Sunday, December 29, 2013
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Sunday, December 1, 2013
Sunday, November 24, 2013
Sunday, November 17, 2013
Sunday, November 10, 2013
Sunday, November 3, 2013
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Sunday, October 27, 2013
Sunday, October 13, 2013
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
Sunday, September 15, 2013
Monday, September 9, 2013
Sunday, September 8, 2013
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Thursday, April 25, 2013
Monday, April 8, 2013
2013 National Championship
National Championship [Atlanta, GA]: #4 Michigan vs. #1 Louisville 9:20 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Saturday, April 6, 2013
March Madness Final Four Live Blog
Window #1
Final Four [Atlanta, GA]: #9 Wichita State vs. #1 Louisville 6:09 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #2
Final Four [Atlanta, GA]: #4 Syracuse vs. #4 Michigan approx. 8:49 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Sunday, March 31, 2013
March Madness Elite Eight Sunday Live Blog
Window #1
South Elite Eight [Arlington, TX]: #4 Michigan vs. #3 Florida 2:20 (CBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Window #2
Midwest Elite Eight [Indianapolis, IN]: #2 Duke vs. #1 Louisville 5:05 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Saturday, March 30, 2013
March Madness Elite Eight Saturday Live Blog
Window #1
East Elite Eight [Washington, D.C.]: #4 Syracuse vs. #3 Marquette 4:40 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Window #2
West Elite Eight [Los Angeles, CA]: #9 Wichita State vs. #2 Ohio State 7:05 (CBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Friday, March 29, 2013
March Madness Sweet Sixteen Friday Live Blog
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!
Window #1
Midwest Sweet Sixteen [Indianapolis, IN]: #12 Oregon vs. #1 Louisville 7:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Sweet Sixteen [Arlington, TX]: #4 Michigan vs. #1 Kansas 7:37 (TBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Window #2
Midwest Sweet Sixteen [Indianapolis, IN]: #3 Michigan State vs. #2 Duke approx. 9:45 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Sweet Sixteen [Arlington, TX]: #15 Florida Gulf Coast vs. #3 Florida approx. 10:07 (TBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Window #1
Midwest Sweet Sixteen [Indianapolis, IN]: #12 Oregon vs. #1 Louisville 7:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Sweet Sixteen [Arlington, TX]: #4 Michigan vs. #1 Kansas 7:37 (TBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Window #2
Midwest Sweet Sixteen [Indianapolis, IN]: #3 Michigan State vs. #2 Duke approx. 9:45 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Sweet Sixteen [Arlington, TX]: #15 Florida Gulf Coast vs. #3 Florida approx. 10:07 (TBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Thursday, March 28, 2013
March Madness Sweet Sixteen Thursday Live Blog
Window #1
East Sweet Sixteen [Washington, D.C.]: #3 Marquette vs. #2 Miami (FL) 7:15 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
West Sweet Sixteen [Los Angeles, CA]: #6 Arizona vs. #2 Ohio State 7:47 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Window #2
East Sweet Sixteen [Washington, D.C.]: #4 Syracuse vs. #1 Indiana approx. 9:45 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
West Sweet Sixteen [Los Angeles, CA]: #13 La Salle vs. #9 Wichita State approx. 10:17 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Sunday, March 24, 2013
March Madness Third Round Sunday Live Blog
Window #1
West Third Round [Dayton, OH]: #10 Iowa State vs. #2 Ohio State 12:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #2
East Third Round [Dayton, OH]: #9 Temple vs. #1 Indiana approx. 2:45 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #3
South Third Round [Kansas City, MO]: #8 North Carolina vs. #1 Kansas 5:15 (CBS - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
South Third Round [Austin, TX]: #11 Minnesota vs. #3 Florida 6:10 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
South Third Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #15 Florida Gulf Coast vs. #7 San Diego State (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Window #4
West Third Round [Kansas City, MO]: #13 La Salle vs. #12 Mississippi approx. 7:40 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
East Third Round [Austin, TX]: #7 Illinois vs. #2 Miami (FL) approx. 8:40 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Midwest Third Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #7 Creighton vs. #2 Duke approx. 9:40 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
Saturday, March 23, 2013
March Madness Third Round Saturday Live Blog
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!
Window #1
South Third Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #5 Virginia Commonwealth vs. #4 Michigan 12:15 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Window #2
Midwest Third Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #6 Memphis vs. #3 Michigan State approx. 2:45 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Window #3
Midwest Third Round [Lexington, KY]: #8 Colorado State vs. #1 Louisville 5:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
West Third Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #14 Harvard vs. #6 Arizona 6:10 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Midwest Third Round [San Jose, CA]: #12 Oregon vs. #4 Saint Louis 7:10 (TBS - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Window #4
East Third Round [Lexington, KY]: #6 Butler vs. #3 Marquette approx. 7:45 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
West Third Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #9 Wichita State vs. #1 Gonzaga approx. 8:40 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
East Third Round [San Jose, CA]: #12 California vs. #4 Syracuse approx. 9:40 (TBS - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Window #1
South Third Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #5 Virginia Commonwealth vs. #4 Michigan 12:15 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Window #2
Midwest Third Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #6 Memphis vs. #3 Michigan State approx. 2:45 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
Window #3
Midwest Third Round [Lexington, KY]: #8 Colorado State vs. #1 Louisville 5:15 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
West Third Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #14 Harvard vs. #6 Arizona 6:10 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Midwest Third Round [San Jose, CA]: #12 Oregon vs. #4 Saint Louis 7:10 (TBS - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Window #4
East Third Round [Lexington, KY]: #6 Butler vs. #3 Marquette approx. 7:45 (CBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
West Third Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #9 Wichita State vs. #1 Gonzaga approx. 8:40 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
East Third Round [San Jose, CA]: #12 California vs. #4 Syracuse approx. 9:40 (TBS - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Friday, March 22, 2013
March Madness Second Round Friday Live Blog
CLICK HERE TO GO TO LIVE BLOG!
