You may have heard that Shohei Ohtani had a completely ridiculous game recently.

[Kblaze8855]

To put it into perspective….

Only one player before him through the course of an entire career had individual games with 6/6 hits, 3 homers, 2 steals, and 10 RBI. Only one person has done all those things in individual games….over the course of their lives.

He did all of them in one game.

I don’t give a shit about baseball, but I can acknowledge how ridiculous that is. But aside from his own talent what really made it possible? He came up to bat in the middle of it, and the opposing coach was seen to say to an assistant “ I have too much respect for this guy to walk him right here”.

and he admitted it in the press conference. His thought was when something legendary is happening you don’t take it away just because you can. You go out there and play the game normally and try to get him out. They ended up losing like 3 to 20 or something so the game was already over. and he played so normally he ended up actually putting like some back up second baseman in to finish the game pitching. And for the record it isn’t the only time they have done that. Game is over they just have to throw it across the plate three or four times and hope for an out so everyone can get out of there and they don’t waste a real pitchers arm.

And Othani hit one of his homers off the second baseman.

just some random nun picture basically playing catch and dude knock it out of the park.

cheap way to get the stat? Perhaps. Whatever everybody was playing normally. He does love that situation. If some guy is gonna throw some bullshit up there, you want your stats. Try to knock the **** out of it. Sometimes it works and sometimes you’re out on like a flyball or something. But everybody tries to hit it. So he played as you would expect. The opposing manager played how you would expect at least once you accept baseball considers it normal to throw some random guy out there to get the game over with.

so the manager both played what he would consider the right way by not walking him and did his normal thing of just bullshitting to get the game over with. He made no special concessions Either way. He didn’t intentionally walk somebody when the game was already basically decided. But he also didn’t leave a real picture in there so the stats would seem more valid to critics.

Just let the game play out.

My basketball question is this….


You’re the coach of a team getting slaughtered by some superstar who just scored his 88th point. They are up by 36 points, but he is still pouring it on and the crowd is Trying to hype him up so he can get 100. Let’s say this is a bad throw shooter. Somebody like Shaq or Giannis or whoever who you could potentially slow down by sending him to the line.

He is getting ice seed every time and attacking and killing you. You have already pulled your starters. Do you start fouling him to prevent 100? Or do you do what’s best for the history of the game and play normally?

When faced with this question, the Knicks in 1962 were fouling wilt on purpose, but he was uncharacteristically making his free throws. You could say they were being bitches but his team was fouling them on purpose as well to get the ball back to throw it in into him so he could shoot again. Didnt wanna let them burn the clock.

so you’re the coach. Bad free-throw shooter is stat padding trying to get to 100. The game is already decided. Do you do anything unusual? Or do you just let the game play out and see what he can do?

Do you order the code red and have somebody take him out and keep putting him on the line and probably become the most hated man in sports?

To put it simply do you defend against the history making moment by doing anything you wouldn’t normally do?

[Kblaze8855]

https://youtu.be/G1HC2ALCA6k?si=Xvca_nWclJMYzbHs


his explanation. He actually mentions the baseball gods and karma.

[SouBeachTalents]

Personally, I would always play it out normally, doing shit like the Knicks were doing against Wilt is bitchmade. If the guy makes history against me, I just tip my cap.

Different sport, but the most unforgivable one to me was the Colts in '09 having a 14-0 record and a second half lead, then benching all their starters less than 6 quarters away from a perfect season.

[ILLsmak]

I love Japanese people.

-Smak

[Full Court]

You play to win. Period. You never give someone easy points just for the sake of them "making history." If they're going to make history, let them do it without intentional help from the opposing team.

[Kblaze8855]

Is it if you’re doing exactly what you would be doing in any other game and not even acknowledging the player is doing anything exceptional? You’re in a blowout game and doing what you would normally do in a blowout game.

Is the default behavior trying to prevent the accumulation of stats against you even when the game is unwinnable?

[Wardell Curry]

The most amazing part of this guy is the fact that normally he's a pitcher. What the **** since when does a pitcher do that shit?

[Full Court]

Is it if you’re doing exactly what you would be doing in any other game and not even acknowledging the player is doing anything exceptional? You’re in a blowout game and doing what you would normally do in a blowout game.

Is the default behavior trying to prevent the accumulation of stats against you even when the game is unwinnable?

If you're changing the game solely to prevent someone from doing something exceptional....that's a dick move.

If I were the coach, I would still expect my players to play vigorous defense though - just as in any other game.

