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- 12/22/24
| Name: | Taylor |
|---|---|
| Location: | Philly |
| Gender: | Manee-manee-man (Orgasmo, anyone?) |
| Member since: | July 16, 2003 |
| Last visit: | November 14, 2012 |
WeedyMcSmokey has posted 26 links and 5,106 comments to SportsFilter and 1 link and 519 comments to the Locker Room and 2 columns.
Hockey! Hockey! Hockey!: Why aren't we talking about this? No pool this year, but let's chat. Hopes, dreams, ludicrous predictions - let's have 'em.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey to navel gazing at 09:18 PM on October 07, 2010 - 14 comments
Doctober: With his second no-hitter of the season, the good Doctor joins Don Larsen as the only men in the history of baseball to throw no-hitters in the post-season.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey to baseball at 07:50 PM on October 06, 2010 - 23 comments
I really should workout more: Slow-mo captures of WTA pros hitting different shots. Soundtrack by Philip Glass' disappointing nephew.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey to tennis at 08:06 PM on August 25, 2010 - 18 comments
"I call him 'The Silent Scumbag.' … He's got a silent sickness to him. … Those quiet guys are the ones you have to watch out for." : Hee hee! I had post this because of the quote. David Wells is on the case and the Killing Machine may be getting a little too cozy. Sure, now he's just urinating on rookies, but when night falls....
posted by WeedyMcSmokey to baseball at 08:21 AM on March 02, 2007 - 31 comments
YES! It happened!: Like we all knew it would. The most predictable occurence in sports history. Larry Brown out - Isiah in. After all, it only makes sense that a team of five guards should be coached by one. Gentlemen, start your sarcasm.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey to basketball at 09:32 AM on June 22, 2006 - 46 comments
I think Harden as a top ten player is pretty crazy talk.
Lebron, Dwight, Chris Paul, Durant, Wade, maybe Kevin Love or Rose. Already we're arguing on who gets in. Tyson Chandler? Joakim Noah? Bynum? Griffin? Iguodala? Even Kobe gets a question mark. Carmelo is not in this conversation.
Good list, but I'd add Rondo, Westbrook, Gasol, yes Ginobli and Parker belong, and Carmelo is most certainly in that conversation and Kobe does not get a question mark - not yet. He may not be the most "teamy"of guys, but his scoring prowess is undeniable. Bynum and Griffin are in there because it's easier to replace scoring than rebounding We haven't even mentioned the old guard of still great players like Nash, Duncan (who was really good last year - look at those numbers), Pierce, Garnett and Nowitzki.
The advanced stats also have Ryan Anderson as a beast along with Al Jefferson, Lamarcus Aldridge and Greg Monroe - and they're all good, but they're not great.
Harden had a great regular season, no doubt, but let him do it more than once before we start crowning him as literally one of the best in the game. And he went missing in the playoffs at crucial times (though I think that's largely growing pains).
All in, I think Presti did pretty well here. Martin plus two first rounders (and I think Houston is more than a potential lottery team) is a good haul. Better than what Orlando got for Dwight.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:14 PM on October 28, 2012
A-Rod isn't the only hole in that lineup right now. What's Cano done? Swisher? Granderson? Why were you counting on the 37-year old guy on the downside of his career? I'd look more to the guys in their prime who have yet to show up. I don't think A-Rod should be batting fifth, but I don't think he's the reason the Yankees haven't won. The other three guys hit a combined 100 homers this year. They've sucked as bad. Cano hits third or fourth for god's sake.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:01 AM on October 12, 2012
I'm a Yankee hater, but that was damn impressive. I've not seen such things before. What a moment for Ibanez.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:26 PM on October 10, 2012
I think largely that national media will continue to do what they've always done. It's more difficult to change these larger institutions than smaller ones. The larger ones will change when they're forced to - usually they're the last to acknowledge a change in the winds.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 05:23 PM on October 08, 2012
Nailed it.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:24 AM on October 08, 2012
I sort of think Keri put it best when he wrote that Cabrera is the league's best hitter, but Trout is clearly the best player, and by most advanced metrics, worth more to a team than Cabrera is. I really can't see too much complaining if Cabrera wins, I could see a lot of complaining if Trout wins, but both are defensible choices. I while ago, I thought that I would pick Cabrera, but I was undervaluing Trout's defense and speed - not to mention that in the better relative metrics (OBP, SLG, RC, WAR, OPS+, etc.) Trout is either close to, or ahead of, Cabrera - so even as a hitter, he isn't so far behind Cabrera that you really have to focus on his defense to suggest he's a better player - he's close as a hitter and miles ahead as a defender and base-runner.
