(Fan Blog 2 of 6 - idea courtesy of Chris Williams)
Judge: The case of Rick Reilly v Adult Jersey Wearers of America is now in session.
We've already heard the prosecution's case against the Jersey Wearers from Mr. Reilly, which he wrote in late 2010 and recited to the court, as seen here: Reilly. Several witnesses called up by the prosecution have stated their case that adults should not wear jerseys to preserve societal order at sporting events and to create a more family-friendly environment.
Would the defendant please take the stand to be examined?
Defendant Lawyer (DL): When you read this article by the head of the prosecution, how did you feel after reading it?
Man in Scalabrine Jersey (MSJ): To be quite honest, I was caught off guard by this blanket judgement of jersey wearers. Mr. Reilly has never seen me at sporting events and bars enjoying a drink or eight, with people coming up to me and bowing to me for wearing this jersey every time I go out. It's mainly douchebags who come up to me, but they come up to me and praise me for wearing it nonetheless. Hell, I've worn the jersey more than the man has himself.
DL: So what you are telling the court is that your encounters as an adult jersey wearer have been nothing but positive?
MSJ: Well, it did set me back $75 - and the site even gave me a chance to get out of buying the jersey by requiring me to customize the jersey. Sad thing was, I wasn't even drunk when buying it.
DL: I think you're misunderstanding me. What I meant was: when going out to the bars and games, you've enjoyed nothing but praise from douchebags....I mean drunken Bulls fans, correct?
MSJ: That is correct.
DL: So if Rick Reilly were to be watching this, what would you have to say to him about grown men who wear jerseys?
MSJ: Very simple, my man. It's not the jersey that makes an idiot. The person who starts fights at games was born an idiot. A jersey just gives the general public an easier way to identify them. Like, 'Hey, look at that guy in the Urlacher jersey calling the Packers fan a Fudge Packer, ain't that funny?' No, it's not, dude. Lay off Grandma's cough syrup and move to Moscow. Hopefully you'll freeze to death, and heaven help us if you already produced offspring. D-bags don't fall far from the tea bag.
Not sure what that meant, but anyways. It's my right as a non-asshole American to wear a jersey and root on my team, no matter what bar or sporting venue I may be at. I will not be afraid of these idiots who aim to ruin my good time.
DL: I rest my case your honor.
Judge: Do you wish to cross-examine the Jersey Wearer of the man who logged 88 minutes of court time in the regular season?
Prosecuting Lawyer (PL): With pleasure...
PL: So, Scalabrine lover, please explain to me why you bought the current jersey you are wearing.
MSJ: Well, I went out with a couple of friends to watch some basketball games. And I've always joked around about buying a Brian Scalabrine jersey, but never had the balls to do it. Then, I saw the myth himself, Scalabrine, step on the court against the Washington Wizards in the last minute of a blowout game. Chicago designed a play for him from the end line, and what do you know- he banks the shot in! Road crowd goes nuts, me and my friends go nuts. It was an awesome moment.
PL: So you're saying that a man whose total time played this year was about the length of a crappy Summer comedy release had an awesome moment at a meaningless point of the game. Why the jersey?
MSJ: Why not? I figured I'd be the only one who had it - and sure enough, I have not seen another one of his jerseys yet.
PL: I have a hunch on that one. So you say you've never experienced any distaste for your jersey?
MSJ: Well, the ladies never praise it, but most of them probably don't even know who he is. Hell, Scalabrine's mom makes him wear the jersey at Thanksgiving dinner just so she remembers his name. Mind you, she does not have Alzheimer's.
PL: But other than that, no ill will directed your way?
MSJ: None.
PL: Would you say that perhaps you've never experienced any negative feedback simply because nobody even knows who this man is? You admitted yourself that his mom doesn't even know who he is.
MSJ: It's possible, but even while wearing my San Francisco 49ers' Frank Gore and Patrick Willis jerseys, I've never had anyone come up to me and want to start something.
PL: Who are the San Francisco 49ers? A Canadian Football League team?
MSJ (looking at the judge): Is this guy serious?
PL: From what I can tell, you wear obscure jerseys of teams/players that no one gives a shit about. I dare you to wear an Aaron Rodgers jersey to Soldier Field.
MSJ: Why would I do that, I....
PL (interrupting): See, your Honor. Even he knows that wearing a Packers jersey in Bear town is dangerous.
