BulbFish 0 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 What do you think? A Japanese colleague on Friday was telling me that Japan MUST WIN judo events - because it is "Japans sport". He's happy about the "abbekku kin" of yesterday... Link to post Share on other sites
2pints-mate 0 Posted August 16, 2004 Share Posted August 16, 2004 I think Japan MUST WIN JUDO, just like ENGLAND MUST WIN FOOTBALL coz its our sport an' all Link to post Share on other sites
kintaro 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 given that logic, the usa is pretty screwed as the us baseball team (our sport) didnt even qualify. embarassing. however, our other sport, basketball, looks promising. Link to post Share on other sites
Fattwins 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 The news doesnt like this version of the dream team. America had one bad game vs Mexico and got bounced. Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 I love to see the vaunted US teams get drubbed. Particularly satisfying is seeing a host of small country teams whip the arrogant, childish grown NHL men of US ice hockey, and seeing the showboating "Dream Team" of NBA stars revealed as the self-centered, issue-laden prima donnas that they really are. There is something very dull and hollow about watching these guys flail around outside of their chosen run. Pro sports in the US is in a sorry state indeed. Every cheap, vulgar and irritatingly teenage aspect of sports has been blown out of proportion until it is all there is. Everyone has the cool ESPN sportscenter talk down pat. Every day there are 5-10 "monster heroes" who slam-dunked in someone's face, then claimed like it was the greatest thing ever. It's almost as tawdry as pro wrestling, including the steriods, except with more ugly uniform copies, rotisserie/online teams, betting and sitting around sports bars eating pizza and getting even fatter. "Sports bars"...yeah right. More like Fatass TV bars. I used to play sports and I miss the thrill of competition, the striving toward sportsmanship, and the amateur vibe. I used to spend hours watching great international contests involving uncommon sports, but now it's all cartoon like. Give me a ping-pong or fencing match. Turn on American football or the Dream Team and I'm out. Now you can't be a hero without Smacking Down somebody and being on steroids. Just no fun to watch. I hope nobody starts a thread about how the Olympics coverage is all Japan teams only, as if there are no other athletes in the Olympics, because it's the same in the US. You'd think no other country was there except as a minor foil to display the greatness of much-hyped US athletes who are forecast to win multiple golds and featured in product tie-ups, then branded as a "disappointment" because they only managed one gold and three silvers. Yeah. What losers. Only one gold. A terrible fate. To watch good Olympic TV, you have to go to a country where they don't have many athletes, so they just show the most exciting or interesting contests, regardless of nationality or hype. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 You are very right badmigraine (unfortunately). Not mad about the Olympics myself, although I do usually end up watching a fair bit when they're on. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 If I hear the Japanese baseball team called 'Nagashima Japan' again I'll scream, and then puke. What is it with that? The guy is incapacitated with a stroke, and it's not as if he's the only talent around anyway. So why harp on about him exclusively, at the expense of the current coach and all the players for Chrissakes? Judo is a stupid sport anyway. You just grab them, trip them up and it's GOLD! Try that in a pub and you'd get glassed in the face straight off. Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Quote: Judo is a stupid sport anyway. You just grab them, trip them up and it's GOLD! Do all foreigners think about Judo like this? That's why you can't beat Japanese. I love Judo. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by slow: Do all foreigners think about Judo like this? That's why you can't beat Japanese. I love Judo. Hey Slow... Mori lost the gold medal to a Chinese, who by the way is a foreigner! and Chinese too. Thats even worse Maybe those comments come from someone who doesn't understand the sport. You love judo right? did you do it or are you a lover only at olympic time because its something that Japan is strong at? You should see what some of us foreigners think about table tennis too! Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by badmigraine: To watch good Olympic TV, you have to go to a country where they don't have many athletes, so they just show the most exciting or interesting contests, regardless of nationality or hype. Thats why I have great memories of the Olympics Badmig, being from NZ I am used to a wide and varied selection of Olympic coverage. For example NZ shows all the weigthlifting, every division, gets really exciting too. The coverage here is well we all know what its like, no use moaning too much. I want to teleport myself to NZ. Link to post Share on other sites
