Posts by Adam Collins4

dustypanther6 said:Sorry for the tangent here, but can you refresh my memory on the current rules for the American leagues? If I recall correctly, there used to be some rule where an immediate red card meant an automatic report had to be filed. I remember back in the day having to write out a full statement like, "At the xy minute of the game, in the heat of the moment, I committed a reckless foul that unintentionally endangered an opposing player, resulting in a deserved straight red card. I deeply regret my actions and will strive to uphold the spirit of fair play in the future."

That still exists, though it’s technically not a "report"—it’s more of an explanation for the foul. I totally blanked on mentioning that specific distinction in my first reply...

The big change globally is that they scrapped the famous "X"—you know, that rule where a player was ejected for the remainder of the match without the possibility of being subbed out, leaving their team shorthanded until the final whistle...

Now, they've implemented what they call a "D" along with a formal report. Basically, once a red is handed out, you state that a report follows (it sits right there on the official's table), and the exact minute the "D" was issued gets noted in the official record under the "D" section and circled up...

From there, you submit the report requesting additional disciplinary action, which automatically triggers at least a one-game suspension...

boldhound17 said:So, how does that whole thing actually play out during the big tournaments—you know, the Olympics, the World Cup, the Continental Championships?
A red card isn't always just about sitting out the next game—sometimes, you’re looking at a multi-game suspension. 🤷So, does that just stay a penalty within the game where he actually took the hit—or is it one of those things where it depends on whether some league commission decides to step in case-by-case?

First off, it all comes down to how heavy the offense actually is—that’s basically what determines whether the judges decide to file an official report or just let it slide...

Look, if the foul was totally unintentional—even if you were being a bit careless or just weren't paying enough attention—disqualification is pretty much the only thing that's going to happen. You aren't looking at any extra baggage like a suspension for the next game (or the next couple of games, anyway)... it really just ends there.

Look, if we’re talking about disqualifications being triggered by someone intentionally targeting a player to cause an injury—or if things go off the rails with actual fights, spitting, or swearing at the officials—then there’s a very clear next step: a formal complaint is coming. Period.

It all comes down to the refs—how they call it, how they judge the flow—but let me tell you, if a player is stupid enough to pull whatever stunt I mentioned in my other paragraph, no amount of authority is going to bail them out. Not even if Jesus Christ Himself stepped onto the court to intervene.

Look, the report gets filed right after the game ends—literally while they're still out there on the court—so there isn't really any room for outside influence or anything like that (you know, like what happened with unnamed or whatever).

So, here’s how the whole process actually goes down—once the officials file their report, a commission gets assembled. They don't just pull a number out of thin air, though; they weigh the official report against the statements from the refs, the supervisors, and even the player who got flagged. That player gets a chance to give their side of the story and walk them through exactly what happened on the floor. It’s supposed to be a full picture before they decide how hard to hit someone with the penalty.

Look, at these major tournaments, the commission meets regardless of whether a formal complaint is filed against the refs. But here’s the kicker—if they don't submit that extra report (you know, the one following the initial complaint), the punishment is basically just a slap on the wrist. The only real consequence is that the player misses out on some minutes during that specific game. There’s no suspension for future matches or anything. It's pretty much a non-issue.

Look, it all just comes down to the specifics of the situation—case by case, really. It’s all tied back to what kind of violation we're actually talking about and how bad it actually is.

Duvnjak’s been called up for the matchup against the US...

Karabatić picked up a red card, but looks like there won't be any fallout for the next game...

swiftwalker43 said:Does anyone know if the US has its own referees or officiating crew at this World Cup, or are we flying solo again?

Nope, we don't...

We had them at the World Cup here in the States, at the Women's European Championship last year, even at the Junior European Championship...

I mean, we can't be out there officiating every single game ourselves...

Ryan Vaughn7 said:You get three timeouts per game, but you can't burn all three in a single half. It's right there in today's paper.

I'm well aware—you only get one timeout per half... I mean, surely they wouldn't let you run through three in one go during the second half...

Roger Allen3 said:half of them aren't even being coached properly, while the other half are actually playing soccer. don't be dense. 🙂

I mean, give us some actual proof that three-year-olds are out there training or playing soccer...

Anyway, what exactly is "mini handball"?

