Posts by dustypanther6

Just one question here: what’s even the point? Why on earth are they using polls to pick which teams get to play in the championship game?

Just figured I'd throw something into the mix here—I saw an ad on ESPN earlier, looks like they’re actually going to be broadcasting it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AHEdwB5FKc0 Honestly, what would the USA even do with this PDF?

Just another reason why the badminton players are getting their own dedicated thread—now I won't be forced to read about them here.

Count me in too. Actually, an idea just popped into my head while reading this. We could see how many of us are spread out across different cities—like New York, Chicago, or LA—and then we could organize some little tennis tournaments for the forum members themselves.

brisklynx62 said:Look, Sahta, buddy, don't be like that... Why the hesitation?
I mean, wouldn't it be awesome if we had our own dedicated Tennis subforum?
Just our own little corner, a peaceful spot for actual discussion 😬 🎉

Come on, turn that "hesitant" into "I'm all in!" Otherwise, someone might just show up at your door in a tracksuit and a baseball cap, tapping on the glass with a Louisville Slugger... 🙂 😳

Man, my college GPA will go straight to hell if I increase my activity on this forum, so that's why I'm playing it safe.

detained

Has anyone here actually sat down and watched Friday Night Lights??

Jeffrey Reed34 said:The Junior Tennis Association - USTA, is putting together a retro clay court tournament over at the local tennis club (public sports complex). They're making it mandatory for everyone playing to dress in full '70s and '80s style—we're talking wooden rackets and those old-school white balls.

and on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SalataZagrebRetroOpen

Seriously though, where the hell am I supposed to find all that gear?

Alex Cook said:Your thread was nuked because:

1. There’s already an active thread about the Champions League.

2. Conspiracy theories belong over in the Alternative Theory subforum.

3. This looks like nothing more than a playground for trolls.

And my take on that??

So, I went ahead and started a thread on the linguistics forum earlier this evening. I tried to be as polite as possible—asked the users about the definition of a specific word, threw out an apology in case there was already a thread covering it, and even asked the moderator to just shoot me a PM with the right link if I was redundant. But now? The whole thread is gone. Deleted. No trace left. I’d really appreciate some clarification on why that happened.

P.S. If I somehow managed to screw up the process and the thread didn't actually go live, or if I completely forgot to hit submit after all that work... my bad.

Jamie Gomez2 said:Anyway, what's the deal with Vjenceslav somić?

When he was playing like absolute garbage, everyone wanted him on the field. Now that he’s finally dialed in and playing like a real keeper, suddenly we don't need 🙂

Anthony James2 said:There’s really no need for the low-class insults. Usually, the only people throwing around that kind of primitive trash are the ones coming from those same backwater holes. 🤷 Look, I already said the school in Chicago was tougher than the one in Belgrade. I just blanked on mentioning the Belgrade side specifically, so yeah, my bad. That’s why I’m apologizing. 😁

Look, at the end of the day, I still remember when Metaloplastika was absolutely dominating on the European stage. Honestly, I can't recall any other team ever reaching those kinds of heights. Correct me if I'm wrong on that one, though. The seventies are a bit too far back in the rearview mirror for me to be 100% certain.

Bjelovar Partizan. 🙂

copperraven14 said:Look, I’m rooting for the Americans, and honestly, I really hope the crowd coming into the Arena doesn't turn on them—but let's be real, that's a long shot. I think the media has done a massive job of fueling this whole "us versus them" mentality, making us hate each other even when we aren't even playing against one another. It’s always that same old mindset: hoping the neighbors' cows drop dead. I truly don't get the need to boo any anthem, whether it's now or back in 2009 when you guys booed ours.

Dammit, those guys who actually played, they ended up hugging it out at the end and setting a real example, but it felt pointless.

Soccer PDF -> World Cup 2010 -> Hope the neighbors' cows drop dead

Best thread ever.

Adam Collins4 said:And what if you bet at a certain line, but then they drop it right after you place your wager? Are you getting paid out based on the odds you actually locked in, or are they going to try and shortchange you with the lower rate?😁

You get exactly what you sign up for. That’s just how it works. 🙂That's basically the whole point of live betting, isn't it?