montoya 0 Posted August 17, 2004 Share Posted August 17, 2004 I like judo, and have been following it during this Olympics. I did it in my youth in San Francisco for 4-5 years, around high school age, before I took up bicycle racing. Most of the Japanese seem to have excellent technique, and it's exciting to watch them as they will try to aggressively go for ippon, instead of fighting negatively for small points like koka or yuko. It's especially interesting to see how the countries with a strong wrestling/grappling tradition have taken to it (eg Russia, Iran, etc). Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 I've got to give the Armed Forces Networks credit - they are doing a really good job of showing all kinds of different events from all different countries. They are basically using all of the feeds from the US, but for most of the day, 4 of my 10 channels are the Olympics and all are showing different events. I will agree with badmigraine to an extent. USA Basketball and the NBA is a total joke right now. I honestly think that if you took the NCAA championship team and let them play in the Olympics, they would fare much better than a bunch of spoiled pros. One thing to remember, however, is that the US players have barely played together. Many of the international teams have had a solid core of players for years. International ball is a lot different from what is played in the states, but it still is no excuse. There is no team play anymore in the NBA. I love watching the international teams play a TEAM game. It's how the NBA used to be 20 years ago. No comment on the Judo (just not interested), but the boxing has been fun to watch. 4 2 minute rounds. Makes for some great action. I've actually found myself watching a lot of women's volleyball (japan got creamed by Italy last night) and softball (great game between the US and Japan). Anyone see the allegations about the Japanese swimmer Kitajima? http://sports.espn.go.com/oly/summer04/swimming/news/story?id=1859947 Just remember - everyone loves watching the US get beat. Why is this? Jealousy? Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Kitajima couldn't have a done a gigantic dolphin kick in the frog race because Japanese people are descended from orangutans, not from dolphins, and Japanese people do not like dolphins - something that Americans have often had cause to note. Also, Americans are very diplomatic about this sort of thing (about what people from other countries think and do), so they wouldn't have allowed themselves to notice if Kitajima did a gigantic dolphin kick. How's England doing? Are we winning at being good losers? We seem to be losing at even that these days. Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 You're right, Plucks. The team play thing can be great to watch when it's done well. The greatest athlete I saw during my recent 2 years in Walled Lake, MI was Scott the Mountain Biker. He is a graphic designer by day but a mountain bike enthusiast in the evenings and on weekends. With a workshop in his basement, a few credit cards and studded tires for racing down icy ski slopes, he is a true enthusiast. Now add in that he'd win almost every race by a comfortable margin and you've got a minor hero. Then you notice he wears the same Star Trek shirt for every race (Captain Kirk shirt replica from a Trekkie convention), and after winning meets the rest of the field at the finish line smoking Marlboro reds with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand, and you've got a true athlete. We need more of this kind of guy at the Olympics. Ross Rebegliati got it right in Nagano. Imagine if Kitajima's buddies set up tequila shots with lemons and salt on the side of the pool, then made him do one for every .10 over his world mark. Imagine if Yawara-chan knelt down and did a beer-bong on the gold medal platform. And I've yet to see an overweight archer come out and win Olympic gold in a speedo bathing suit, reeking of whiskey, with a giant sagging gut hanging down and a mashed-up cigar hanging out the corner of his mouth. Hell, I'd watch the Olympics if they'd just make it a bit more real like this. Link to post Share on other sites
rach 1 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 "Team GB" are doing quite well in a few sports no-one cares about (sailing, horses) I think. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 whats Ai chan gonna do then? A huge gravity bong then yell out "Yata!" in that terrible high pitched voice? Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by badmigraine: You're right, Plucks. The team play thing can be great to watch when it's done well. The greatest athlete I saw during my recent 2 years in Walled Lake, MI was Scott the Mountain Biker. He is a graphic designer by day but a mountain bike enthusiast in the evenings and on weekends. With a workshop in his basement, a few credit cards and studded tires for racing down icy ski slopes, he is a true enthusiast. Now add in that he'd win almost every race by a comfortable margin and you've got a minor hero. Then you notice he wears the same Star Trek shirt for every race (Captain Kirk shirt replica from a Trekkie convention), and after winning meets the rest of the field at the finish line smoking Marlboro reds with a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon in hand, and you've got a true athlete. We need more of this kind of guy at the Olympics. Ross Rebegliati got