Ask Grandstander

[Zen653]

On this year's revamped Boston Celtics, there's a good chance that no one will average 20 points per game. If that happens, it would be the first time in awhile that All-Stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Ray Allen failed to reach that milestone. When each of these players were the only All-Stars on their respective former teams (all of which were non-competitive), they sported gaudier individual numbers. Is it more impressive to rack up great individual statistics on a bad team, or to be an important part of a championship-caliber team? How can one objectively determine whether a player with lesser stats is actually doing more to help his team than the guy who fills up the box score? How do sharing, deferring and complementariness contribute to the analysis of a team player? Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by bedir than average

I forget the answer to this question, but I know I've asked it in the past, but which single empire do you think was the most significant in world history?

Examples may be the Mongols, the Romans, the British, the Spannish, the Abbassid, the Ottoman, etc...

Western culture dominates the world. The Greco/Roman and the British empires are the two leading spreaders of western culture, with an assist from the Spanish empire in Central and South America.

Though other empires may have been regional giants, none have had the global impact of the ones referenced above.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by Zen653

Is it more impressive to rack up great individual statistics on a bad team, or to be an important part of a championship-caliber team? How can one objectively determine whether a player with lesser stats is actually doing more to help his team than the guy who fills up the box score? How do sharing, deferring and complementariness contribute to the analysis of a team player? Bill Russell or Wilt Chamberlain?

Impressive to whom? Seems to me your question is a matter of individual preference. Are you watching sports because you want to see your team win or are you watching sports because you wants to see the stars perform at spectacular levels?

[noetsi]

This is one thing that always fasinated me. The NFL has effectivly guaranteed teams the same amount of revenue regardless of behavior and put mandatory limits on how much money they can spend on their operations. And it has obviously signficantly limited the rights of players to negoiate their own salaries with the franchises. That is almost a classical anti-market, socialist approach.

Yet sports fans, in a county where socialism is an obscenity, seem to strongly support this over the more pro-market policies of baseball (which sets far fewer limits on private decisions and reward good business behavior with greater rewards).

Does that make any sense? What I find so striking is that people who would have fits with such interferance with free markets in any other realm but sports, throw out clearly socialistic arguments - such as not penalizing small market teams for the greater revenue potential of larger markets, or why bad business decisions by owners should not be penalized or why its wrong for players to earn market rates freely negoiated.

Ain't that capitalism?

[vtred]

GS...How has Christianity destroyed the NFL?

[noetsi]

lol

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by noetsi

Ain't that capitalism?

You know, Noetsi, for the past six years I've been seeing your posts on economic matters and quite some time ago I arrived at a conclusion. You may grasp a number of the specifics, but for some inexplicable reason, you have never been able to get your mind to embrace the primary understanding.
Four Things:

1) Socialist systems operate on the basis of an assumption that people are basically good and will cooperate for societal reasons.

2) Capitalist systems are based on the idea that people are basically motivated by self interest and that society as a whole will be wealthier as long as you don't trip up the hustlers.


3) Only one of these two systems seems to work.

4) You can't give away wealth until someone creates it, the most charitable socieites will always be the ones who have the $ to be charitable.


Should the time arrive that it appears that you have finally caught on to this, then perhaps I'd be interested in discussing economic matters with you. You are never going to amount to anything as an economist until you figure out that someone has to make a buck. You hate everyone who does.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by vtred

GS...How has Christianity destroyed the NFL?

The three teams which I follow are the Dolphins, the Raiders and the 49ers. They are presently a combined 6-30 on the season.

Clearly the old style punitive Yahweh has made a comeback and I am being held accountable for my irreverence on these boards.

[noetsi]

I have fully caught onto your view on economics. Its widely shared in the US, I simply don't agree with that perspective. Actually if you listen to strong supporters of market systems they are highly positive about human nature.

Regardless my question was not if socialism or capitalism was a good idea, its why an openly socialistic system like the NFL is popular in a country that generally rejects such restraints on the right to chose.

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by noetsi

Regardless my question was not if socialism or capitalism was a good idea, its why an openly socialistic system like the NFL is popular in a country that generally rejects such restraints on the right to chose.

Regardless, my answer was that I do not wish to discuss economics with you.

And this isn't a discussion thread anyway. It's ask, get your answer and live with it.

[noetsi]

Works for me. Was the answer to my question that you don't answer my questions as they regard econmics?

Who do you think was the most truly evil pirate of all times? The most influential?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by noetsi

Who do you think was the most truly evil pirate of all times? The most influential?

The most influential was Long John Silver because despite his fictional status, he provided the image which has shaped the common understanding of what a pirate was.


Barry Bonds was the most evil Pirate.

[skrable]

is it true that mel brooks is now going to turn silent movie into a broadway musical?

[Grandstander]

Originally Posted by skrable

is it true that mel brooks is now going to turn silent movie into a broadway musical?

Those plans had to be scrapped when Marcel Marceau died earlier this year.

[skrable]

Which is more likely: the Patriots being 13-1 or the Dolphins being 1-13 when they meet in two weeks?