Window #1
Midwest Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #15 Albany vs. #2 Duke 12:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #12 Mississippi vs. #5 Wisconsin 12:40 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
East Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #9 Temple vs. #8 North Carolina State 1:40 (TBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
East Second Round [Austin, TX]: #15 Pacific vs. #2 Miami (FL) 2:10 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #2
Midwest Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #10 Cincinnati vs. #7 Creighton approx. 2:45 (CBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #13 La Salle vs. #4 Kansas State approx. 3:10 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
East Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #16 James Madison vs. #1 Indiana approx. 4:10 (TBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
East Second Round [Austin, TX]: #10 Colorado vs. #7 Illinois approx. 4:40 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #3
South Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #15 Florida Gulf Coast vs. #2 Georgetown 6:50 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #15 Iona vs. #2 Ohio State 7:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #9 Villanova vs. #8 North Carolina 7:20 (TNT - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
South Second Round [Austin, TX]: #14 Northwestern State vs. #3 Florida 7:27 (TruTV - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #4
South Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #10 Oklahoma vs. #7 San Diego State approx. 9:20 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #10 Iowa State vs. #7 Notre Dame approx. 9:45 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #16 Western Kentucky vs. #1 Kansas approx. 9:50 (TNT - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
South Second Round [Austin, TX]: #11 Minnesota vs. #6 UCLA approx. 9:57 (TruTV - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #1
Midwest Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #15 Albany vs. #2 Duke 12:15 (CBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #12 Mississippi vs. #5 Wisconsin 12:40 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
East Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #9 Temple vs. #8 North Carolina State 1:40 (TBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
East Second Round [Austin, TX]: #15 Pacific vs. #2 Miami (FL) 2:10 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #2
Midwest Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #10 Cincinnati vs. #7 Creighton approx. 2:45 (CBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #13 La Salle vs. #4 Kansas State approx. 3:10 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
East Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #16 James Madison vs. #1 Indiana approx. 4:10 (TBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
East Second Round [Austin, TX]: #10 Colorado vs. #7 Illinois approx. 4:40 (TNT - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #3
South Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #15 Florida Gulf Coast vs. #2 Georgetown 6:50 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #15 Iona vs. #2 Ohio State 7:15 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #9 Villanova vs. #8 North Carolina 7:20 (TNT - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
South Second Round [Austin, TX]: #14 Northwestern State vs. #3 Florida 7:27 (TruTV - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Window #4
South Second Round [Philadelphia, PA]: #10 Oklahoma vs. #7 San Diego State approx. 9:20 (TBS - Kevin Harlan, Len Elmore, and Reggie Miller, SR: Lewis Johnson)
West Second Round [Dayton, OH]: #10 Iowa State vs. #7 Notre Dame approx. 9:45 (CBS - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
South Second Round [Kansas City, MO]: #16 Western Kentucky vs. #1 Kansas approx. 9:50 (TNT - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
South Second Round [Austin, TX]: #11 Minnesota vs. #6 UCLA approx. 9:57 (TruTV - Tim Brando and Mike Gminski, SR: Otis Livingston)
Thursday, March 21, 2013
March Madness Second Round Thursday Live Blog
Window #1
Midwest Second Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #14 Valparaiso vs. #3 Michigan Stae 12:15 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
East Second Round [Lexington, KY]: #11 Bucknell vs. #6 Butler 12:40 (TruTV - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
West Second Round [Salk Lake City, UT]: #9 Wichita State vs. #8 Pittsburgh 1:40 (TBS - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Midwest Second Round [San Jose, CA]: #13 New Mexico State vs. #4 Saint Louis 2:10 (TNT - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Window #2
Midwest Second Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #11 Saint Mary's vs. #6 Memphis approx. 2:40 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
East Second Round [Lexington, KY]: #14 Davidson vs. #3 Marquette approx. 3:10 (TruTV - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
West Second Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #16 Southern vs. #1 Gonzaga approx. 4:10 (TBS - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
Midwest Second Round [San Jose, CA]: #12 Oregon vs. #5 Oklahoma State approx. 4:40 (TNT - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Window #3
Midwest Second Round [Lexington, KY]: #16 North Carolina A&T vs. #1 Louisville 6:50 (TBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
South Second Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #13 South Dakota State vs. #4 Michigan 7:15 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
West Second Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #11 Belmont vs. #6 Arizona 7:20 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
East Second Round [San Jose, CA]: #12 California vs. #5 UNLV 7:27 (TruTV - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Window #4
Midwest Second Round [Lexington, KY]: #9 Missouri vs. #8 Colorado State approx. 9:20 (TBS - Ian Eagle and Jim Spanarkel, SR: Allie LaForce)
South Second Round [Auburn Hills, MI]: #12 Akron vs. #5 Virginia Commonwealth approx. 9:45 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery, SR: Rachel Nichols)
West Second Round [Salt Lake City, UT]: #14 Harvard vs. #3 New Mexico approx. 9:50 (TNT - Spero Dedes and Doug Gottlieb, SR: Jamie Maggio)
East Second Round [San Jose, CA]: #13 Montana vs. #4 Syracuse approx. 9:57 (TruTV - Brian Anderson and Dan Bonner, SR: Marty Snider)
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
March Madness First Round Wednesday Live Blog
Window #1
East First Round [Dayton, OH]: #16 Long-Island Brooklyn vs. #16 James Madison 6:40 (TruTV - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #2
West First Round [Dayton, OH]: #13 La Salle vs. #13 Boise State approx. 9:10 (TruTV - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
East First Round [Dayton, OH]: #16 Long-Island Brooklyn vs. #16 James Madison 6:40 (TruTV - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #2
