I just like baseball
And so you should, all sports that involve a stick & ball are superior to those without (I don't include golf in that because its a game undeservedly elevated to sporting status by finance).
@dragonbird; Thanks for that
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btw you should check our Camogie... my mother & father met over a "Clash of the Ash".... romantic
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btw you should check our Camogie... my mother & father met over a "Clash of the Ash".... romantic
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I'm with you there. I played football a bit when I was younger and it's an intense sport, but it lacks the caveman factor of smashing something with a big stick. Although, I might qualify your statement as follows:
I love that too, but not in sports.
Rather have some fancy footwork
[video=youtube;QT-QBtdgu4Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QT-QBtdgu4Y[/video]
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@Exilium; hahah fair enough ! You really should check the hurling vid I posted and click through to the longer 5 minute version by the same name.
@idub7; Unfortunately I can't find an upload of it, but there is video of George Best showing how he learned his phenomenal ball control using a tennis ball, implying smaller balls promote fancier footwork
@idub7; Unfortunately I can't find an upload of it, but there is video of George Best showing how he learned his phenomenal ball control using a tennis ball, implying smaller balls promote fancier footwork
@Exilium; hahah fair enough ! You really should check the hurling vid I posted and click through to the longer 5 minute version by the same name.
@idub7; Unfortunately I can't find an upload of it, but there is video of George Best showing how he learned his phenomenal ball control using a tennis ball, implying smaller balls promote fancier footwork
yea, I know it. I already did this when I was like 12
Havent even seen his Video back then. Actually I play with everything thats round. Even Tabletennis Balls.Thats especially hard, when you got a dog who wants to catch everything that moves, lol.
Yeh, I did a fairly thorough search for the clip to no luck, it's shown here regularly, I'm coming to the conclusion that Northern Irish people can't upload anything that doesn't include violence, or comedy, the eejits
edit: not to add controversy, but it's my considered opinion that money has ripped the heart out of soccer, and will ultimately destroy it.
edit: not to add controversy, but it's my considered opinion that money has ripped the heart out of soccer, and will ultimately destroy it.
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Yeh, I did a fairly thorough search for the clip to no luck, it's shown here regularly, I'm coming to the conclusion that Northern Irish people can't upload anything that doesn't include violence, or comedy, the eejits
edit: not to add controversy, but it's my considered opinion that money has ripped the heart out of soccer, and will ultimately destroy it.
Thats the case with every big sports. Imo its even worse in the NFL or NBA. I mean, the Super Bowl is more about commercials than about the sports.
In the Bundesliga are rules to prevent stuff like in the BPL with Man City or in Ligue 1 with PSG or Monaco. The owner of Man City spent 1 billion into new players and their salary. Other clubs make huge amount of debts, like Real Madrid or Barcelona.
Thats not possible in the Bundesliga. Still we have 2 of the best teams in the world.
Hurling is pretty brutal, man. I watched both videos. Looks like an awesome sport and I'm surprised it doesn't get more worldwide exposure.
I had no idea what hurling was until I was actually in Ireland. I was drinking at a place in the Temple Bar in Dublin and everyone was watching a game. I had to ask what it was (it looked a bit like Lacrosse to me) and that's when I was first introduced to the sport.
What's the weight of the ball? It looks like a bit like a baseball, but a baseball weighs 5 ounces with a small cork wood center that's wound with wool then covered in leather. If you were to catch it barehanded like a hurling ball, it'd probably break some bones if it's traveling at significant speed. Baseball bats were originally ash too, just like hurling. Now, players use different types of wood depending on how much speed/power they want to achieve.
@idub7
You're right. Money is ruining professional sports, especially in the U.S. (big surprise). When I do attend baseball games, I much prefer going to see a semi-pro or lower professional league. Those kinds of games are less commercial and more like what baseball used to be back in the old days.
Used to go down to watch Blades at Bramall Lane in Sheff when I were a lad (saw Beany there a few times) good for a pie, a pint and an ocassional friendly punch up. Too fucking expensive now though, too much fannying around and diving, players are paid way too much and they don't put any of their heart in it any more. Not for working man, rich bastards have took it off us, fuckers.