[Kblaze8855]

I might just tell him they’re in the middle of the only game of their lives where the whole sports World is going to see every basket they give up and if he gets 100 whoever he scores it on gonna have that be what they’re known for for the rest of their lives. They will never stop seeing the final shot over them. Just leave it at that.

If they wanna go foul him before he can raise up that’s on them. They’re getting booed if they do but I wouldn’t do any more than that.

Be lame to see somebody get 100 points at the free-throw line.

[Real Cavs Fan]

So a positional player was throwing during his last HR? All things considered I don’t really think that’s enough to detract from the performance.


Throw that last home run out

2 HR, 5 hits, 2 steals, 9 RBI (or however many were on base for the last dinger)

Still truth stranger than fiction moment. If you wrote a story about a guy getting this stat line it would seem absurd and way far fetched.

I disagree with the trying to spite someone out of the record. Going out of your way to spite someone’s record is the same as allowing someone to get the record on purpose. You are artificially changing the game due to the record in play. It goes back to the notion that all experiments are compromised at some level, the act of observing changes the outcome.

As for the pride thing you don’t want to be remembered as the dude who got all time styled on? Way overblown. How many times even in our social media age have we heard of Kobe’s and Wilt’s opponents being shit on for their special games? If even the most hard core of fans can recite to me the starting 5’s on either of those teams I would be very impressed.

[Full Court]

So a positional player was throwing during his last HR? All things considered I don’t really think that’s enough to detract from the performance.


Throw that last home run out

2 HR, 5 hits, 2 steals, 9 RBI (or however many were on base for the last dinger)

Still truth stranger than fiction moment. If you wrote a story about a guy getting this stat line it would seem absurd and way far fetched.

I disagree with the trying to spite someone out of the record. Going out of your way to spite someone’s record is the same as allowing someone to get the record on purpose. You are artificially changing the game due to the record in play. It goes back to the notion that all experiments are compromised at some level, the act of observing changes the outcome.

As for the pride thing you don’t want to be remembered as the dude who got all time styled on? Way overblown. How many times even in our social media age have we heard of Kobe’s and Wilt’s opponents being shit on for their special games? If even the most hard core of fans can recite to me the starting 5’s on either of those teams I would be very impressed.

Yeah, this is true. Does anyone remember who Lebron scored his 40,000th point over? Does anyone care?

[Kblaze8855]

https://youtu.be/gTBs1rqLtSk?si=r6UdHyPa9AxSUbEc

Jalen does in fact hear about it all the time. I’ve heard him talk about it.

but the clip of somebody getting the bucket for 100 dropped on them? It would definitely be the most well-known moment of your career. And I don’t mean everyone would necessarily be clowning you. But it would be what youre remembered for. When your grandkids google your name the hundred point game is coming up. It’s going to be written into the story of your career. If you want to superstar, it would probably make up 99% of the times you would ever be on TV from that moment on wouldn’t it? Even if people don’t know who the guy being scored on is it would be an incredibly famous highlight.

not enough to duck defending him or anything but if you’re some random player? That’s going to be what people on the street recognize you from.

[Real Cavs Fan]

https://youtu.be/gTBs1rqLtSk?si=r6UdHyPa9AxSUbEc

Jalen does in fact hear about it all the time. I’ve heard him talk about it.

but the clip of somebody getting the bucket for 100 dropped on them? It would definitely be the most well-known moment of your career. And I don’t mean everyone would necessarily be clowning you. But it would be what youre remembered for. When your grandkids google your name the hundred point game is coming up. It’s going to be written into the story of your career. If you want to superstar, it would probably make up 99% of the times you would ever be on TV from that moment on wouldn’t it? Even if people don’t know who the guy being scored on is it would be an incredibly famous highlight.

not enough to duck defending him or anything but if you’re some random player? That’s going to be what people on the street recognize you from.

Jalen plays it up because it’s a boost to his legacy if anything, it makes him relevant. You think if Jalen really had them type of feels he would so gladly talk about it all the time? Jalen is now forever linked to an absolute legend. How much would we talk about Jalen Rose’s NBA career if it wasn’t for Kobe? With Jalen you either hear fab 5 talk or some NBA anecdote that involves Kobe. When is the last time you heard Jalen Rose’s name on here without Kobe being in the same sentence?

Do you remember the dude who Kobe got the final bucket on? Wilt? I’m guessing you don’t. No one does. It would be more wack for a rando to go all out bruce bowen in a blow out game just to spite a record rather than play like you normally do.

