OT- Random thought....twitter and current UConn students

[FAIRTIDES]

Fair point about baseball.

And more kids playing soccer than hockey isn't necessarily a new trend. Hockey costs a fortune.

Hockey and lacrosse seem to be "crossover" sports in southwestern FF county. A lot of football players also gravitate to lacrosse. Lacrosse, at least down here, is hurting baseball and track and field. "Zoo," please don't start. I get it. You don't like baseball.

 

[spsct]

Hockey is a time investment too. Practices can be a really weird hours.

You are beating me to every argument. Can't agree with your posts any more.

I wanted to play youth hockey, but my parents couldn't afford it and I had to get to the rink at ungodly hours. Just wasn't happening, no matter how much I lo0ved the game.

 

[JayRU09]

I also stopped playing Youth Hockey when my parents decided that waking up at 4:30AM to go drive down 84 on a Saturday morning pretty much ruined the idea of weekends.

 

[UConnDan97]

Easy for you to say while sitting at your desk.

It's actually easy for me to say no matter what I'm doing. It's easy because it's true...

 

[johnhuskies95]

It's actually easy for me to say no matter what I'm doing. It's easy because it's true...

What team did you play for in the big leagues?

 

[UConnDan97]

What team did you play for in the big leagues?

The same one you did. Which team did you play for in professional soccer or basketball? Yeah, I know, silly question, right? So why ask it...

 

[JayRU09]

My dad played pro ball and is a firm believer that golf is the hardest of the major sports in terms of skill.

 

[johnhuskies95]

The same one you did. Which team did you play for in professional soccer or basketball? Yeah, I know, silly question, right? So why ask it...

That's what I thought.

 

[UConnDan97]

I am realizing that I have just walked into perhaps the one of the more pointless discussions, and I don't see any way out of it. We have mixed up discussions between skill, athleticism, availability, and country music...

 

[UConnDan97]

That's what I thought.

No, that's what I thought!

 

[FAIRTIDES]

Golf is the hardest.

I always loved baseball and liked golf. I played baseball until the differences in my ability to play the two sports (the summer between my soph and junior years in HS) became pronounced. While that doesn't make me an expert, it does allow me to disagree with your assessment. I assume we are talking about good players capable of a good result and, in the baseball case, good pitching.

First and foremost, there is little to no fear factor in golf. Getting hit with a baseball hurts, a lot. Getting hit in the head does more than hurt. Standing in and hitting the ball hard after being "flipped" takes skill and an extra portion of courage. There is nothing like it in golf.

Golf is more forgiving. Again, assuming good players, an off-center hit in baseball is more than likely to end badly. Experience tells me that hitting a golf ball a little thin or a little fat or with a swing that's a little inside/outside the line of flight can, and often does, lead to something close to the hoped for result.

Hitting a round ball, thrown by a good pitcher, with a spherical bat is is the single most difficult athletic skill to master; especially when the good pitcher might decide to bounce one off your coconut.

 

[JayRU09]

I played baseball in high school, and I played golf every summer until I got to college. I was pretty darn good at both, and I grew up with someone in the household who was REALLY good at baseball and quite good at golf.

Golf is harder.

 

[rich1122]

I really don't like Country, but my wife does now so I will not turn it off in the car, but I forbid it in the house (well I convinced her that XM satellite has no Country Stations). Ha Ha

My viewing habits have changed immensely, especially toward baseball and golf. Five years ago I watched baseball every night - now almost never. I never missed a Red Sox Yankees series. I watched every inning. Golf, I watch the majors. I gave up on the NBA many years ago. After the Lebron James debacle never again.

I have supplanted them with Intl Soccer. Now I would never miss any time when Team USA plays. I watched the Euro Cup and most Saturday AM Premiere games games on ESPN. Man U. Vs. Man City Man that was great.

Can see why thought things are changing in habits for the kids.

 

[RedSoloCup]

soccer and bball are popular because they are easy to play as far as whats needed and skill wise at non high levels.
even at low levels like little league baseball is a skill sport much more so then others. thats why u see a ton of kids that dont make little league all star type teams all of a sudden go play lax the next year. in lax it takes some skill to shoot and pass but not even close the skill of baseball. you can be more of a pure ath in lax and be a player compared to baseball. thats the shift. its kids who can't hack 1 moving to the other. now parents are just filtering kids to lax(which is fine, to each there own) and the kid never develops great skills because of it(hand eye type stuff).

Can't agree on the lack of hand eye... tell me that coordination and timing are not needed when a player cuts across the crease to catch a ball in a 3"X9" net as it is fed in at high speed, dodge a defender and the fling that ball around anther two to get it to the net, never mind in the net? Running, not standing in a box with a moment to adjust to the pitch. I mean, the catcher is also not defending at the same time.

Besides, you get to body check people and hit them with the stick. Baseball frowns on that for some reason.

 

[IMind]

Hockey has always been kind of a class thing, too, even in cold weather locations. If you can't afford the equipment, you can't really play. Hence why you don't see it in as many urban areas. Whereas it's much easier for people, especially in developing countries, to just pick up a soccer ball and play.

In Canada at least the class thing doesn't really exist. Since everyone plays there's tons of equipment available on the cheap. Used stuff is everywhere... the cost of ice is much more of a factor here... it costs me a shitcrapload of money for my kid to play hockey... and most of that just goes to ice time. I can gear him up for 1/10th the cost of ice time for a year... Where it's cold (My wife is from Winnipeg,MB) enough the ice time is not factor... they just flood a friggen field... in the city they put up some boards.