MSJ: You didn't let me finish. I was gonna say, I don't give two shits about the Packers.
PL: What are you, chicken?
MSJ (to judge again): Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this guy?
Judge: If we're going to resort to baiting of the Marty McFly sort, then I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask the prosecution to leave the stand.
PJ: I know you are, but what am I?
Judge: Zip up your pants, Pee Wee. This ain't a peep show.
Judge (cntd): Frankly, I'm appalled that I even wasted the taxpayers' money on this case, but that's the government for ya (courtroom laughs). While the prosecution made its case in presenting witnesses and victims of violence from jersey wearers, one thing remains clear. It is not in my jurisdiction to tell people what they can and cannot wear to sporting events. An idiot is going to be an idiot whether he is wearing a jersey, a business suit or a birthday suit. Likewise, people who go to games in jerseys are just as likely to be victims of violence as those who wear a plain t-shirt and jeans.
The court rules in favor of the Adult Jersey Wearers of America. Court is adjourned. Please get the hell out of my courtroom - all of you. I have a 2pm appointment with blond twin escorts and I don't intend on being a minute late.
5/14/2011
Another Heated Rivalry?
(Fan blog 3 of 6 - idea provided by Brad Zoeteman)
Pistons/Bulls: The Start of Rivalries in Chicago Basketball
Back in the late 1980s, the Detroit Pistons were the thorn in the side of the Chicago Bulls. The Bad Boys from Motown knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs 3 straight times (1988-1990). In all three of those seasons, the Pistons made it to the Finals, winning back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. It was the type of rivalry that sparked interest in Chicago basketball to a new generation of fans all across the country. It had the perfect set-up of good guys vs. the Bad Boys, and right at the dawn of the merging of Jordan and Nike. It was a fan's dream and a marketing firm's wet dream rolled into one.
As everyone knows, the Bulls took "the next step" in 1991, overcoming the Pistons in impressive fashion- a 4 game sweep en route to their first franchise championship. Many people took note of the classless way the Pistons left the court without shaking hands with the Bulls - I say it doesn't really matter much and if anything, should be expected from the Bad Boys.
bullsheat
Fast forward 20 years later. The Bulls are in their first conference finals since the Jordan era ended (1997-98). By all accounts, this season came as a surprise to Bulls nation, who were expecting an improvement with the added free agents and another offseason of improvement for Rose, but nothing like this. Vegas thought the same, pegging the Bulls over/under for wins at 47, which was eclipsed with ease.
Their conference final opponent had much different expectations entering the season. Following "El Decision", the Heat were considered co-favorites (along with the Lakers) to win the title. ESPN couldn't get enough footage of these guys, and the cockiness of the newly-formed trio of Wade, James and Bosh leaked into the community. A bar owner promised to pay $25 credit to each customer who watched the whole Heat game every time the Heat lost a game- here's the damage that their season did to him, as of March 8th: (Heat bar owner).
Miami has righted the ship and are actually 2/1 favorites against Chicago despite the Bulls owning the home court advantage. This has to do with the Bulls looking human against fairly average teams in Indiana and Atlanta as much as it does with the Heat looking like the team many expected them to be in the first two rounds. Chicago enters as the underdog despite beating the Heat all three times in the regular season (by a total of 8 points).
And I agree - the Heat should be favorites in spite of those two factors (home court and regular season success). As the playoffs have shown- save game 6 with Boozer playing for his $15M in one game, where Derrick Rose goes, so go the Bulls. If the size/length of whoever they have covering Rose (Wade, James, etc.) affects Rose, more game 6-like performances from Boozer and others are going to need to appear in order for the Bulls to even have a chance in the series. Also, if Udonis Haslem is able to shake the rust of recovering from his injury that kept him out for the whole season up until the middle of last series, the Heat will get an inside presence that will make the lane that much more difficult for Rose to drive through.
Bulls/Heat: Can it deliver like Bulls/Pistons?
Now, the point of the blog, as addressed by Brad: Will the Bulls/Heat rivalry mirror that of the Bulls/Pistons? I believe the short answer, in terms of the intensity of it and the long-term success of both teams, is NO.
