Nils (if he is still alive-- questionable at this point) and I are naturally excited for baseball season to finally start, and in that spirit I am passing along (courtesy of The Guy Who Knows Things) a link to George Will's most recent Newsweek piece that includes 50 baseball trivia questions that are actually pretty fun to skim through.
And I also share TGWKT's hope that Will, this Sunday morning on ABC, "responds to a question about the banking crisis by talking about Placido Polanco's musical sounding name."
Friday, April 3, 2009
Thursday, April 2, 2009
LeBron and Arbitrary Statistical Benchmarks
Big fan of Michael Wilbon here, but his piece on LeBron's chances at averaging a triple-double was fail-tastic.
We see all-court brilliance like this every 25 years or so, when a player is extraordinary in basketball's primary skills: scoring, rebounding and passing. Only Oscar Robertson, in 1962, has averaged double digits in those three categories over an entire season.
[OK.]
It has been such an unreachable mark, like hitting .400 for an entire season or scoring 100 points in a single game, that it's now presumed to be unthinkable that a player would average a triple-double over a full NBA season.
[Except that every other NBA columnist is writing "LeBron! Triple-Double!" articles now. Makes it seem at least kind of thinkable, right? Oh, and also, what makes an impossibility (which none of the noted achievements are, by the way) an unreachable mark versus *such* an unreachable mark? Infinity plus one!]
Robertson, who isn't one to throw a lot of phony praise at today's players, said of James: "I am definitely impressed with LeBron. . . . [He's] so gifted in his abilities. He doesn't even know, yet, all of what he can do."
[For example, last week it was reported that LeBron realized that he was fluent in Mandarin. Neat.]
There are those who think LeBron could, if he decided it was a priority.
[Great point. Accumulating as many points, rebounds and assists as possible would be a stupid top priority, especially when LeBron has that cool baby powder entrance to focus on each game. I'm sure that LeBron actively decides to limit the number of points, rebounds and assists he gets each game. It just makes sense. Think about it.]
Even if LeBron wanted to go after the season-long triple-double it might be out of his reach because what Robertson did is the pre-steroid statistical equivalent of hitting .350, with 55 home runs and 160 runs batted in.
[???? This is turning into some kind of sportswriting Madlibs. Oooh! I want to try one:
...what Robertson did is the (arbitrary sports era) pre-forward pass statistical equivalent of (your favorite number) 20 points in a single game.
Fun.]
He knows it's going to be difficult, but Robertson repeated that he believes LeBron has a chance.
[What is he supposed to say? "You know, Mike, actually..., not a huge LeBron fan here. Seems a little flash-in-the-pan-y for me. I bet he levels off big time."]
That such a discussion even exists and that one of the five best all-around players in history has an open mind about LeBron doing it is one of the best arguments for him being MVP this season....
[This statement makes the BBWAA seem like Dr. Gregory House. Let me see if I got it. One of the "best" arguments for LeBron being named the 2008-09 MVP is that *one* retired player mentioned to a reporter that LeBron has a "chance" at having an historic statistical season... at some point in the future?
Sold. Start etching that plaque now!]
We see all-court brilliance like this every 25 years or so, when a player is extraordinary in basketball's primary skills: scoring, rebounding and passing. Only Oscar Robertson, in 1962, has averaged double digits in those three categories over an entire season.
[OK.]
It has been such an unreachable mark, like hitting .400 for an entire season or scoring 100 points in a single game, that it's now presumed to be unthinkable that a player would average a triple-double over a full NBA season.
[Except that every other NBA columnist is writing "LeBron! Triple-Double!" articles now. Makes it seem at least kind of thinkable, right? Oh, and also, what makes an impossibility (which none of the noted achievements are, by the way) an unreachable mark versus *such* an unreachable mark? Infinity plus one!]
Robertson, who isn't one to throw a lot of phony praise at today's players, said of James: "I am definitely impressed with LeBron. . . . [He's] so gifted in his abilities. He doesn't even know, yet, all of what he can do."
[For example, last week it was reported that LeBron realized that he was fluent in Mandarin. Neat.]
There are those who think LeBron could, if he decided it was a priority.
[Great point. Accumulating as many points, rebounds and assists as possible would be a stupid top priority, especially when LeBron has that cool baby powder entrance to focus on each game. I'm sure that LeBron actively decides to limit the number of points, rebounds and assists he gets each game. It just makes sense. Think about it.]
Even if LeBron wanted to go after the season-long triple-double it might be out of his reach because what Robertson did is the pre-steroid statistical equivalent of hitting .350, with 55 home runs and 160 runs batted in.
[???? This is turning into some kind of sportswriting Madlibs. Oooh! I want to try one:
...what Robertson did is the (arbitrary sports era) pre-forward pass statistical equivalent of (your favorite number) 20 points in a single game.
Fun.]
He knows it's going to be difficult, but Robertson repeated that he believes LeBron has a chance.
[What is he supposed to say? "You know, Mike, actually..., not a huge LeBron fan here. Seems a little flash-in-the-pan-y for me. I bet he levels off big time."]
That such a discussion even exists and that one of the five best all-around players in history has an open mind about LeBron doing it is one of the best arguments for him being MVP this season....
