Swans on Tea

In basketball, shooting angle has a big effect on the chances of scoring
It’s the elegant arched trajectory naturally formed by any projectile, from an artillery round to a tomato, moving in a gravitational field. Parabolas have been extensively studied since people started throwing stuff at each other, and they shape the outcome of many ballistic [...]

NFL to examine 2 possessions in playoffs OT
NFL owners will vote next week whether to allow each team a possession in overtime in the playoffs if the team winning the OT coin toss kicks a field goal on the first series.
This seems a little odd. I wonder if the purpose is to entice teams [...]

Not that I need any help in that area.
I’ve been watching the curling televised in the afternoons this past week, and I have to apologize to the US teams — as soon as I tuned in, you tanked. Choked. Collapsed. Obviously, I’m bad luck and it’s all my fault. But I still [...]

BREAKING: Popeye Admits To Spinach Use
“I wish I had never touched spinach,” Popeye said in a statement. “It was foolish and it was a mistake. I truly apologize. Looking back, I wish I had never sailed during the spinach era.”
Popeye also used broccoli, a person close to Popeye said, speaking on condition of anonymity because [...]

And by that I don’t mean Manny Ramirez.
How Does an Outfielder Know Where to Run for a Fly Ball?
To test three theories that might explain an outfielder’s ability to catch a fly ball, researcher Philip Fink, PhD, from Massey University in New Zealand and Patrick Foo, PhD, from the University of North Carolina at Ashville [...]

But I’d watch wrestling like this
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Report: Exemptions benefit athletes
An Associated Press review of admissions data submitted to the NCAA by most of the 120 schools in college football’s top tier shows that athletes enjoy strikingly better odds of having admission requirements bent on their behalf.
Wow. Really?

House panel passes college football playoff bill
Good god, we still don’t have a budget, and congress is futzing around with this? The budget is your JOB. Continuing resolutions SUCK for the people who have to live under them. It impedes work.
“We can walk across the street and chew gum at the same [...]

The Onion: Eagles Settle For Field Goal After 260-Yard Drive
“It’s disappointing not to score a touchdown when you keep a drive alive for more than three and a half quarters,” said quarterback Donovan McNabb, who completed 32 of his 66 passes, converted 26 first downs, and was carted off the field for X-rays twice [...]

Report: Yankees Trademarked ‘Yankees Suck’ Chant In 1996
U.S. Patent and Trademark Office records show that every time an individual chants, shouts, or writes the words “Yankees suck,” the New York Yankees organization earns at least $2.15, an amount that escalates depending on repetition, volume, and whether the phrase was used during a national broadcast”>U.S. Patent [...]

Penalty! Unnecessary Blandness! Redesigning the Worst NFL Helmet Graphics
The author redesigns the helmets of the Redskins, Buccaneers and Patriots.

Missed Kicks Make Brain See Smaller Goal Post
The researchers used a small, adjustable replica of a goal post to test players’ perception before and after attempting 10 kicks. While standing in front of the real-life goal, participants were asked to adjust the width and height of the model to scale.
The players’ pre-performance estimations didn’t correlate [...]