West First Round [Dayton, OH]: #13 La Salle vs. #13 Boise State approx. 9:10 (TruTV - Jim Nantz and Clark Kellogg, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Tuesday, March 19, 2013
March Madness First Round Tuesday Live Blog
Window #1
Midwest First Round [Dayton, OH]: #16 North Carolina A&T vs. #16 Liberty 6:40 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Window #2
Midwest First Round [Dayton, OH]: #11 Saint Mary's vs. #11 Middle Tennessee State approx. 9:10 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager
Midwest First Round [Dayton, OH]: #16 North Carolina A&T vs. #16 Liberty 6:40 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager)
Window #2
Midwest First Round [Dayton, OH]: #11 Saint Mary's vs. #11 Middle Tennessee State approx. 9:10 (TruTV - Marv Albert and Steve Kerr, SR: Craig Sager
Sunday, March 17, 2013
Selection Sunday Live Blog
Window #1
Atlantic-10 Championship Game [New York City, NY]: #2 Virginia Commonwealth vs. #1 Saint Louis 1:00 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery)
SEC Championship Game [Nashville, TN]: #3 Mississippi vs. #1 Florida 1:00 (ABC - Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes, SR: Shannon Spake)
ACC Championship Game [Greensboro, NC]: #3 North Carolina vs. #1 Miami (FL) 1:00 (ESPN - Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Window #2
Big 10 Championship Game [Chicago, IL]: #4 Wisconsin vs. #2 Ohio State 3:30 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr)
Atlantic-10 Championship Game [New York City, NY]: #2 Virginia Commonwealth vs. #1 Saint Louis 1:00 (CBS - Verne Lundquist and Bill Raftery)
SEC Championship Game [Nashville, TN]: #3 Mississippi vs. #1 Florida 1:00 (ABC - Brad Nessler and Jimmy Dykes, SR: Shannon Spake)
ACC Championship Game [Greensboro, NC]: #3 North Carolina vs. #1 Miami (FL) 1:00 (ESPN - Dan Shulman and Dick Vitale, SR: Jeannine Edwards)
Window #2
Big 10 Championship Game [Chicago, IL]: #4 Wisconsin vs. #2 Ohio State 3:30 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr)
Saturday, March 16, 2013
Conference Tournament Saturday/Big East Championship Live Blog
Window #1
Atlantic-10 Semifinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Butler vs. #1 Saint Louis 1:30 (CBSSN - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Semifinals [Chicago, IL]: #4 Wisconsin vs. #1 Indiana 1:30 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #2
Atlantic-10 Semifials [New York City, NY]: #6 Massachusetts vs. #2 Virginia Commonwealth approx. 4:00 (CBSSN - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Semifinals [Chicago, IL]: #3 Michigan State vs. #2 Ohio State approx. 4:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #3
Big East Championship [New York City, NY]: #5 Syracuse vs. #2 Louisville 8:30 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Atlantic-10 Semifinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Butler vs. #1 Saint Louis 1:30 (CBSSN - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Semifinals [Chicago, IL]: #4 Wisconsin vs. #1 Indiana 1:30 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #2
Atlantic-10 Semifials [New York City, NY]: #6 Massachusetts vs. #2 Virginia Commonwealth approx. 4:00 (CBSSN - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Semifinals [Chicago, IL]: #3 Michigan State vs. #2 Ohio State approx. 4:00 (CBS - Jim Nantz, Clark Kellogg, and Steve Kerr, SR: Tracy Wolfson)
Window #3
Big East Championship [New York City, NY]: #5 Syracuse vs. #2 Louisville 8:30 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Friday, March 15, 2013
Big East Tournament Semifinals/Conference Tournament Friday Live Blog
Window #1
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #9 Charlotte vs. #1 Saint Louis 12:00 (A-10 Network - Brad Johansen and John Griffin)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #8 Illinois vs. #1 Indiana 12:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Window #2
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Butler vs. #4 La Salle approx. 2:30 (A-10 Network - Brad Johansen and John Griffin)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #5 Michigan vs. #4 Wisconsin approx. 2:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Window #3
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #10 Saint Joseph's vs. #2 Virginia Commonwealth 6:30 (A-10 Network - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #10 Nebraska vs. #2 Ohio State 6:30 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Big East Semifinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Syracuse vs. #1 Georgetown (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Window #4
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #6 Massachusetts vs. #3 Temple approx. 9:00 (A-10 Network - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #6 Iowa vs. #3 Michigan State approx. 9:00 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Big East Semifinals [New York City, NY]: #6 Notre Dame vs. #2 Louisville approx. 9:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #9 Charlotte vs. #1 Saint Louis 12:00 (A-10 Network - Brad Johansen and John Griffin)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #8 Illinois vs. #1 Indiana 12:00 (ESPN - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Window #2
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Butler vs. #4 La Salle approx. 2:30 (A-10 Network - Brad Johansen and John Griffin)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #5 Michigan vs. #4 Wisconsin approx. 2:30 (ESPN - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Window #3
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #10 Saint Joseph's vs. #2 Virginia Commonwealth 6:30 (A-10 Network - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #10 Nebraska vs. #2 Ohio State 6:30 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Big East Semifinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Syracuse vs. #1 Georgetown (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Window #4
Atlantic-10 Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #6 Massachusetts vs. #3 Temple approx. 9:00 (A-10 Network - Tom McCarthy and Steve Wolf)
Big 10 Quarterfinals [Chicago, IL]: #6 Iowa vs. #3 Michigan State approx. 9:00 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Big East Semifinals [New York City, NY]: #6 Notre Dame vs. #2 Louisville approx. 9:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Thursday, March 14, 2013
Big East Quarterfinals/Conference Tournament Thursday Live Blog
Window #1
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #9 Cincinnati vs. #1 Georgetown 12:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #9 Charlotte vs. #8 Richmond 12:00 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR: Brooke Weisbrod)
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #9 Minnesota vs. #8 Illinois 12:00 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Window #2
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Syracuse vs. #4 Pittsburgh approx. 2:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #12 Dayton vs. #5 Butler approx. 2:30 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR Brooke Weisbrod)
