Jack Taylor

[bluenose]

Happening all over the place.



--Look at the roster sizes and specialization in the NFL now. Every team has a bunch of guys who only play third/fourth down--or never play them. Games have been shortened.



--NHL used to dress 15-17 guys for a game. Now it's 22. [Very Old school: guess how many players were on the roster of the Ottawa Silver Seven?]



--The world's top soccer players used to play two games a week each, sometimes more. Now, in season, it's usually one game a week. With eleven on the field at once, Celtic won the European Cup in the mid-60s playing a total of twelve guys in the whhole competition.



--Boxers and horses used to perform more often. I can't prove it, but there seem to be more boxing and racing injuries now that there was when we were kids...injuries in training.

[DOUGHBOYS]

For an athlete...The more fit you are, the greater risk of injury.

Backwards thinking, I know. I don't care though, I've seen it at every level.

I'm also a believer that the overtraining of today's athletes is what has made the dl and injured reserve list so full as compared to yesteryear.

[bjoak]

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

For an athlete...The more fit you are, the greater risk of injury.

Backwards thinking, I know. I don't care though, I've seen it at every level.

I'm also a believer that the overtraining of today's athletes is what has made the dl and injured reserve list so full as compared to yesteryear. I can totally believe McGwire's knees gave out cuz he had to carry his neck around all the time. No, but seriously, there was always a debate about whether Harden's over-conditioning led to injuries. Seems plausible. At any rate, *this* is an area in need of research.

[sportsbettingman]

Originally posted by Vander:

My experience (not just my playing, but watching others I played with) says otherwise. OK small sampling. Not scientific and yes I do know several with torn rotator cuffs that never pitched at all. It happens. Mine is only partially torn and I continued to play with it for years even if most of it was on the old softball circuit. Had to give up playing 3b at about 35 cause I couldn't make the throw anymore. Played several more years @ 2b. BTW my left shoulder ain't too good either and I'm right handed. Many days it's worse. And as for studies, let's see if you had the same experience as we did. When we were young we played everyday. we had to wait for the older kids to get off the blacktop field so we could play. Sometimes triple headers. My dad would have to come get me to come home and eat. One of my friends (who also plays in the main event) still lives across the street from the same field. It's abandon. Nobody ever plays there anymore and it's often used as a parking lot (not it's intended purpose). If it's not little league kids don't play anymore. They don't just go and have a pickup game like we did all year long whether it was baseball, football, hockey, whatever. They're not building up at a young age as we did. So yes I wouldn't be surprised if thry do break down more often. Or god forbid they break that golden rule by pitching 30 or more innings more than they did last year. Not a hard thing to do when you don't pitch much at any level. Even kid baseball. The best part of my childhood was going out everyday and playing till it was too dark to see. Something that just sin't done anymore. I have little kids still myself depite my advanced age. Unfortunatly they are not as interested in sports as I was. Neither they nor their freinds go out and play any sport (though I have seen 1 or 2 soccer games spring up) There's no field for them to use and I don't believe they'd use one if they had it. We live too far from school to use that field (they're still young), but anytime I've been there they're empty anyway. Even the kids that live closer don't use them. If you don't buy this non scientific argument, I guess we'll just have to agree to disagree. Too many video games and other distractions. We didn't have cable or cartoons anytime you want. We went out and made our own fun. Which for us was usually sports. Just doesn't happen today. Anybody see kids anywhere just go out and start a game of whatever anymore? Sad, but so true.



I though it was just where I lived. You'd think smack dab in the center of a megalopolis with tens of thousands of kids, you'd see pick-up games at most parks...but sadly no. What's even more sad is I think it's part of a master plan to divide and conquer communities through fear.



I just turned 40, and my youth was just like you said...from bicycle riding and tag at the park, pick up baseball basketball and football daily...all the way into high school after school. When the first kids got a car...he hauled the group to the better ball fields or the better pick-up games.



There is still one family that let's their kids be kids...even at a very young age they are allowed to run free to the park down the street un-attended by adult supervision...a clan of brothers right outta huck finn. Everyone thinks that the parents are lazy and stupid and that they are "like savages"...but that's exactly how things were when my block was young...lots of kids the same age from the same area. It was awesome. It would be nice the get modern parents fear of the boogeyman out of their overprotective heads.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Another sad part is that there are more boogeymans.

Although there were pedophiles back then they seem to terrorize their own families. Now, they're priests and boy scout leaders....joking and at the same time, sadly I am not.

Back in the day, we did'nt have electronics to keep us amused as well. These electronics can be good or bad for kids, depending on what he/she are doing with them, but, nonetheless, they give mom and dad a comfortable feeling that their kids are safe in their room.

Technology changes society.

[sportsbettingman]

Originally posted by DOUGHBOYS:

Another sad part is that there are more boogeymans.

Although there were pedophiles back then they seem to terrorize their own families. Now, they're priests and boy scout leaders....joking and at the same time, sadly I am not.

Back in the day, we did'nt have electronics to keep us amused as well. These electronics can be good or bad for kids, depending on what he/she are doing with them, but, nonetheless, they give mom and dad a comfortable feeling that their kids are safe in their room.

Technology changes society. Not to get too far off topic, but I'm of the opinion that many non-classic sexual attractions are most likely more born with than learned, and thus would not increase at any higher rate than they've been at throughout history...just more of them due to more people in general living in tighter areas.

[DOUGHBOYS]

Urban sprawl...



I'm gonna go watch 'Deliverance'!