[This statement makes the BBWAA seem like Dr. Gregory House. Let me see if I got it. One of the "best" arguments for LeBron being named the 2008-09 MVP is that *one* retired player mentioned to a reporter that LeBron has a "chance" at having an historic statistical season... at some point in the future?
Sold. Start etching that plaque now!]
Wednesday, April 1, 2009
"Optimism" for the Royals
Buster Olney blogs today about Mark Teahan's transition to 2B as one piece of the "widespread optimism" in Kansas City this spring.
Teahen feels the optimism that has been pervasive in the Royals' camp. He sees the improvement in Alex Gordon and in Kyle Davies. He sees the same potential in the team that rival scouts have noted. "This is the first year I'm leaving camp thinking that we should be in contention," Teahen said.
[Hmmm. Seems pretty glass-half-full, but I haven't really looked into the '09 Royals to any meaningful extent yet. So maybe the "pervasive" optimism about the '09 Royals is appropriate.]
It appears that Sidney Ponson has won a spot in the Royals' rotation....
[Nevermind!]
Teahen feels the optimism that has been pervasive in the Royals' camp. He sees the improvement in Alex Gordon and in Kyle Davies. He sees the same potential in the team that rival scouts have noted. "This is the first year I'm leaving camp thinking that we should be in contention," Teahen said.
[Hmmm. Seems pretty glass-half-full, but I haven't really looked into the '09 Royals to any meaningful extent yet. So maybe the "pervasive" optimism about the '09 Royals is appropriate.]
It appears that Sidney Ponson has won a spot in the Royals' rotation....
[Nevermind!]
Monday, March 30, 2009
Never? Did I say never??
Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer seems confused. I know I am.
"The Play" - and it will be known for a very long time as "The Play" among followers of Villanova basketball in particular and Philadelphia basketball in general - never works in practice, of course.
[Can't you just picture Ford forcing this "The Play" moniker into every conversation he has about that Villanova-Pitt game?
Co-worker/friend/relative/total stranger: Bob, tell me saw the finish to that Villanova game!
Bob Ford: You mean "The Play?"
Other Person: No, I mean when Scottie Reynolds went almost the length of the court weaving through defenders and hit that shot in the paint with practically no time left?
Bob Ford: Right! "The Play!"
Other Person: What the hell are you talking about? Did you see the game or not?
Bob Ford: Of course. It's called "The Play." Everybody's calling it "The Play."
Other Person: Nobody is calling it that. That's stupid. Whatever, Ford.]
It is one of the Wildcats' standard, end-of-game, little-time-left, 94-feet-away plays, and they practice it every day, with the blue team of starters being defended by the white team of reserves. Never works.
[I wonder why it NEVER works in practice....]
Either the inbounds pass goes to Scottie Reynolds and he can't make his way through the maze of defenders quickly enough, or the pass goes to Dante Cunningham but is knocked away. Or perhaps the blue team scores, but leaves too much time on the clock, and the white team comes right back down and wins the imaginary game.
[That would mean that the played WORKED though, right?? You know what? Forget it. Whatever, Ford.]
"The Play" - and it will be known for a very long time as "The Play" among followers of Villanova basketball in particular and Philadelphia basketball in general - never works in practice, of course.
[Can't you just picture Ford forcing this "The Play" moniker into every conversation he has about that Villanova-Pitt game?
Co-worker/friend/relative/total stranger: Bob, tell me saw the finish to that Villanova game!
Bob Ford: You mean "The Play?"
Other Person: No, I mean when Scottie Reynolds went almost the length of the court weaving through defenders and hit that shot in the paint with practically no time left?
Bob Ford: Right! "The Play!"
Other Person: What the hell are you talking about? Did you see the game or not?
Bob Ford: Of course. It's called "The Play." Everybody's calling it "The Play."
Other Person: Nobody is calling it that. That's stupid. Whatever, Ford.]
It is one of the Wildcats' standard, end-of-game, little-time-left, 94-feet-away plays, and they practice it every day, with the blue team of starters being defended by the white team of reserves. Never works.
[I wonder why it NEVER works in practice....]
Either the inbounds pass goes to Scottie Reynolds and he can't make his way through the maze of defenders quickly enough, or the pass goes to Dante Cunningham but is knocked away. Or perhaps the blue team scores, but leaves too much time on the clock, and the white team comes right back down and wins the imaginary game.
[That would mean that the played WORKED though, right?? You know what? Forget it. Whatever, Ford.]
Best Damn Benchmark Period.
Personally, I would be a little surprised if John Calipari left Memphis to take the Kentucky job. But, I could see how Memphis fans might be moderately nervous. Geoff Calkins of the Memphis Commercial Appeal, however, identifies the key pro-Memphis arguments that should help put all Tigers fans at ease.
He can’t get more famous than he is now. He can’t get richer. He can’t do better than the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. He can’t have any more appearances on “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.”
[Yup. Sorry, Kentucky. Unless you randomly hire Tom Arnold as your athletic director in the next few days, might as well start looking at other candidates.]
He can’t get more famous than he is now. He can’t get richer. He can’t do better than the No. 1 recruiting class in the country. He can’t have any more appearances on “The Best Damn Sports Show Period.”
[Yup. Sorry, Kentucky. Unless you randomly hire Tom Arnold as your athletic director in the next few days, might as well start looking at other candidates.]
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