it right in Nagano. Imagine if Kitajima's buddies set up tequila shots with lemons and salt on the side of the pool, then made him do one for every .10 over his world mark. Imagine if Yawara-chan knelt down and did a beer-bong on the gold medal platform. And I've yet to see an overweight archer come out and win Olympic gold in a speedo bathing suit, reeking of whiskey, with a giant sagging gut hanging down and a mashed-up cigar hanging out the corner of his mouth. Hell, I'd watch the Olympics if they'd just make it a bit more real like this. LOL dude! they should make the US Basketball team smoke one full joint each for each 2 points they lose by. Oh, wait, nevermind. They already do that I'm in and out of watching the Puerto Rico/Lithuania basketball game right now. Okay, so I have a vested intrest in PR. Jose Ortiz is a legend at Oregon State and is playing in his 4th Olympics for PR. Gotta cheer my Oregon State boy on! lol at O11 too. Me thinks you've had too much eggnog. Hey, Obon is over! Is Eddie the Eagle in these games? Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Some German woman just beat some Korean woman in Judo for the Gold. I have no idea what weight class, but it was really boring. They go out of bounds a lot, don't they? Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 yeah but the Japanese chick that just won was kicking ass big time. bring on the aussie swimming tonight, and the kitajima Vs. Hansen. Link to post Share on other sites
nzlegend 1 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by badmigraine: I hope nobody starts a thread about how the Olympics coverage is all Japan teams only, as if there are no other athletes in the Olympics, because it's the same in the US. I was so annoyed and frustrated tonight I wanted to start a thread but I will whine here. Tonight 10pm there was 35 mins of NHK News dedicated 100% purely to the Japanese competitors. Morita the bronze swimmer had 5 mins including interveiw with some elderly neigbour who watcehed his race. The tragedy was the highly anticipated race of the century - Mens 200m free which Thorpie won did not receive a single mention. Possibly the biggest event/showdown of the Games, headline news everywhere else in the World,yet it could not squeeze even 15 seconds of the news. Morita elderly neighbours opinion is worth more than the pinnacle of of the whole games. Unbelievable, I was looking foward to seeing a highlight, but nothing. So ignorant and conceited.Its disgraceful. It days like this I hate being here. I can not believe the biased US coverage is as shocking as this, Badmigs Link to post Share on other sites
Plucky 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Quote: Originally posted by Indosnm: yeah but the Japanese chick that just won was kicking ass big time. bring on the aussie swimming tonight, and the kitajima Vs. Hansen. I shouldn't say anything if you haven't watched. Do a search on Kitajima later though. Then see what O11 had to say. I didn't see the japanese girl, so I can't really comment. I was kind of surprised to see a German win a Judo gold though. Badmigraine is making the coverage out to be worse than it is. The only damn US person I've seen on TV tonight is in frickin' Ping Pong. The 15 year old japanese girl beat the crap out of some US team korean old lady. Big deal. It's ping pong which = beer pong which = a game we play drunk as hell in the US. If I'd known it was an Olympic sport, I would have drunk much more heavily in college! Bummed Puerto Rico lost the basketball game to Lithuania tonight, but Lith is a good team. So goes the games... I'm loving watching all this! Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Kamo, I gotta say mate that I was scared of the lack of coverage coming into the Ollies as I was afraid that i wouldn't see any swimming etc. But I gotta say that they have been showing a fair bit so far and from the TV programs I have seen Ian "soup"'s race did get alot of coverage. One complaint is that in the 30 mins since tani(nani nani) won the judo gold I have seen more than 20 repeats. Overall it hasn't really been that bad, In Oz there is only one channel so if the baseball starts and you want to watch Triathlon you are screwed! Link to post Share on other sites
badmigraine 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Plucks is right, Kamo! I'm in Japan and haven't seen the US coverage this time at all Just exaggerating while drinking either too much coffee or too little beer. Link to post Share on other sites
grungy-gonads 54 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 Quote: One complaint is that in the 30 mins since tani(nani nani) won the judo gold I have seen more than 20 repeats. 20 repeats in 30 minutes? Is that all? They must be slacking! Seriously though that gets on my tits big time too. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted August 18, 2004 Share Posted August 18, 2004 what gets my tits bigger is that farking AI chan. her annoying danm "sa-" and "Yata" after every god danm point. would be enough for every competitor to get pissed and jump the table and give her a good ol judo whipping. and she says it even when the other person makes a mistake.. "sa-" SHUT DA F#$%&'()K UP!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites
Recommended Posts