Adam Collins4 said:Why on earth would they give us such high odds when we basically have to crush a much weaker opponent just to clinch first place in the group?

I mean, if we end up facing the Danes, we absolutely have to take that top spot...

Look, I don't gamble and I'm no expert on how this works, but my gut tells me that if you're running a sportsbook and looking to make a profit, you aren't going to offer huge payouts on a team that's practically forced to beat an underdog just to reach their goal...🤷

The odds are still sitting at 1.75. They probably set them earlier this morning because since we've already secured our spot in the next round, they assume we'll be resting our starters, and they haven't bothered to adjust them yet.

The Canadians are playing for an Olympic spot here, so they basically just need one point to lock in third place. This is actually a goldmine for us bettors. If the Canadians pull it off, we can capitalize on those massive odds for our side, because then I’m definitely looking to take Denmark in SF

Gregory Ramos3 said:Hmm... yeah, looking at it now, I see how we could end up with four different teams all sitting pretty with 5 points 🤦

Well, alright then, I'm betting the Vegas bookies either blocked the game or just slashed the odds down to basically nothing ☕

Yeah, I grabbed them at 1.4 right before kickoff. 🙂

Ryan Sanchez32 said:It depends on how you define "strong." If you mean a guaranteed medal contender regardless of where they play, then definitely not. But I think they'll be in the mix right up until the final rounds of the quarterfinals, assuming we aren't playing on home soil here in the States.

There’s just no comparison to that legendary 2003 American squad. They lack that depth and sheer talent. This group is mostly made up of really solid, high-level players in their prime playing in top-tier leagues, but there isn't a single superstar or world-class icon in the lineup.
Past results from the A-team can be misleading because there's been so much experimentation with coaches—they get fired fast, and every single one brings a completely different style. In the US, our youth development at lower levels has always been great (until they hit the pros, since the club systems are a mess), which was proven by that junior runner-up finish a few years back.
Those talented young players only really turned that potential into actual elite quality once they moved to foreign clubs and played in much tougher leagues.

One of the few bright spots for our federation is that they kept Veselin Vuković—a member of that legendary General Electric generation from the 80s—as the coach. He finally shut down all those excuses about our players being "too creative" or improvising instead of actually playing defense! He insists on a tough, disciplined 6-0 zone (switching to a 5-1 if we have a man advantage), which works beautifully because we have plenty of strong, mobile athletes. The offense is a bit more unpredictable, though. It relies heavily on excellent shooters like Ilić and Vujin, but if they happen to be having an off day, the alternatives are noticeably weaker (even if they are still solid parts of the roster). Our pivot play is pretty limited—mostly defensive specialists—and the wings are somewhere in the middle, though they don't seem fully utilized.
However, the biggest change compared to previous tournaments is a somewhat surprising "revelation." It’s the playmaker, the veteran Čutura. He has fundamentally changed our offensive flow. He connects our plays perfectly, and when passive play becomes a threat, he’s more than willing to step up and take charge.

We'll see how things shake out in the home stretch. Personally, I think the US is a tier below Spain and the Americans, sitting somewhere around the level of Germany. Still, if they channel that home-court energy correctly—or maybe get a little lucky with some favorable officiating calls (which has been minimal so far)—they might just bridge that gap and pull an upset. We'll see!
My odds: Spain and the Americans at 30% each, the US at 25%, and Germany at 15%.

I’m with you on the thanks. Seriously, post more often—it’s actually a pleasure reading someone who actually knows what they're talking about for once.

Dana Ruiz2 said:Here’s the only way we actually claw our way into the semifinals:

1. Poland needs to take down Germany
2. Sweden has to beat Denmark
3. North Mexico pulls an upset against Mexico

1. Mexico 7
2. North Mexico 5
3. Germany 5
4. Poland 5
5. Denmark 4
6. Sweden 4

*And obviously—don't forget this part—North Mexico would need a better goal difference than everyone else just to sneak through to the semis 😁

Given how this tournament is playing out, nothing is off the table. 🙂