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #12 Penn State vs. #5 Michigan approx. 2:30 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Window #3
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #10 Nebraska vs. #7 Purdue 6:30 (ESPN2 - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #10 Saint Joseph's vs. #7 Xavier 6:30 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR: Brooke Weisbrod)
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #7 Villanova vs. #2 Louisville 7:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Window #4
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #11 Northwestern vs. #6 Iowa approx. 8:30 (ESPN2 - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #11 George Washington vs. #6 Massachusetts approx. 9:00 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR: Brooke Weisbrod)
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #6 Notre Dame vs. #3 Marquette approx. 9:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #9 Cincinnati vs. #1 Georgetown 12:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #9 Charlotte vs. #8 Richmond 12:00 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR: Brooke Weisbrod)
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #9 Minnesota vs. #8 Illinois 12:00 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Window #2
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #5 Syracuse vs. #4 Pittsburgh approx. 2:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #12 Dayton vs. #5 Butler approx. 2:30 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR Brooke Weisbrod)
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #12 Penn State vs. #5 Michigan approx. 2:30 (BTN - Gus Johnson and Shon Morris, SR: Stephanie White)
Window #3
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #10 Nebraska vs. #7 Purdue 6:30 (ESPN2 - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #10 Saint Joseph's vs. #7 Xavier 6:30 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR: Brooke Weisbrod)
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #7 Villanova vs. #2 Louisville 7:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Window #4
Big 10 First Round [Chicago, IL]: #11 Northwestern vs. #6 Iowa approx. 8:30 (ESPN2 - Mike Tirico and Dan Dakich, SR: Samantha Ponder)
Atlantic-10 First Round [New York City, NY]: #11 George Washington vs. #6 Massachusetts approx. 9:00 (NBCSN - Mike Corey and Dave Kaplan, SR: Brooke Weisbrod)
Big East Quarterfinals [New York City, NY]: #6 Notre Dame vs. #3 Marquette approx. 9:00 (ESPN - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Wednesday, March 13, 2013
Big East Second Round/Conference Tournament Wednesday Live Blog
Window #1
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #9 Cincinnati vs. #8 Providence 12:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Window #2
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #12 Seton Hall vs. #5 Syracuse approx. 2:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Window #3
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #10 Saint John's vs. #7 Villanova 7:00 (ESPN2 - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Window #4
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #11 Rutgers vs. #6 Notre Dame approx. 9:00 (ESPN2 - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #9 Cincinnati vs. #8 Providence 12:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Window #2
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #12 Seton Hall vs. #5 Syracuse approx. 2:00 (ESPN - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Window #3
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #10 Saint John's vs. #7 Villanova 7:00 (ESPN2 - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Window #4
Big East Second Round [New York City, NY]: #11 Rutgers vs. #6 Notre Dame approx. 9:00 (ESPN2 - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Tuesday, March 12, 2013
Big East First Round/College Basketball Tuesday Live Blog
Window #1
Big East First Round [New York City, NY]: #13 South Florida vs. #12 Seton Hall 7:00 (ESPNU - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Window #2
Big East First Round [New York City, NY]: #14 DePaul vs. #11 Rutgers approx. 9:00 (ESPNU - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Big East First Round [New York City, NY]: #13 South Florida vs. #12 Seton Hall 7:00 (ESPNU - Mike Patrick and Len Elmore)
Window #2
Big East First Round [New York City, NY]: #14 DePaul vs. #11 Rutgers approx. 9:00 (ESPNU - Sean McDonough, Jay Bilas, and Bill Raftery, SR: Andy Katz)
Friday, February 8, 2013
Sam Donnellon Is Not A Fan Of Using Stats In Sports
There are some things in life that never change. One of these things is the old, white newspaper columnist taking joy in his own ignorance proudly writing a column so full of misinformation and mischaracterizations that the fact it got published in the Philadelphia Daily News and not some random former WIP Caller's new Blogspot is in itself mind-blowing.
ONCE, WHEN the Internet was not as friendly and we sought to observe athletic greatness rather than quantify it, sports was a simpler world. You watched under well-lit skies and inside of electrified arenas and amid pivotal moments and you did not need to look anything up afterward to understand what you saw.
A long, long time ago, people watched sporting games and no one bothered to research what they saw. Bill James did not start in 1977, and the internet is the first time anyone ever sought to research deeper sporting events. We hold these facts to be self-evident in the eyes of Sam Donnellon. Never mind that in the days before Bill James, ERA was used to as a measure to evaluate pitchers, and people would look ERA up in newspapers to help "understand what they saw." Sure it is a crude and imprecise measurement by today's standards, but when advanced stats do not exist, you do the best you can.
There were numbers guys back then of course, keeping their own stats in notebooks, reciting them at the lunch table or later, at the end of the bar. They were interesting and, as long as they didn't go on too long or get too wrapped up in minutia, welcome too.
"As long as they didn't......get too wrapped up in minutia." What. The. Fuck. So stats in notebook were welcome, but the second they sought to dive deeper and provide further analysis, that's a big no no? Then what the fuck is the point of stats? If you hate stats, go out and say "I hate stats!" That's bad, but saying you did not mind stats as long as they did not get too deep into it is worse. If you don't want further analysis, then what is the point of even wanting to listen to stats in the first place?
And someone tell Sam Donnellon that these people he cites would not recite them at the lunch table or the end of the bar, but rather in their mother's fallout shelter.
Those guys are our high priests now, no doubt about it. Whether they are exuberantly noting a baseball player's WAR or WHIP, a hockey guy's plus-minus, a quarterback's "rating," they seek to quantify exactly what you saw.
What. What? WHAT?!?! Okay, let's take this one at a time.