Paul Jones7 said:Quality is basically just a numbers game based on how many athletes are actually putting in the work—the bigger the pool, the higher the ceiling. It’s simple math, really. If you've got 1,000 kids training seriously, you might end up with maybe 10 elite superstars and a couple of absolute outliers. But if you scale that up to 10,000? Now you're looking at 100 elites and maybe 20 of those once-in-a-generation legends. It's all about proportions. Obviously, from that small group of legends, you'll still pull out one or two true icons, but you'll always have a peak—it's just that a wider base means the talent at the top is significantly better.

Not quite. Quality is an individual thing—you can't just reduce it to some predictable statistical formula...

Roger Allen3 said:kids start playing soccer at three, they're in club academies by seven, and by nine they’re already competing internationally—meanwhile, our top-tier handball league is filled with guys who didn't even know what handball was when they were fifteen. in soccer, kids go through layers of elite scouting and selection before they even hit fifteen, but these guys are just barely getting started at that age.

Look, things are better now than when I was coming up—I was right there in that generation leading up to the big runs—but you can't even compare this to the state of soccer.

Don't talk nonsense—half those kids aren't even coordinated enough at three years old, let alone being able to handle a ball that's practically bigger than they are...

By the way, what exactly is "mini handball"?

Carl Garcia22 said:Back in Lubbock—which is just your typical small town of about 5,000 people—the local Boy Scouts of America youth teams used to travel all over the place. We’re talking tournaments in the Czech Republic, Poland, Canada, Germany, and even trips across the states to places like Mexico. Fast forward to now, and those same kids—who are all part of the '92 age group, by the way—are playing in the top tier of the national league, and they’re actually killing it. It just goes to show that when you have decent organization at the club level, the results follow. I’m pretty sure you see this same pattern in other clubs too; if the management isn't a mess, the talent actually gets a chance to shine.

frozentiger6 said:So, Lubbock actually has a legitimate handball academy—and I mean a real, serious organization, not just some weekend hobby group. It’s one of those places that actually knows what it's doing. Honestly, the whole town basically breathes handball—if you consider sports a vital organ—so it’s not exactly surprising that they take it that seriously.

The Boy Scouts of America are hanging out in a city similar to Austin right now—they’re there with the '96 and '98 squads—playing against some kids from that top-tier handball academy. You know the one; they've basically been crowned the best handball program in the country multiple times, especially when it comes to how they run their tournaments...

frozentiger6 said:I reckon they can call a timeout whenever they feel like it for the third one, but those first two are strictly timed per half.

I’m not sure if you caught that—the break between halves isn't 10 minutes anymore, it’s been bumped up to 15.

No, honestly, I had no clue. The International Handball Federation site and the World Cup pages are being completely useless—none of the documents will actually open, and God knows why... just total technical nonsense.

So, I haven't even had a chance to read through the rule changes for this World Cup. I was out of town for about ten days, and I didn't run into any of my colleagues to talk shop or catch up on what's changed...

I did notice today that the halves seem longer, but I just figured the clock was glitching out or something...

Dennis Doyle3 said:They probably can't burn through all three timeouts in a single half—at least, that’s how I’m reading it. You've got to use at least one during the first half, right? 🤷

It used to be just one timeout per half (though I'm pretty sure this rule change only applies to the political party)...

Now I'm just sitting here scratching my head trying to figure out if that extra timeout can be called whenever you want. Like, if you blow it all in the first half, are you totally screwed for the second? Or is that extra one specifically reserved for the second half? It’s a bit of a puzzle.

There are way too many ways to slice this—I'd love to know what the actual official ruling is...

So, this political party has rolled out some new rules—I think I mentioned this before—and the latest update is that there are now three timeouts available... I honestly can’t make heads or tails of the explanation provided by Miller, but whatever... 🤣

He claimed that I can request two timeouts within a single half...

Now, if you follow that logic, there really ought to be four total, not just three...

Either that, or they have three available and I get to decide which half I want to call my second timeout in...

But as it stands, I can't find any actual specifications on this anywhere...

You guys keep going on about quality and how much tougher it is to compete in the World Cup or the Euros when it comes to soccer...

Look...

While you're busy grinding through a single World Cup or an international tournament, handball players have already crushed twice as many major championships in that same timeframe...