I believe the Heat are in much better position to win multiple titles over the next 7-8 years compared to the Bulls. Everyone critiques the Heat for lacking a bench, but when these guys are playing 43-44 minutes in the playoffs and playing better than all of their peers, who the hell needs a bench? Sure, there may be a game where foul trouble plagues James and/or Wade and their opponents capitalize. In the long run though, I'd rather have the Heat's core of players than the Bulls, who outside of Rose don't have anyone who you can say will be a consistent All-Star player for the next 6-8 years.
That's not to say that the Bulls won't get those pieces in the future. However, if the NBA institutes a hard salary cap, these big salaries to Noah, Boozer and Rose (only the latter deserves to be paid like an all-star) will make it difficult to get the elusive second scoring option for Rose to dish it off to. You can forget about the Bulls getting Howard if that happens (even if the hard cap doesn't happen, I see Howard going to Boston or LA before he goes to Chicago).
For the Bulls/Heat to even come close to Bulls/Pistons, some of these players need to make themselves true enemies to the opposing fans (taunting, technical fouls, etc.) as opposed to offseason shenanigans (like The Decison and what followed from that) and it should be a defensive-dominated series, where points are a struggle and you can see the players' frustrations with trying to break each team's defense (two of the top defenses in the league this year). But most importantly, they need to face each other at least a handful of times in the next 2-3 years and need to have competitive series. It can't be a rivalry if one team sweeps the other year in, year out (cough, Michigan/Illinois football).
To properly judge this, we will need to see how each of the teams do in the next 3-4 years. Unfortunately for the Bulls, I see their shelf life short-lived if they can't add players better than Boozer and Noah to compliment Rose.
Pistons/Bulls: The Start of Rivalries in Chicago Basketball
Back in the late 1980s, the Detroit Pistons were the thorn in the side of the Chicago Bulls. The Bad Boys from Motown knocked the Bulls out of the playoffs 3 straight times (1988-1990). In all three of those seasons, the Pistons made it to the Finals, winning back-to-back titles in 1989 and 1990. It was the type of rivalry that sparked interest in Chicago basketball to a new generation of fans all across the country. It had the perfect set-up of good guys vs. the Bad Boys, and right at the dawn of the merging of Jordan and Nike. It was a fan's dream and a marketing firm's wet dream rolled into one.
As everyone knows, the Bulls took "the next step" in 1991, overcoming the Pistons in impressive fashion- a 4 game sweep en route to their first franchise championship. Many people took note of the classless way the Pistons left the court without shaking hands with the Bulls - I say it doesn't really matter much and if anything, should be expected from the Bad Boys.
bullsheat
Fast forward 20 years later. The Bulls are in their first conference finals since the Jordan era ended (1997-98). By all accounts, this season came as a surprise to Bulls nation, who were expecting an improvement with the added free agents and another offseason of improvement for Rose, but nothing like this. Vegas thought the same, pegging the Bulls over/under for wins at 47, which was eclipsed with ease.
Their conference final opponent had much different expectations entering the season. Following "El Decision", the Heat were considered co-favorites (along with the Lakers) to win the title. ESPN couldn't get enough footage of these guys, and the cockiness of the newly-formed trio of Wade, James and Bosh leaked into the community. A bar owner promised to pay $25 credit to each customer who watched the whole Heat game every time the Heat lost a game- here's the damage that their season did to him, as of March 8th: (Heat bar owner).
Miami has righted the ship and are actually 2/1 favorites against Chicago despite the Bulls owning the home court advantage. This has to do with the Bulls looking human against fairly average teams in Indiana and Atlanta as much as it does with the Heat looking like the team many expected them to be in the first two rounds. Chicago enters as the underdog despite beating the Heat all three times in the regular season (by a total of 8 points).
And I agree - the Heat should be favorites in spite of those two factors (home court and regular season success). As the playoffs have shown- save game 6 with Boozer playing for his $15M in one game, where Derrick Rose goes, so go the Bulls. If the size/length of whoever they have covering Rose (Wade, James, etc.) affects Rose, more game 6-like performances from Boozer and others are going to need to appear in order for the Bulls to even have a chance in the series. Also, if Udonis Haslem is able to shake the rust of recovering from his injury that kept him out for the whole season up until the middle of last series, the Heat will get an inside presence that will make the lane that much more difficult for Rose to drive through.
Bulls/Heat: Can it deliver like Bulls/Pistons?