Vikings played a sport that sounds like Hurley, wonder if they got it from Eire or the other way around. Egil Skallagrimsson killed his first person at the age of eight during a game of it, stuck an axe through his skull after being shoved onto the ground.
Vikings played a sport that sounds like Hurley, wonder if they got it from Eire or the other way around. Egil Skallagrimsson killed his first person at the age of eight during a game of it, stuck an axe through his skull after being shoved onto the ground.
@Exilium; Even in Ireland it's popularity is eclipsed by our variant of football, and I think that situation is similar to your football <-> baseball relationship in that while all sports evoke passion, some are held in hearts more like a religion than a fun pastime to its core adherents. There have always been hurlers in America from the Irish Diaspora, but I believe it's gaining more traction recently, probably due the internet, and it's being played in Universities and even the armed forces. Of course I would love to see it going worldwide as long as it retains it's amateur ethos - which is as important as any other aspect of the game - an ethos I know hasn't survived in baseball, yet my impression of that sport is that it retains something of it nevertheless.
The balls... good question, I doubt I can compare them to my satisfaction, although I did get a chance before. They'd be the same size, baseball is smoother and has much more bounce. A sliotar is 4 ounces with a cork core, no padding, immediately covered with leather. They tried rubber core once but too much bounce. If you tried to bounce the ball on packed earth you'd get no more than a foot. Yeah, catching the ball incorrectly, with your fingers rather than palm, can result in fractures, but tbh probably the least of a players concerns. Some wear tight fitting slightly padded gloves.
Similarly other materials have been tried for the hurley since the Ash woods were decimated at one point, plastic, even aluminium has been tried, but ash is by far the best and remains the rule. I suspect a baseball bat is much more durable due its shape, hurls break a lot even with a metal strip round the striking head. In the end we just did a lot of replanting
@Blothulfur; I wouldn't be at all surprised the Vikings had their own version, though I've never heard it referenced, and it's certain the various settlers absorbed the local games. Honourable mention should go to Scottish Shinty, another great sport, and the hurling wikipage says Northern England had a similar called Bandy. But I think you know my general attitude to these things. It's likely the Irish only retain stuff once common throughout Europe, thanks in part to you diabolical English foolishly not recognising the indomitable stubbornness of the Gaels.
And aye, the fact that a working class man can't afford to take himself or his kids to the saturday match, nevermind purchase the sweatshop kits, is a crying shame.
The balls... good question, I doubt I can compare them to my satisfaction, although I did get a chance before. They'd be the same size, baseball is smoother and has much more bounce. A sliotar is 4 ounces with a cork core, no padding, immediately covered with leather. They tried rubber core once but too much bounce. If you tried to bounce the ball on packed earth you'd get no more than a foot. Yeah, catching the ball incorrectly, with your fingers rather than palm, can result in fractures, but tbh probably the least of a players concerns. Some wear tight fitting slightly padded gloves.
Similarly other materials have been tried for the hurley since the Ash woods were decimated at one point, plastic, even aluminium has been tried, but ash is by far the best and remains the rule. I suspect a baseball bat is much more durable due its shape, hurls break a lot even with a metal strip round the striking head. In the end we just did a lot of replanting
@Blothulfur; I wouldn't be at all surprised the Vikings had their own version, though I've never heard it referenced, and it's certain the various settlers absorbed the local games. Honourable mention should go to Scottish Shinty, another great sport, and the hurling wikipage says Northern England had a similar called Bandy. But I think you know my general attitude to these things. It's likely the Irish only retain stuff once common throughout Europe, thanks in part to you diabolical English foolishly not recognising the indomitable stubbornness of the Gaels.
And aye, the fact that a working class man can't afford to take himself or his kids to the saturday match, nevermind purchase the sweatshop kits, is a crying shame.
It's an almost universal sort of game; the Native Americans had what we now call lacrosse, which has become all civilized and played with uniforms and helmets and pads and netted sticks instead of loincloths and warpaint with 5-foot cudgels. High-stakes betting was a condition of participation.
Exactly. It's ancient, and common to us all, even if forgotten in places
And I really appreciate that redpoint @Blothulfur; as it removes any concern my light-hearted ribbing comment may raise in those unsure that the English & Irish have settled their differences. Only friends can really take the piss of eachother