Donnellon seems to indicate that the people of the old days who would watch stats like W-L record and ERA are also the same people who have moved onto advanced stats. No, Sam, that's not true, those are the same people who have moved onto sexually molesting children. Bill James did not start out his career praising the virtues of pitcher W-L record and ERA. And old newspaper columnists and writers who started out championing ERA have remained champions of ERA.
But worse yet, take a look at the stats Donnellon cites.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR): Okay. WAR is a stat worth knowing and taking a look at, but with all stats, it needs context. There are some valid criticisms of WAR, and some not-so-valid criticisms of WAR that normally go along the lines of "war whats it good for nothing lol follow me on the twitter dot com".
Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched (WHIP): Does anyone look at WHIP? Anyone? Anyone? Advanced stats people? Old fogey old stats people? Proudly ignorant young old stats people? The "use your eyes crowd?" The next person I find that will religiously take peaks at WHIP will be the first.
Hockey plus-minus: Show me a savvy statistical person who uses +/-, and I will show you a statistical person who is not very savvy. +/- is awful and tells you nothing. In short, it rewards everyone the scoring team equally and punishes everyone on the conceding team equally, even though blame usually is not that proportionate in reality. To better understand why plus-minus is useless, check out this post from The Shutdown Line for a breakdown of the overall uselessness of +/- and this post from Broad Street Hockey which does a video review of one game when Eric Gustafsson was a +6.
QB rating: There may be some people that swear by QB rating, I honestly stay away from it just because I have no idea what it is telling me. Instead, I look for data that goes through play-by-play analysis like that from Football Outsiders. They have their own innovative stats that paints a much clearer picture of what is happening than QB rating ever will.
And if it's not exactly what you saw?
They tell you that you are mistaken.
They turn a blind eye to your naked one.
Let's just assume that we are talking about practical stats here like OBP, wOBA, and xFIP in baseball, Fenwick and Corsi and zone entries in hockey, and DVOA and DYAR in football, and useless stats like WHIP, +/-, and QB rating. On one hand, you have a set of objective data that has no preconceived notions or biases to it. Stats are stats. Stats represent what happened exactly as it happened. On the other hand, the human brain can play tricks on you and you may be fooled by your memory. If you believe Matt Carle sucks, then you are going to see things that Matt Carle sucks (turnovers leading to goals) and ignore everything good he does (playing good D against great players) while conveniently ignoring context (great d men will have a high number of turnovers because they handle the puck more and they handle the puck more because they are great at defense; in other words turnovers will correlate more with number of times handling the puck than it will Corsi or other metrics of skill).
What I am getting at here is on memory, the naked eye is not reliable and should not be the sole judge of what happened in a sporting event.
Thing is, we believe them now when they recreate reality. The Internet has allowed them to multiply unchecked, like Canada Geese. The door into mainstream has been kicked open for every cellar dweller with a laptop.
Thanks to the internet, people, myself included, have been able to expand their horizons and knowledge of sports through reading online publications not available at a newstore. It's either that, or THE ZOMBIE APPOCALYPSE IS NIGH!
You know these guys. They get all frothy-mouthed each time a new acronym is invented to try and quantify value, yet show little or no reaction when a difficult doubleplay is executed, or a well-thrown pitch is fought off by a batter down in the count. They feed off each other, creating a culture more hell-bent in arguing a debatable point than reflecting what you actually saw.
Did you know writing this has given me a boner? But seriously, what is wrong with an intelligent exchange of knowledge of ideas in an attempt to greater understand things? Some people may enjoy sports for imagery, but others may seek to know what is actually happening and why it happens, and it forever boggles my mind that there are close-minded simpletons like Sam Donnellon who continually reject this simply on the grounds of the fact they have no desire to understand a new concept. In spite of what people may believe, not all stats people are assholes, and there are some very well-written tutorials designed to teach stats to those that may have not heard about them but are interested in learning.
I was watching a smart debate recently on the Major League Baseball Network about the steroid era and the Hall of Fame when Al Leiter brought Jack Morris' name up. Morris, said Leiter, taught him the value of "pitching to the scoreboard" and not the stat sheet. Leiter said it was the best advice he ever got.
Maybe to win big World Series games and championships, but not necessarily the approval of the stat mavens that will rank your status all time. I brought Morris' name up in a dinnertime press room Hall of Fame discussion the other day and a numbers guy immediately reeled his lifetime ERA of 3.91 off the top of his head, spitting it out almost in disgust to discredit Morris' candidacy.
Push aside for a moment that his ERA ballooned 20 points over his last two seasons as he tried to milk one last big paycheck out of his abilities. Thing is, I saw Jack Morris pitch, and he was great. Great enough for the Hall of Fame? All I know is there are less great players in there.
Kind of ironic how Donnellon criticizes advanced stats people for getting frothy-mouthed over new stats, but he froths at the mouth here over Jack Morris and one thing Morris may have taught Al Leiter.
Now I am not going to go into great detail about Jack Morris's (bad) Hall-of-Fame case as others have done it better and more thorough than I ever could. And the concept of "pitching to the score" is bullshit. There is no evidence of it, there never has been any evidence of it, and there likely won't be any evidence of it. Remember this for later.
It's one reason I don't use my Hall of Fame ballot. Statistics, even the more contrived ones, have value. Greatness, though, is a naked-eye assessment. If they're going to argue that Morris or even Curt Schilling are less significant than guys already in there, guys like Bert Blyleven, then they ought to call the place the Baseball Bureau of Statistics. Because to the naked eye, it's absurd.
Greatness can also be evaluated through statistics and naked eye assessment. Take for example Roy Halladay in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. You were told going in he was one of baseball's best pitchers, if not the best, and your eyes were treated to two great seasons, one of which featured baseball's 20th ever perfect game and baseball's 2nd career post-season no-hitter. Most people with the naked eye were able to believe Roy Halladay was a great pitcher in those seasons. But what if they wanted to find out just how great he was? Check his Fangraphs page and Halladay's numbers in 2010 and 2011 for yourself. Boom. Greatness.
