The Long History of the Air Bud Logic

January 8, 2024 12:38 PM

Need to put something on at work today to keep your mind alive? Do ya like sports? If you don't like sports, do you at least like crazy stories? Crazy stories about people finding the dumbest and/or wildest exploits in rules, such that rules have to be rewritten in their wake? Well, this past year, the gang at Secret Base compiled three volumes of "The Weirdest Rules in Sports and the Absurd Stories Behind Them." [2, 3]
posted by Navelgazer (10 comments total)

The wildest thing out of this, to me (except for all the stories about former NHL coach Roger Nielson that they give us in, I believe, the first installment) is that the same NBA referee, Richie Powers, figures in two completely different stories. The first of which is the 1976 NBA Finals Game 5 between the Celtics and the Suns, and the second (where they don't name him in this video) is being the ref who dropped 3rd Technicals all over the place in a game between the Nets and the Sixers, leading to the end of the game being replayed months later, and Eric Money thus being the only player to score for both teams in the "same" game.
posted by Navelgazer at 12:45 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

leading to the end of the game being replayed months later, and Eric Money thus being the only player to score for both teams in the "same" game.

Oh my God, I cannot imagine the pure, unadulterated chaos this fact must cause when people try to digitize the stats from old basketball games. Like, this whole fact probably belongs three threads down in the 'False things programmers believe about...' thread.
posted by jacquilynne at 12:55 PM on January 8 [13 favorites]

Does this include the UCI rule on sock height? Or the new one about not turning the brake/shifter levers in?
posted by computech_apolloniajames at 12:56 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

computech-apolloniajames: I think the only Cycling story they tell is about Philip Hindes crashing on purpose at the 2012 London Olympics in order to get a better start.
posted by Navelgazer at 1:01 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

My favorite unintended rule logic is Barbados 4-2 Grenada:

Barbados then deliberately scored an own goal, tying the game at 2–2, to force extra-time so that they could take advantage of the golden goal rule to achieve their needed two-goal margin.[1] This resulted in an unusual situation: for the last three minutes of the match, Grenada tried to score in both goals. Either outcome (3–2 on points, or 2–3 via goal difference) would have advanced them to the finals, while Barbados had to defend both goals.

(Maybe it’s mentioned but I don’t have time to watch all three videos)
posted by autopilot at 2:06 PM on January 8 [9 favorites]

I also liked that, since I came across this series after shotgunning a whole lot of old Jon Bois stuff from the blue, I had recently rewatched Randall Cunningham Seizes the Means of Production, which means that the unbridled assholery of Tex Schramm was still squarely in my mind when I learned about him forcing through a rule in protest against a kicker succeeding while not having toes on his kicking foot.

Though it also means that I just feel fortunate that Schramm didn't try to force all of the Cowboys' kickers to maim themselves in order to compete with Tom Dempsey.
posted by Navelgazer at 2:16 PM on January 8

(Maybe it’s mentioned but I don’t have time to watch all three videos)

Oh it's in there!
posted by Navelgazer at 2:17 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

I was a longtime PGA Tour watcher before they decided to sell the tour to Saudi Arabia and as soon as they said Craig Stadler I thought “building a stance”. Despite their bafflement at this outcome, this story is widely regarded as a tough beat but as completely ineluctable under the rules of golf as the fate of the stowaway in “The Cold Equations”.

The other story often told in this context (maybe they get to it in videos 2-3) is Roberto De Vicenzo tying for the lead in the 1968 Masters, signing an incorrect scorecard kept by the other player in his pairing (as is standard practice) and being stuck with the one shot higher score, missing out on a playoff.

Cheating is deeply stigmatized in golf because it would often be very easy to do, because It’s mostly not played under the eyes of a referee.
posted by Horace Rumpole at 4:20 PM on January 8 [1 favorite]

From this weekend: Godwin Igwebuike makes impact on Steelers via savvy ‘heads-up’ play on a kickoff

Kickoffs that go out of bounds, by rule, are illegal and afford the receiving team an opportunity to elect to take the ball at the 40 yard-line. Just before the first-half two-minute warning during Saturday’s regular-season finale, Jordan Stout’s kickoff in the rain and wind landed at Steelers’ 5 yard-line and died about 5 feet from the sideline.

Rather than pick up the ball and face a likely tackle inside the 10 or 15, Igwebuike took advantage of the out-of-bounds rule and positioned himself on the white paint before touching the ball — deeming the kickoff officially out of bounds and leading to an automatic instant gain of 35 yards of field position.

“Since I started returning (kicks) a couple years ago, it’s one of the things I remember watching on film: ‘If this never happens in a game…’ ” Igwebuike said. “It’s just one of those things that you’re kind of putting in the back of your mind.

“But I don’t know, I saw (the ball) dribbling over there, and I said, ‘Is this my time? Is this the moment I have been waiting for?’

“And it just got far enough, so I said, ‘OK, here it is.’ ”

posted by tonycpsu at 5:07 PM on January 8 [6 favorites]

While it's not strictly an Air Buds Rules video, one of my favourite "deepest dive possible" from Jon Bois and the Secret Base team was their two-parter on "The Bob Emergency: a study of athletes named Bob," and the rise and fall of famous US sports people called Bob. (#1, #2). Settle in for a fascinating story.
posted by ewan at 2:44 AM on January 9 [1 favorite]