Sports Zone - Writers Forum

freebird · 07-31-2005, 05:05 PM

Sports Zone

"Outlined against a blue-gray October sky, the Four Horsemen rode again. In dramatic lore they are known as Famine, Pestilence, Destruction and Death. These are only aliases. Their real names are Stuhldreher, Miller, Crowley and Layden." --Grantland Rice

The lines above are from a story described in Grantland Rice's famous 1924 Four Horsemen saga from the New York Herald Tribune, with one of the best-known leads in sports-writing history. Could you have written it? Are you one of the people who keeps up with ALL sports news, local and national, and world wide if need be, through reading, personal contacts and constantly perusing the Internet?

Sportswriters have had stories appear in all sections of the newspaper -- features, business, news -- just because sports permeates all those areas from time to time. It's not just about scores and interviewing players all the time.

The prolific Rice wrote six books of poetry and eight of prose. "The Best of Grantland Rice" was issued posthumously in 1963. A School Library Journal review of a 1993 biography, "Sportswriter: The Life and Times of Grantland Rice," called him the "best-known sportswriter in the U.S. for 40 years."

A good essay on the subject, which will soon be a book by Mike Lupica will soon be out in October 2005. Here is the link: http://www.houghtonmifflinbooks.com/...eNumber=689427

Here is a place to discuss all things sports. Scores, Teams and sportswriting.

"When the One Great Scorer comes to mark against your name,
He writes, not that you won or lost, but how you played the Game."

Cheers! freebird

freebird · 07-31-2005, 06:17 PM

Oh Starr...My friend...I see you did not notice that I live in Tallahassee--chop/chop--and I am originally from Tennessee. While I get accused of being cloaked in the flag, I "bleed orange." That is okay I root for all Florida Teams, when they don't play my teams. You seem like a great writer--ever done sports? freebird

Marsieux · 07-31-2005, 06:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrwriter

Go Gators!

I've been a UF football fan since 1966 when Steve Spurrier was the quarterback, threw touchdown passes like a pro and even kicked field goals. I wish he would return as the Gators coach so I could watch a better class of pitch and catch college football. We haven't had a really good team here in Hawaii for a long time.

I like the Gators, but only since you took UofU's coach. Grrrr.... Oh well, I don't mind. I'm a BYU fan anyway, so good going. I wish Florida the best of luck and hope you like Urban Meyer. What are your thoughts on him?

I'm quite a sports fan, not a die-hard, but I keep up to date on what's happening in the sports world. I have no personal favorite teams that I support, save for BYU. I just want a good game and something to make me cheer and get tense. And guess what? The UofU had both the #1 draft pick in the NFL and NBA.

Marsieux · 07-31-2005, 10:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrwriter

Quote:

Originally Posted by Marsieux

I like the Gators, but only since you took UofU's coach. Grrrr.... Oh well, I don't mind. I'm a BYU fan anyway, so good going. I wish Florida the best of luck and hope you like Urban Meyer. What are your thoughts on him?

Well, he did okay in the Mountain Weasel League or whatever they call it, but now he's faced with real football competition in the SEC.

Just kidding. Meyer did a great job at Utah and I hope he does the same for the Gators.

BYU used to be a dirty word at the University of Hawaii. When both teams were in the WAC, BYU ruined the Warriors' season year after year. Until the last time they played and BYU was ranked. The final score was a Hawaii blow-out, 70 to 35. Ah, sweet revenge!

I remember that 70-35 blowout. It put a damper on our perfect season. I hope you're happy now.

freebird · 08-01-2005, 11:03 AM

Urban will be okay. I think the SEC is the best league. The ACC is pretty good too.

What do you think?

Marsieux · 08-01-2005, 11:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird

Urban will be okay. I think the SEC is the best league. The ACC is pretty good too.

What do you think?

Yeah, SEC lays waste. ACC and Big Ten are pretty good, although they're not always a toss up like the SEC. And I hope Urban will be okay, I like the guy.

Oh, Starr, one other thing. Upcoming in September (I think around the tenth or so) there's supposed to be some sort of event at Aloha Stadium where mainland football teams come to compete against some Hawaiian football teams. My High School Football team is going (I don't play, although I used to) and if you'd like, you should check it out.

Marsieux · 08-01-2005, 03:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by starrwriter

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird

Urban will be okay. I think the SEC is the best league. The ACC is pretty good too.

What do you think?

The SEC has been the strongest college league for years. That's why it's nearly impossible for an SEC team to go undefeated for a whole season.

USC is still gonna kick everybody's tail this year. Not even the almighty SEC stands a change against those boys.

LensmanZ313 · 08-01-2005, 04:02 PM

Hockey is a great sport. Love it. The real football--soccer we call it--is far superior to the North American game. Those footballers have to be in fantastic shape to play it . . . .

Marsieux · 08-01-2005, 04:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LensmanZ313

Hockey is a great sport. Love it. The real football--soccer we call it--is far superior to the North American game. Those footballers have to be in fantastic shape to play it . . . .

Aren't Hockey and Soccer basically the same sport to watch, except one is on ice with sticks and soccer is on the grass with a ball? Well, I guess hockey players get hit hard, but so do football players...and soccer players for that matter.

Why don't you like American Football? I love it, although Soccer is better....

LensmanZ313 · 08-01-2005, 04:09 PM

I think it's overblown. I like hockey because it does take a lot of skill to do something like that. I have a cousin who plays on a team, up in Alaska. He's six-eight or so and he moves with feline grace on the ice.

Marsieux · 08-01-2005, 04:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LensmanZ313

I think it's overblown. I like hockey because it does take a lot of skill to do something like that. I have a cousin who plays on a team, up in Alaska. He's six-eight or so and he moves with feline grace on the ice.

Yeah, it's probably overblown, but you could say that about Soccer too. I guess it just differs with opinion.

LensmanZ313 · 08-01-2005, 05:07 PM

I just love soccer. The jumping, the diving, the the tumbling . . . always on the move . . . the post-game riots . . . .

freebird · 08-01-2005, 07:01 PM

Here you go...
Is Professional Wrestling a sport?
Is NASCAR a sport?
Is Horseracing a sport? If yes, who is the better athlete horse or jockey?
Is Poker a Sport?

stephanie · 08-01-2005, 08:03 PM

I love my Detroit Pistons. Prince and McDyess are my two fave players. Grant Hill is my all time fave player. Just thought I would share that.

-Stephanie

Kikster · 08-01-2005, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by freebird

Here you go...
Is Professional Wrestling a sport?
Is NASCAR a sport?
Is Horseracing a sport? If yes, who is the better athlete horse or jockey?
Is Poker a Sport?

I would say the first three are, but poker is definetly not. it's just a game. it doesn't involve any physical stress or anything, so I don't think it qualifies as a sport.

as for me, I only like soccer and hockey. I'm not a big fan of american sports -I don't like football, basketball and baseball- but I definetly LOVE soccer. I used to play it in high school, and I used to go to the stadium every other sunday to watch my team play.