But there are times when the eye and the stats will disagree, and during those times, I will trust the objective data over my subjective memory every day of the week.
Here's another thing that bothers me: The valuation of regular-season statistics over postseason ones. Some of the game's more selfish players have recorded some gaudy regular-season statistics. Others have built their impressive résumé playing for poor teams in pressureless environments. Statistics built in the AL Central over the last two decades are not equal to statistics built in the AL East.
The problem with valuing regular season stats and postseason stats equally is the unfair nature of the comparison. Especially in baseball, there are significantly more regular season games than postseason games, and the sample size for postseason games is a small one that does not tell you enough information. There is too much room for variance in the small-sample size postseason to make accurate judgments about a player's ability. It's why "clutch" arguments are nonsensical bullshit. Delmon Young is a shitty baseball player. Delmon Young was named 2012 ALCS MVP. Does that mean everything we know about Delmon Young is wrong because he got on a hot streak at the exact right time? Of course not. Delmon Young is a bad baseball player who is unlikely to improve.
Over the course of a career, quality of competition a player faces will generally normalize and is not a big deal as Donnellon is making it out to be.
That's a naked-eye assessment. I'd probably put Morris into the Hall too, probably for the same reason stat mavens would throw him out. He won more games than anyone in the 1980s, but many, including our own David Murphy, have compellingly argued that a pitcher's won-lost record is among baseball's greatest irrelevancies.
Murphy has mentioned Cliff Lee's 2012 season as recent evidence of this. There is no doubt that Lee deserved better. But the naked eye, the one that watched the season in its entirety, recalls at least a handful of times when he received substantial leads and could not hold them. Morris would say, I suppose, that in those cases, he failed to pitch to the scoreboard.
One could do the same thing with just about every pitcher in baseball. Cliff Lee only sticks out more because his W-L record was talked about significantly and he appeared to be living down to expectations (even though his Fangraphs page may suggest otherwise). He got written about, therefore, we recall more times when he gave up a lead last season, even if other Phillies pitchers had similar outings. And again, "pitching to the score" is nonsense explained in a link above.
[Edit: I just now discovered this post on Hardball Talk which talked about this part of Donnellon's column. Cliff Lee blew a lead of 3-runs or more only once during the 2012 season, and Cliff Lee left that game with the score tied. But why trust what objective stats say when Donnellon can tell you he saw with his own two naked eyes Cliff Lee blew many more substantial leads.]
Clearly, statistics are not irrelevant. But they should be used to support the naked eye, not create an alternate reality. Discussing Schilling's Hall of Fame candidacy, a stat disciple mentioned that his win total averaged out to 12 games a season.
Without knowing it, Donnellon has stumbled upon a reasonable point in his first sentence. Stats are not irrelevant, and the naked eye is not irrelevant. Context is needed when studying tape, and film breakdowns can help provide you that context. If you completely ignore context, you get posts like this. But if you use your eye to judge everything and dismiss statistical analyses, you get ignorant columns like this one from Donnellon, where he cannot even correctly identify advanced stats people use.
I'm with Murphy on this one. It might be one of the most irrelevant statistics one can offer about the former Phillies ace.
Ok then! Pitcher wins is one of the most irrelevant stats one can offer!
Schilling, by the way, was one of the first athletes I ever saw use a laptop inside of a clubhouse. He kept tabs on every umpire's strike zone, what pitches got batters out, what sequences he had used the last time he faced that night's team.
It's one of the tools that made him great. But if he ever does get a plaque in Cooperstown, I doubt it will mention that.
"Curt Schilling tracked umpire's strike zones and studied his opponents tendency and that is just one thing that made him great and Cooperstown won't mention it but hey did you know Jack Morris pitched to the score and was totally awesome for it and should be in the Hall of Fame and Cliff Lee should learn from him?"
In closing, Sam Donnellon is a complete ass who knows nothing of what he is talking about, despite his hilariously desperate attempts to convince you otherwise. And really, despite the fact that I went through this whole sad and sordid affair, Donnellon lost any credibility he might of otherwise had the second he claimed PLUS-MINUS WAS AN ADVANCED STAT IN HOCKEY! PLUS-MINUS!!!!!!!! AN ADVANCED STAT!!!!!!! THIS HAPPENED!!!!!!
Perhaps if Sam Donnellon used his naked eyes to do 5-seconds worth of research he would have learned otherwise.
Meet Sam Donnellon. He has been writing about sports since 1981. Most of the time his stuff is easy to ignore as it is normally buried in the Philadelphia Daily News and none of what he says is worth discussion. Out of sight, out of mind, and all that jazz. But occasionally, he comes up with something so ridiculous, so absurd, and so out of touch with reality that ignorance is an impossibility.
Meet Sam Donnellon's latest column, "Better to judge baseball talent with the naked eye." It's worse than it sounds. Let's not waste any more time and delve right into, FJM style. Donnellon's words are in italics.
ONCE, WHEN the Internet was not as friendly and we sought to observe athletic greatness rather than quantify it, sports was a simpler world. You watched under well-lit skies and inside of electrified arenas and amid pivotal moments and you did not need to look anything up afterward to understand what you saw.
A long, long time ago, people watched sporting games and no one bothered to research what they saw. Bill James did not start in 1977, and the internet is the first time anyone ever sought to research deeper sporting events. We hold these facts to be self-evident in the eyes of Sam Donnellon. Never mind that in the days before Bill James, ERA was used to as a measure to evaluate pitchers, and people would look ERA up in newspapers to help "understand what they saw." Sure it is a crude and imprecise measurement by today's standards, but when advanced stats do not exist, you do the best you can.
