[Magdalen] Sport

[ROGER STOKES]

I think this must be the first time I have initiated a post on any sport on any list I have been a member of.  More than that, it will mention three different sports.  The first contains a partial retraction to /Jon.  Having watched a bit more baseball on ESPN this evening while dining in a local bar they conveniently marked what I believe to be the pitcher's target area - knee to waist height and over the circle between the boxes where the batter stands.  That was a technicality that had escaped me.  Judging whether or not the pitch is good or not is surely demanding on the base plate umpire.  At least in cricket the umpire who may need to make a similar decision is 22 yards away.
Secondly, golf and why on earth they decided to play the US Open at Chambers Bay.  Leaving aside the topographical layout of the course with changes in elevation, depth and placement of the bunkers and the placement of the pins I thought the hole was meant to be on a green.  They weren't. The combination of green and dead grass on the putting surface meant they would not play true as the different patches would provide different resistance to the ball as it negotiated its way towards the hole.  Golf is meant to be a game of skill and for me this year's US Open introduced a significant element of chance.
Finally, for the benefit of our Canadian listren and knowing that at least one member of this list has a link to the Swiss - congratulations to the Canadians on beating the Swiss in the Women's World Cup.  The statistics on the BBC site suggest the Swiss may have been hard done by but having half-watched the match I elieve it was a fair result.  Sorry Martin.  I should be get, or at least be able to catch up on, Norway v England and USA v Colombia tomorrow evening.
Roger