Now, the point of the blog, as addressed by Brad: Will the Bulls/Heat rivalry mirror that of the Bulls/Pistons? I believe the short answer, in terms of the intensity of it and the long-term success of both teams, is NO.
I believe the Heat are in much better position to win multiple titles over the next 7-8 years compared to the Bulls. Everyone critiques the Heat for lacking a bench, but when these guys are playing 43-44 minutes in the playoffs and playing better than all of their peers, who the hell needs a bench? Sure, there may be a game where foul trouble plagues James and/or Wade and their opponents capitalize. In the long run though, I'd rather have the Heat's core of players than the Bulls, who outside of Rose don't have anyone who you can say will be a consistent All-Star player for the next 6-8 years.
That's not to say that the Bulls won't get those pieces in the future. However, if the NBA institutes a hard salary cap, these big salaries to Noah, Boozer and Rose (only the latter deserves to be paid like an all-star) will make it difficult to get the elusive second scoring option for Rose to dish it off to. You can forget about the Bulls getting Howard if that happens (even if the hard cap doesn't happen, I see Howard going to Boston or LA before he goes to Chicago).
For the Bulls/Heat to even come close to Bulls/Pistons, some of these players need to make themselves true enemies to the opposing fans (taunting, technical fouls, etc.) as opposed to offseason shenanigans (like The Decison and what followed from that) and it should be a defensive-dominated series, where points are a struggle and you can see the players' frustrations with trying to break each team's defense (two of the top defenses in the league this year). But most importantly, they need to face each other at least a handful of times in the next 2-3 years and need to have competitive series. It can't be a rivalry if one team sweeps the other year in, year out (cough, Michigan/Illinois football).
To properly judge this, we will need to see how each of the teams do in the next 3-4 years. Unfortunately for the Bulls, I see their shelf life short-lived if they can't add players better than Boozer and Noah to compliment Rose.
5/10/2011
Bring the D - The Bulls' Only Chance of Winning the Title (Fan Blog 1 of 6)
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| The Bulls' Best (and Only) Chance of Winning the Title: Defense |
What's wrong with our Bulls? Why are they not dominating every single game? Can they still win it all?
(1) What's wrong is the Bulls' shooting. After shooting at a 46% clip throughout the regular season, through 10 games they are around the 42%, with "MVP" Derrick Rose hovering around 40%. Their reliance on one player is another thing wrong that cannot be fixed in a playoff series, but rather an offseason. However, as my friend Tom has pointed out, with them tying so much money into Rose, Noah and Boozer and a hard-cap possibly coming into play (which is what hockey has and was a big reason in the dismantling of the Blackhawks), it may be difficult to find that fix. It's clear that Boozer is a shell of his former 20-10 self- and no, we never signed him to play defense. This may need to be a team carried by Rose for years to come.
Also, teams who are led specifically by point guards are highly unsuccessful when it comes to winning titles. If you look back at history, the last team you can look at and say they were led by a point guard and won a title was Isaiah Thomas when he led the Pistons to 2 crowns in 1988-89 and 89-90. If Rose remains the only threat, the Bulls' chances of winning titles drops significantly.
(2) They are not dominating every single game because this is the playoffs. The playoffs are a different beast, where you face/prep for the same team for up to 2 straight weeks. You learn a team's preferred plays in certain situations, strengths and weaknesses, etc., which makes the margin of error that much smaller. To expect the Bulls to just waltz into the Eastern Conference Finals would be asking a lot for a franchise that has won exactly one playoff series since the Jordan era ended before this year.
(3) Despite my prediction of the Bulls falling short in the Eastern Conference Finals to Miami, I do believe that Chicago has a chance to win not only the conference, but the title as well. The key is, and always will be, their defense. In the Bulls' 2 losses to the Hawks so far in their best of 7 series, they allowed the Hawks to shoot 51% and 49% (101.5 points allowed/game), compared to 34%, 47% and 48% (79.3 points allowed/game).
Let's not forget that the Bulls did beat the Heat in all 3 meetings this year, albeit by a combined total of 8 points. Whatever you've heard of the Heat from the media who have (like the fans) been rooting for the Heat to fail/hit rough patches, forget about it. The Heat had regular season issues with the Celtics and are on the brink of eliminating them. Chicago will have its share of matchup problems with the Heat. And all that talk about a weak bench also means nothing, since starters often play 43-44 minutes of a 48 minute game. