Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with mlb and NFL

I'd like to aquire a working knowledge of sports teams/sports players, but I don't know where to start.

Ephilation — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 02:11:18 -0800

I'd like to acquire a working knowledge of sports teams/sports players, but I don't know where to start. I know basically nothing about the major American football/baseball/basketball teams or their respective players. I've got the names of a few teams in the NFL

(Redskins, Cowboys, Ravens, 49ers ... that's about it) and even fewer teams in the NBA and MLB. And wasn't the Super Bowl on Sunday? No idea who played in that.

To be honest, I don't really care about major sports teams or their players. I'd much rather be athletic than watch other people be athletic, but this stuff comes up enough in common conversation that I feel like a basic knowledge of the teams and major players would be beneficial.

Example: I'm a med student, and was scrubbed in on an orthopedic surgery case. The attending surgeon starts making small talk with me, and asks me about any sports teams that I follow. I had to tell him that I didn't really follow any sports teams, which was unfortunate because it would have given me a chance to make a good impression and I lost that chance. (Not to mention that immediately afterwards, he asked me, "Well are you a team player?", which really says more about him than it does about me, but it still didn't feel great being questioned on that.)

But I don't know where to start. The discussions on ESPN seem to be at a higher level than I understand - for example, the commentators assume that their audience has certain basic understandings of sports concepts that I don't know (i.e., what the hell is an RBI), and a certain familiarity with certain teams and players that I don't have. I feel like I'm looking at jibberish. I feel like I need an "NFL for Dummies" book.

So Hivemind, if you were me, where would you start?

Need to cut the cable! Mac Mini?

Slap*Happy — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 21:45:25 -0800

We want to replace our cable TV with a Mac Mini. We watch mostly documentaries, cooking shows and cartoons. She loves cheesy horror movies, and I love baseball and pro football. Apart from Netflix, what do we need to live cable-free?

baseball's antitrust exemption vs. every other national sport

headnsouth — Tue, 25 May 2010 06:47:35 -0800

Please explain to me why Major League Baseball is exempt from antitrust laws while no other sports leagues are. Yesterday the Supreme Court ruled that the NFL is 32 separate entities rather than one, but the same court refuses to hear cases related to MLB's antitrust exemption, saying only Congress can make a change. I know this is far from the only inconsistency in Supreme Court rulings, but MLB-related cases come up often enough that would address it and the Supremes refuse to hear them, and in light of yesterday's unanimous ruling it doesn't make sense to me.

Baseball on the radio... but which radio to buy?

Slap*Happy — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 20:16:48 -0800

I'm looking for an AM/FM/HD radio to tune in to the Sawx or the Pats when I'm working downtown Baaawstin on Sundays. I love the FM-quality broadcasts I get in my car, and I'd like that at my desk, or better, when I work Sundays. The Red Sox play matinees sundays, and the Patriots are an NFL team, so they play more Sundays than not. I'm also an NPR addict.

Which AM/FM/HD radio should I buy to best enjoy Sundays tied to a desk? And where should I buy it from?

Do any pro athletes blog?

greedo — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:11:44 -0800

Are there any professional athletes that maintain a blog during the sports season? I am looking for NFL, NHL, MLB or NBA athlete blogs specifically and not the training diaries of olympic athlete, boxers or golfers. Any tips?