There were numbers guys back then of course, keeping their own stats in notebooks, reciting them at the lunch table or later, at the end of the bar. They were interesting and, as long as they didn't go on too long or get too wrapped up in minutia, welcome too.
"As long as they didn't......get too wrapped up in minutia." What. The. Fuck. So stats in notebook were welcome, but the second they sought to dive deeper and provide further analysis, that's a big no no? Then what the fuck is the point of stats? If you hate stats, go out and say "I hate stats!" That's bad, but saying you did not mind stats as long as they did not get too deep into it is worse. If you don't want further analysis, then what is the point of even wanting to listen to stats in the first place?
And someone tell Sam Donnellon that these people he cites would not recite them at the lunch table or the end of the bar, but rather in their mother's fallout shelter.
Those guys are our high priests now, no doubt about it. Whether they are exuberantly noting a baseball player's WAR or WHIP, a hockey guy's plus-minus, a quarterback's "rating," they seek to quantify exactly what you saw.
What. What? WHAT?!?! Okay, let's take this one at a time.
Donnellon seems to indicate that the people of the old days who would watch stats like W-L record and ERA are also the same people who have moved onto advanced stats. No, Sam, that's not true, those are the same people who have moved onto sexually molesting children. Bill James did not start out his career praising the virtues of pitcher W-L record and ERA. And old newspaper columnists and writers who started out championing ERA have remained champions of ERA.
But worse yet, take a look at the stats Donnellon cites.
Wins Above Replacement (WAR): Okay. WAR is a stat worth knowing and taking a look at, but with all stats, it needs context. There are some valid criticisms of WAR, and some not-so-valid criticisms of WAR that normally go along the lines of "war whats it good for nothing lol follow me on the twitter dot com".
Walks and Hits per Innings Pitched (WHIP): Does anyone look at WHIP? Anyone? Anyone? Advanced stats people? Old fogey old stats people? Proudly ignorant young old stats people? The "use your eyes crowd?" The next person I find that will religiously take peaks at WHIP will be the first.
Hockey plus-minus: Show me a savvy statistical person who uses +/-, and I will show you a statistical person who is not very savvy. +/- is awful and tells you nothing. In short, it rewards everyone the scoring team equally and punishes everyone on the conceding team equally, even though blame usually is not that proportionate in reality. To better understand why plus-minus is useless, check out this post from The Shutdown Line for a breakdown of the overall uselessness of +/- and this post from Broad Street Hockey which does a video review of one game when Eric Gustafsson was a +6.
QB rating: There may be some people that swear by QB rating, I honestly stay away from it just because I have no idea what it is telling me. Instead, I look for data that goes through play-by-play analysis like that from Football Outsiders. They have their own innovative stats that paints a much clearer picture of what is happening than QB rating ever will.
And if it's not exactly what you saw?
They tell you that you are mistaken.
They turn a blind eye to your naked one.
Let's just assume that we are talking about practical stats here like OBP, wOBA, and xFIP in baseball, Fenwick and Corsi and zone entries in hockey, and DVOA and DYAR in football, and useless stats like WHIP, +/-, and QB rating. On one hand, you have a set of objective data that has no preconceived notions or biases to it. Stats are stats. Stats represent what happened exactly as it happened. On the other hand, the human brain can play tricks on you and you may be fooled by your memory. If you believe Matt Carle sucks, then you are going to see things that Matt Carle sucks (turnovers leading to goals) and ignore everything good he does (playing good D against great players) while conveniently ignoring context (great d men will have a high number of turnovers because they handle the puck more and they handle the puck more because they are great at defense; in other words turnovers will correlate more with number of times handling the puck than it will Corsi or other metrics of skill).
What I am getting at here is on memory, the naked eye is not reliable and should not be the sole judge of what happened in a sporting event.
Thing is, we believe them now when they recreate reality. The Internet has allowed them to multiply unchecked, like Canada Geese. The door into mainstream has been kicked open for every cellar dweller with a laptop.
Thanks to the internet, people, myself included, have been able to expand their horizons and knowledge of sports through reading online publications not available at a newstore. It's either that, or THE ZOMBIE APPOCALYPSE IS NIGH!
You know these guys. They get all frothy-mouthed each time a new acronym is invented to try and quantify value, yet show little or no reaction when a difficult doubleplay is executed, or a well-thrown pitch is fought off by a batter down in the count. They feed off each other, creating a culture more hell-bent in arguing a debatable point than reflecting what you actually saw.
Did you know writing this has given me a boner? But seriously, what is wrong with an intelligent exchange of knowledge of ideas in an attempt to greater understand things? Some people may enjoy sports for imagery, but others may seek to know what is actually happening and why it happens, and it forever boggles my mind that there are close-minded simpletons like Sam Donnellon who continually reject this simply on the grounds of the fact they have no desire to understand a new concept. In spite of what people may believe, not all stats people are assholes, and there are some very well-written tutorials designed to teach stats to those that may have not heard about them but are interested in learning.
I was watching a smart debate recently on the Major League Baseball Network about the steroid era and the Hall of Fame when Al Leiter brought Jack Morris' name up. Morris, said Leiter, taught him the value of "pitching to the scoreboard" and not the stat sheet. Leiter said it was the best advice he ever got.
Maybe to win big World Series games and championships, but not necessarily the approval of the stat mavens that will rank your status all time. I brought Morris' name up in a dinnertime press room Hall of Fame discussion the other day and a numbers guy immediately reeled his lifetime ERA of 3.91 off the top of his head, spitting it out almost in disgust to discredit Morris' candidacy.
Push aside for a moment that his ERA ballooned 20 points over his last two seasons as he tried to milk one last big paycheck out of his abilities. Thing is, I saw Jack Morris pitch, and he was great. Great enough for the Hall of Fame? All I know is there are less great players in there.
Kind of ironic how Donnellon criticizes advanced stats people for getting frothy-mouthed over new stats, but he froths at the mouth here over Jack Morris and one thing Morris may have taught Al Leiter.
