Raw meat for Sam (and probably lots of others)

Perhaps a poll would be a useful device.  However, NYCelt, you know me.  If it's 100 to 1 against me, I couldn't care less as long as I'm convinced I'm right and I'm open-minded enough to challenge my beliefs any time there's a reason to do so.  It's the old Abe Lincoln's cabinet story that I've told several times on this board.  Abe: "That's 12 nays and one aye.  The ayes have it."

I wasn't bringing football and hockey into the discussion—simply contrasting basketball and baseball.  But there's certainly nothing wrong with bringing those two sports into the conversation.

Every major sport has roles that individual players have to fill for the betterment of the team.  Blocks in football, screens in basketball, etc.  But that's not what most differentiates them in terms of teamwork.  Each sport is based on a series of confrontations known as possessions in basketball and hockey, downs in football, and at bats in baseball.  In a basketball game, offensive "confrontations" routinely involve personal interaction among all five players.  No other major sport can claim that every single player is personally influencing the performance of every other single player on the team.  Same thing on defensive.  Basketball players are constantly called upon to make adjustments such as switching assignments to back each other up—more so than in other sports.  That's interaction, my friends; and interaction is the most important test in terms of differentiating the teamwork factor between sports.

The number of players on a team doesn't matter a bit in terms of teamwork.  What matters is the percentage of those players who must interact personally with one another in carrying out the roles that all sports assign.

None of this is a knock on the other sports.  Their concepts are simply different from the concepts of basketball.  Hockey appeals to fans who want speed.  Football appeals to fans who like to watch individual physical battles all over the place.  Baseball appeals to fans who like to focus on one confrontation at a time.  Basketball appeals to fans who like to watch the purest form of teamwork.  Or at least that's what basketball was intended to provide.

I watch all four sports (at the pro level) avidly and seldom hear the term "chemistry" utilized in conversations on football, hockey and baseball.  That's because interplayer synergy is simply most important in basketball.  Assignments are not necessarily synonyms for "teamwork."

Sam

beat wrote:GYSO

Just go by total rosters of players available for any one game

Without checking

Football has 54ish (or is it 45)
Baseball has 25
Hockey about the same as baseball 25
and Basketball has 12

beat,

You were close, here's what I found:

League / Roster / Suited up

NFL / 53 / 45
MLB / 40 / 25
NHL / 23 / 20
NBA / 15 / 13

It is actually more complicated than that. The NHL has four tiers of categories in the makeup of their roster. The MLB 40 player roster involves injured players, optioned players, etc. The MLB also allows the entire 40 player roster to suit up after September 1st.

I guess that you are right, in that the important number is the number of players that can suit up for any one game.

gyso

I haven't forgotten, I still have to come back and defend Van Gundy's statement, or at least what I see as the rationale behind it.  Didn't want anyone to think I was dodging it.  Spent too much time on another thread earlier, but will get to this too.

Good debates popping up.  Must be the start of the NBA season has everyone in top form.

For those who can't get enough of Jeff Van Gundy's astute hoop musings (especially sam) he will be on Mike Lupica's ESPN radio show (98.7 FM in New York, not sure about other cities) at 2:15PM today, one hour from now.

Can't wait to hear more.

IMHO, Lupica is an idiot, always has to get the last word in.

only right he bring on another one.
glad I'm out of range of that signal !

beat

beat wrote:IMHO, Lupica is an idiot, always has to get the last word in.

only right he bring on another one.
glad I'm out of range of that signal !

beat

beat - it's a national show. Lucky for you, you're not out of range unless you're in a foreign country.

None of our local stations carry ESPN radio anymore!

So I am out of range!
And I don't have satellite radio either.

beat

beat wrote:None of our local stations carry ESPN radio anymore!

So I am out of range!
And I don't have satellite radio either.

beat

You don't have an FM radio dial? It's on FM everywhere.

No FM stations carry it that are within reach.

Trust me, we had 1 AM station that carried ESPN sports... but over a year ago they switched to Fox sports. I've hunted for espn radio but during the daytime no signal is available. I can get some clear channel 50,000 watt signals at night from the big stations but nothing during the day. I am in the remote area of upstate NY. Heck there are some areas just miles away you can't get ANY signal on the radio during the day.

beat wrote:No FM stations carry it that are within reach.

Trust me, we had 1 AM station that carried ESPN sports... but over a year ago they switched to Fox sports. I've hunted for espn radio but during the daytime no signal is available. I can get some clear channel 50,000 watt signals at night from the big stations but nothing during the day. I am in the remote area of upstate NY. Heck there are some areas just miles away you can't get ANY signal on the radio during the day.

If it's ever important to you, you could get a good antenna at any Radio Shack. Would extend your AM and FM range.

FM signals are basically line of site very little bend plus we live in a little valley between 2 small streams even an Antenna would not help enough to bring in an AM signal well over 100 miles away during the day. Pretty well stuck with what I have.

Not a big deal and certainly would not spend a dime to listen to that little dweeb Lupica anyway.

beat

Beat,

Not that it matters because it seems you'd rather not hear it, but you can stream ESPN radio online. Actually, you can stream most radio broadcasts online.