[iamgine]

My basketball question is this….


You’re the coach of a team getting slaughtered by some superstar who just scored his 88th point. They are up by 36 points, but he is still pouring it on and the crowd is Trying to hype him up so he can get 100. Let’s say this is a bad throw shooter. Somebody like Shaq or Giannis or whoever who you could potentially slow down by sending him to the line.

He is getting ice seed every time and attacking and killing you. You have already pulled your starters. Do you start fouling him to prevent 100? Or do you do what’s best for the history of the game and play normally?

When faced with this question, the Knicks in 1962 were fouling wilt on purpose, but he was uncharacteristically making his free throws. You could say they were being bitches but his team was fouling them on purpose as well to get the ball back to throw it in into him so he could shoot again. Didnt wanna let them burn the clock.

so you’re the coach. Bad free-throw shooter is stat padding trying to get to 100. The game is already decided. Do you do anything unusual? Or do you just let the game play out and see what he can do?

Do you order the code red and have somebody take him out and keep putting him on the line and probably become the most hated man in sports?

To put it simply do you defend against the history making moment by doing anything you wouldn’t normally do?

I'd tell my players to hard foul him, double team or take the ball out of his hand. If someone is that hot then you try to make someone else beat you. Or go to his weakness, in this case FT shooting. Because to me that's what's normal. But I wouldn't do things to prevent the 100 like wasting time on our possessions.

[Kblaze8855]

Jalen plays it up because it’s a boost to his legacy if anything, it makes him relevant. You think if Jalen really had them type of feels he would so gladly talk about it all the time? Jalen is now forever linked to an absolute legend. How much would we talk about Jalen Rose’s NBA career if it wasn’t for Kobe? With Jalen you either hear fab 5 talk or some NBA anecdote that involves Kobe. When is the last time you heard Jalen Rose’s name on here without Kobe being in the same sentence?

Do you remember the dude who Kobe got the final bucket on? Wilt? I’m guessing you don’t. No one does. It would be more wack for a rando to go all out bruce bowen in a blow out game just to spite a record rather than play like you normally do.

The entire point is that this would not be those situations. And for the record I do know how Wilts 100th point was scored, but I’m a weirdo like that. He missed a couple shots and the teammate got it back and he scored 100 on a lob that he finished over a couple guys. The details of who was standing where on defense are a bit lost to history because of the unique situation. But we are talking about the media age. We’re talking about a superstar scoring 100 in the era of social media. it would immediately be the most viewed clip in the history of basketball on every social media site and yes, people would know who it was scored. That doesn’t mean they would know and clown the person unreasonably. But unless you’re also a superstar it would definitely be the most known moment of your career. What could some average player hope to do that would ever put him in a more prominent spot than guarding some superstar on an iso and getting scored on for 100?

It would definitely be the first thing that comes up video wise when his kids later Google him.

It would be motivational. The Knicks were desperately trying to stop Wilt getting to 100. They were burning clock so much Wilts team had to put in backups because they were fouling out the starters having to fould the Knicks to get the ball back.

And that was back when nobody would see most games and that was played in an alternate arena they all knew that nobody would see footage from. They were embarrassed just to have the information out there. And they played in relative obscurity.

Players do have some pride. Nobody wants to be lit up for 106. It would go on your Wikipedia.

Doesnt mean they would take him out. But they would definitely be remembered.

[tpols]

I love Japanese people.

-Smak

In terms of human evolution Japanese people are probably the GOAT. And it's crazy hard to get in there and become a citizen. They don't accept diversity for good reason. :lol We would **** it all up for them.

[tpols]

Jalen plays it up because it’s a boost to his legacy if anything, it makes him relevant. You think if Jalen really had them type of feels he would so gladly talk about it all the time? Jalen is now forever linked to an absolute legend. How much would we talk about Jalen Rose’s NBA career if it wasn’t for Kobe? With Jalen you either hear fab 5 talk or some NBA anecdote that involves Kobe. When is the last time you heard Jalen Rose’s name on here without Kobe being in the same sentence?

Do you remember the dude who Kobe got the final bucket on? Wilt? I’m guessing you don’t. No one does. It would be more wack for a rando to go all out bruce bowen in a blow out game just to spite a record rather than play like you normally do.


Jalen purposely injured Kobe in the 2000 NBA Finals and admits it. 81 was the payback for it.

Kobes parents also named him after something Japanese so he is relevant to this thread.