Now I am not going to go into great detail about Jack Morris's (bad) Hall-of-Fame case as others have done it better and more thorough than I ever could. And the concept of "pitching to the score" is bullshit. There is no evidence of it, there never has been any evidence of it, and there likely won't be any evidence of it. Remember this for later.
It's one reason I don't use my Hall of Fame ballot. Statistics, even the more contrived ones, have value. Greatness, though, is a naked-eye assessment. If they're going to argue that Morris or even Curt Schilling are less significant than guys already in there, guys like Bert Blyleven, then they ought to call the place the Baseball Bureau of Statistics. Because to the naked eye, it's absurd.
Greatness can also be evaluated through statistics and naked eye assessment. Take for example Roy Halladay in the 2010 and 2011 seasons. You were told going in he was one of baseball's best pitchers, if not the best, and your eyes were treated to two great seasons, one of which featured baseball's 20th ever perfect game and baseball's 2nd career post-season no-hitter. Most people with the naked eye were able to believe Roy Halladay was a great pitcher in those seasons. But what if they wanted to find out just how great he was? Check his Fangraphs page and Halladay's numbers in 2010 and 2011 for yourself. Boom. Greatness.
But there are times when the eye and the stats will disagree, and during those times, I will trust the objective data over my subjective memory every day of the week.
Here's another thing that bothers me: The valuation of regular-season statistics over postseason ones. Some of the game's more selfish players have recorded some gaudy regular-season statistics. Others have built their impressive résumé playing for poor teams in pressureless environments. Statistics built in the AL Central over the last two decades are not equal to statistics built in the AL East.
The problem with valuing regular season stats and postseason stats equally is the unfair nature of the comparison. Especially in baseball, there are significantly more regular season games than postseason games, and the sample size for postseason games is a small one that does not tell you enough information. There is too much room for variance in the small-sample size postseason to make accurate judgments about a player's ability. It's why "clutch" arguments are nonsensical bullshit. Delmon Young is a shitty baseball player. Delmon Young was named 2012 ALCS MVP. Does that mean everything we know about Delmon Young is wrong because he got on a hot streak at the exact right time? Of course not. Delmon Young is a bad baseball player who is unlikely to improve.
Over the course of a career, quality of competition a player faces will generally normalize and is not a big deal as Donnellon is making it out to be.
That's a naked-eye assessment. I'd probably put Morris into the Hall too, probably for the same reason stat mavens would throw him out. He won more games than anyone in the 1980s, but many, including our own David Murphy, have compellingly argued that a pitcher's won-lost record is among baseball's greatest irrelevancies.
Murphy has mentioned Cliff Lee's 2012 season as recent evidence of this. There is no doubt that Lee deserved better. But the naked eye, the one that watched the season in its entirety, recalls at least a handful of times when he received substantial leads and could not hold them. Morris would say, I suppose, that in those cases, he failed to pitch to the scoreboard.
One could do the same thing with just about every pitcher in baseball. Cliff Lee only sticks out more because his W-L record was talked about significantly and he appeared to be living down to expectations (even though his Fangraphs page may suggest otherwise). He got written about, therefore, we recall more times when he gave up a lead last season, even if other Phillies pitchers had similar outings. And again, "pitching to the score" is nonsense explained in a link above.
[Edit: I just now discovered this post on Hardball Talk which talked about this part of Donnellon's column. Cliff Lee blew a lead of 3-runs or more only once during the 2012 season, and Cliff Lee left that game with the score tied. But why trust what objective stats say when Donnellon can tell you he saw with his own two naked eyes Cliff Lee blew many more substantial leads.]
Clearly, statistics are not irrelevant. But they should be used to support the naked eye, not create an alternate reality. Discussing Schilling's Hall of Fame candidacy, a stat disciple mentioned that his win total averaged out to 12 games a season.
Without knowing it, Donnellon has stumbled upon a reasonable point in his first sentence. Stats are not irrelevant, and the naked eye is not irrelevant. Context is needed when studying tape, and film breakdowns can help provide you that context. If you completely ignore context, you get posts like this. But if you use your eye to judge everything and dismiss statistical analyses, you get ignorant columns like this one from Donnellon, where he cannot even correctly identify advanced stats people use.
I'm with Murphy on this one. It might be one of the most irrelevant statistics one can offer about the former Phillies ace.
Ok then! Pitcher wins is one of the most irrelevant stats one can offer!
Schilling, by the way, was one of the first athletes I ever saw use a laptop inside of a clubhouse. He kept tabs on every umpire's strike zone, what pitches got batters out, what sequences he had used the last time he faced that night's team.
It's one of the tools that made him great. But if he ever does get a plaque in Cooperstown, I doubt it will mention that.
"Curt Schilling tracked umpire's strike zones and studied his opponents tendency and that is just one thing that made him great and Cooperstown won't mention it but hey did you know Jack Morris pitched to the score and was totally awesome for it and should be in the Hall of Fame and Cliff Lee should learn from him?"
In closing, Sam Donnellon is a complete ass who knows nothing of what he is talking about, despite his hilariously desperate attempts to convince you otherwise. And really, despite the fact that I went through this whole sad and sordid affair, Donnellon lost any credibility he might of otherwise had the second he claimed PLUS-MINUS WAS AN ADVANCED STAT IN HOCKEY! PLUS-MINUS!!!!!!!! AN ADVANCED STAT!!!!!!! THIS HAPPENED!!!!!!
Perhaps if Sam Donnellon used his naked eyes to do 5-seconds worth of research he would have learned otherwise.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Sunday, January 27, 2013
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Monday, January 7, 2013
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Saturday, January 5, 2013
NFL Wild Card Saturday Live Blog
Also possibly on tap today, Chip Kelly's Decision and the resolution of the NHL Lockout.
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