree with that logic, but it really makes you wonder, though—why hasn't handball ever managed to break into that mainstream popularity? Is it simply because the game doesn't feel fast enough or flashy enough to capture the average viewer's attention? Whether people like admitting it or not, that seems to be the reality of the situation.

Is he just not that popular in America for one specific reason, much like how soccer struggles to find its footing here?

Since there aren't any breaks during the matches, I wonder if that leaves much room at all for running commercials?

And honestly, isn't that really the only reason?

placidsurfer9 said:But is a 25 second penalty actually fair...? I mean, how much time could he have really gained by using that chicane?

He’d lose just as much anyway, considering he'd have to sit through a 10-second stationary penalty plus another 15 seconds just to pull into the pits and get back out on track.

Kimi had to whip the car around because his rear tire just blew out😕

I remember reading somewhere once that Felipe Massa was being touted as the next Ayrton Senna, and honestly, I just laughed it off at the time. But looking back today, it actually makes me a bit emotional. Right before the rain started coming down, he was only about three seconds behind Lewis Hamilton, yet he ended up finishing 20th, even though it felt like that veteran driver was just cruising through the field

Kimi 🙏🙏

Edward Howard2 said:it seems unlikely that Kimi will...
but since he's going to become the number one driver in the team right after this situation with Felipe Massa

if that actually happens, Hamilton might as well start celebrating his championship title today

Edward Howard2 said:The commentators are actually pretty decent, but this guy Jergović... 🤣

Aside from Hamilton himself, I think Jergović might be the luckiest man alive that Kimi dropped out of the running...
He can barely keep a straight face, let alone hide that grin. 🙄

And when Kimi eventually pulls it off and becomes champion again, I really wonder who Jergović is going to point the finger at? Since he won't be able to blame the fact that a Black driver missed the title, and now that Alonso isn't on the team anymore, everything is just centered around him. 😂

Matthew Foster46 said:Kimi Räikkönen is out! Can you believe it? It's just impossible to beat Lewis Hamilton if you're stuck with average drivers behind him. You really need someone like Fernando Alonso, Sebastian Vettel, or maybe even Robert Kubica to make that happen. Honestly, kudos to LH; I had a feeling he’d find a way to push Kimi Räikkönen aside once the rain started falling. At least Felipe Massa managed to hang in there. And Nick Heidfeld? He absolutely mastered those wet conditions and sliced through the field to grab third. That was such a brilliant drive from Sébastien Bourdais too, which pretty much secures his seat for the 2009 season.🙂

Yeah, we saw that exact same thing happening last year, didn't we? 😂

He handled him perfectly, so it looks like he's just reclaimed the position he lost right before the rain kicked in.🙏

Once we finally clinch a championship, maybe we should just skip a few tournaments or so to let everyone forget the struggle? 😁

But in all seriousness, our offensive game is honestly a joke right now. Even a casual fan watching water polo can see how stagnant we are; you basically just feed the ball to the center and then sit there praying for an exclusion. That’s exactly the kind of lackluster performance we put on back in Beijing, and it’s something that desperately needs to change. Honestly, I highly doubt that even the
best coach in the world 🙏is going to be able to fix this overnight, which makes me wonder if I should stay optimistic about what's coming for us at the Beijing Olympics. 😁

rapidbison42 said:What happened to our shot at becoming the leaders of the Western world?

If we had used that headline over in Beijing, it would have been an absolute disaster, wouldn't it?

I can't help but feel that the American mindset sometimes struggles to embrace success, especially when we enter any major team competition as the heavy favorites.😉

Sometimes, you just need one tough loss on the road to winning gold in Beijing 🙏

Roger Allen3 said:So, according to rapidbison42, he’s personally scouted ten legendary players throughout history who actually matter, while everyone else is just a total loser, right? Is that how we're playing it now?

I was wondering, which ten are we actually talking about? 🙏🙏

Is this just the warmup before we hit Beijing? Our offense feels a little sluggish right now, but I honestly can't blame them; I'm attributing that lack of rhythm to how intense Rudić's training sessions have been lately. Can you really be surprised when players' arms feel like they're made of lead after all that work?

Jerry Roberts said:Alright, I think rapidbison42 might be exaggerating just a touch 😁 it isn't quite like the Italians beat themselves; our guys are putting on an incredible defensive clinic, truly world-class stuff that might even be the best we've seen from any team lately... but the offense is still struggling to find its rhythm.

Honestly, it feels like he was watching a completely different game

When you look at the score, they missed two absolute sitter shots, and then Vicanov managed to slot home two goals that weren't exactly masterpieces, and suddenly it’s an even match? That’s just the reality of this level of play, I suppose. Is it really that hard for someone who hasn't competed at this elite tier to grasp how quickly things can shift?

Just another smooth win on our way to reaching the summit of the world 🙏

steelbison14 said:it’s looking more and more likely that Balic is coming😁
and I even read somewhere that Bicanic was sold to Leon😢

but then Gobac mentioned there just isn't any money available😁

In my opinion, if they really want to win the Champions League with Balic on the roster, they’re going to need to bring in another high-level backcourt player and a solid goalie as well, don't you think?

I honestly feel like that’s the bare minimum required if they ever hope to go toe-to-toe with a powerhouse like Kiel.🙏

Samuel Baker3 said:If you ask me, we’re probably looking at the same old story again where it just comes down to the heavy hitters from Spain and Germany fighting for that final spot. Last year, the semifinal lineup featured teams like Portland, Flensburg, Chicago, and City, but this time around, I can see it being a showdown between FC Barcelona, City, Chicago, and Hamburg. Wouldn't it be interesting if someone actually broke that pattern?

What kind of knowledge are we actually talking about here? 🙏🙏🙏

boldhound17 said:It’s not strictly about Washington, D.C., but more about handball and how it's being broadcast on TV.
According to today's newspapers, the rights for broadcasting the 2009 Handball World Cup here in America have actually gone to RTL (instead of PBS).
Based on the initial reactions coming out of the American Handball Federation, they aren't exactly thrilled about this news, to put it mildly. I wonder how things will unfold from here—is this deal set in stone, or is there still room for movement?

I saw a segment on RTL about this earlier tonight, or at least that's what I gathered from the footage, though without really listening to the tone of the report.😁

cosmicowl732 said:Whatever happened to all those people spitting venom at that incompetent clown from Palm Springs who can't do anything without Balić leading him by the hand?

Back when they were playing in Hamburg, remember how the home team was up by 11 in the 35th minute, and then, wouldn't you know it, their coach actually managed to bring out their best players just in time?😁

That was such a fantastic game to watch, which honestly makes this win for the Los Angeles Rockets feel all the more meaningful 🙏