And don't even get me started on the Olympics—especially in years where we’re juggling two massive tournaments back-to-back...

So, just think about the sheer level of talent, raw strength, and physical endurance you need to survive playing one or two world-class tournaments every single year, all while dealing with domestic leagues, the Champions League, and various cup competitions...

Paul Jones7 said:It doesn't matter which sport is more grueling or where you see more injuries—that's irrelevant. The only metrics that actually count are how many countries play the game, how many have professional leagues, the total player pool (both amateur and pro), and how that base is distributed globally. Look, I’m not some die-hard soccer fanatic—those are just facts. And based on those facts, the concentration of talent is incomparably higher in soccer.

But if you think I’m going to sit here and argue about this with you, forget it. I couldn't care less.

Look, you could drone on about "quality" until tomorrow, but the top-tier quality is essentially identical in both sports—it's just as evenly spread among, say, the Top 10...

Everything else is just fluff that anyone can claim... kind of like how soccer players pat themselves on the back after scraping by a draw against a team like Malta...

But one thing is certain... an Olympic gold medal carries way more weight than taking third place at the World Cup...

Not to mention all the nonsense claims that a bronze finish matters more than any World Cup, European Championship, or whatever else you throw at it...

Even a silver medal in basketball from the Olympics holds more prestige...

I mean, what are our actual results in soccer at the Olympics?

When you really think about it, just look at what most players actually consider the absolute pinnacle of their careers...

Paul Jones7 said:It’s obviously easier to find success in a sport where maybe ten countries actually take it seriously and there are only two pro leagues in the entire world. Taking third place at the World Cup is a much bigger deal—it's way harder to pull off than all those handball golds and medals combined. Every single ranking in soccer at the World Cup or the Euros carries its own weight, especially just making it out of the group stage. Then again, I don't expect everyone to get that—most people just watch sports casually, like they're sitting at a bar, but if you actually care, you'll understand.

Funny...

First, you throw out a pile of ad hominem attacks, and then you try to deny everyone else the right to their own opinion—especially the people who don't agree with you...

Two pro leagues?

I could list at least three right now...☕

How ironic to get caught in your own trap regarding "superficiality"...

Anyway, where do you consistently see a higher concentration of quality?

Which sport is tougher and sees more injuries?

Dennis Doyle3 said:back before 2000 🙂

And?

The way soccer players always console themselves by saying "everyone plays soccer"... well, handballers can pull the same old routine too...

Especially after you manage to scrape a draw against Malta...

Samuel Baker3 said:Who’s actually underestimating him? Americans🤣, sure—but look at the pedigree: Barcelona to Real Madrid to Kiel

The sheer list of clubs that wanted him tells you everything you need to know about Jerome Fernandez's caliber; the fact that 97% of Americans only associate him with the French national team is a completely different issue altogether.

His biggest misfortune? He just happens to be playing in the same era as one of the greatest left wingers to ever lace up a pair of boots.

It’s not Jerome's fault he was born during the Lackovic era...☕

Spoljaric is playing for the Foxes out of Berlin, and if I recall correctly, back when Dempa first started getting minutes there last season, they were actually beating teams like Kiel... or even HSV...

But yeah, I'm pretty sure they managed to snatch someone big from a major club...

electricotter6 said:Can someone fill me in on what's going on with Šterbik and Nagy? Are they playing for Spain now?
I don't see them listed in those reports above. There was all this talk about both of them—even some chatter about Rutenka too.

Šterbik is definitely playing, and I'm pretty sure Nagy is too...

Rutenka isn't—he decided to play for Belarus... again...😁

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Handball_World_Championship_squads

According to this list, Nagy is still with the Canadian national team...

Miller’s got a shot in the second round when it comes to those seven-meter free throws—both him and Miller have been struggling big time lately...

Vaughn is just a second-rate wing player who only stays relevant because the defense constantly bails him out...

Sullivan basically checked out again, hit a wall, and that was that... though, honestly, Musa is playing better than Sullivan right now...

Harrison—nothing bad intended here—is a massive guy, built like a tank... but his defensive positioning is such a mess it’s almost painful to watch...

The real headache is the right wing; if Miller goes down with an injury, we are in serious trouble...

Then again, I’m more worried about the whole "Horton situation," where he played constantly and then everyone just pinned all the failures on Thompson...