I think Jonah Keri stated in an article at Grantland the other day that Cabrera's season this year is arguably his worst offensively in the past 3 years, when looking at his AVG, OBP, SLG, and certain other stats in combination. Just so happens that the rest of the AL is down, and Cabrera put up leading numbers in certain highly-visible categories.
That's true - it's not his best season, but an MVP award is measured against the performance of a season, within that season. I don't see what's accurate about accounting for the relative weakness of the AL this year. He can only be measured against his peers in the season that happens.
Oh and lastly, batting average is still the dumbest statistic. RBI isn't too far behind, but we really have to stop putting value in batting average.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 04:11 PM on October 06, 2012
It doesn't. If it did, an infielder could simply step outside the scope of the infield, then let the ball drop at his feet and throw out the lead runner (or whichever runner he felt it was more advantageous to remove). The umpire has to have the discretion to call it when he feels the infielder is going to make the catch.
I get where you're going with this, but by that logic, doesn't it mean that if a team positioned an infielder in the medium outfield, any medium depth fly ball could be considered an "infield" fly? Shouldn't it have SOMETHING to do with where the ball is hit, rather than where the position player ends up? A really fast infielder who can backpeddle can thereby make a ton of flyouts, or potential flyouts, into automatic outs? And then what do you have? Dogs and cats, living together, MASS HYSTERIA.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 03:50 PM on October 06, 2012
I always thought the infield fly rule, when used correctly, applied largely to, you know, like, the infield.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:36 AM on October 06, 2012
Sure was exciting. So much had to go right for Europe, while so much had to go wrong for the US. I don't think it was a case of just simple choking by virtually every US player. The fates conspired it would seem.
Not exactly epic golf, but an incredible narrative.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 09:29 PM on October 01, 2012
Well, they're already a good team, I mean, what with the chance to win the World Series and all.
However, too often no hitters are an indication of nothing.
I do agree that Homer Bailey is a classic baseball name, hell, classic name period. Couldn't you see Homer Bailey being the main character in a Frank Capra movie? A plucky salesman who gives away his big sale to his buddy down on his luck? How 'bout Homer Bailey the bomber pilot in a John Wayne WWII movie? HOW CAN YOU ROOT AGAINST HOMER BAILEY. He saved our ass over Iwo Jima.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 01:32 PM on September 29, 2012
Is Mike Trout's WAR higher simply because most center fielder's suck in this current era? I agree with Hal with respect to his position to the extent that it seems to inflate his stats when compared to other historic seasons. I'm a big fan of OPS as an indicator of offensive strength, and Trout's isn't that impressive (relatively speaking).
However, the kid plays an amazing center field and I don't mean to diminish it. He is a world class outfielder - and that should matter. As should his stolen bases and, perhaps largely under-appreciated, his runs (kid leads the league in runs, despite not playing the first month). But, he has fallen off a bit in the last month or so, whereas Cabrera has flourished. If the vote were at the end of August, I don't think you could vote against Trout - as of today, I have Cabrera with a slight, but certainly definite, advantage.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 02:01 AM on September 23, 2012
It's unfortunate, but with 40-man rosters, I don't see how it can be done in a fashion that doesn't subject another player to an equally unfair situation.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 10:18 PM on September 06, 2012
I bet it was death threats - from his own family (obligatory "they take football serious in Texas yadda shmadda").
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 01:32 PM on September 03, 2012
I don't know and neither does this article suggest. In my experience, it's best not to base the entirety of a viewpoint to a single source, especially if it's a Daily Mail article.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 11:29 PM on August 25, 2012
Lakers Fire Mike Brown
Seems a bit drastic. The Heat took about 20 games before they started to play well together and went to the finals thereafter, so some patience would seem to be an appropriate response to a slow start, but Brown's calling card is defense and the Lakers are terrible defensively, both this year and last. Their offense wasn't nearly as problematic.
That and they think they can get Phil back, which they would likely know about before this firing and would put all but a few coaches on the firing block, regardless of record.
I don't get the mix there. Kobe, who needs the ball 70 percent of the possessions. Nash, who is only effective if he has the ball leading a running team, and won't have the ball because Kobe needs it. Howard and Gasol, who don't run well. Gasol, a good inside option who doesn't get the ball inside, and will see less of it now because Howard and his ego needs to be fed, even though he's nowhere near the offensive presence that Gasol is.
I get the mix, I think the problem is they're so top heavy, if one of the big four goes down for any long period of time, they don't really have any plug-ins that work - especially in the back court. Blake is terrible, and I can't even remember who would back up Kobe without looking it up. They can probably absorb Gasol or Howard going down better than Nash or Kobe. The goal this season should be to get time together as a unit and make sure everyone is good to go heading into the playoffs. I can't imagine them not making the playoffs, but I would be surprised if they had a better regular season record then the Spurs or Thunder, or even (gasp) the Clippers. How about an all LA first or second round?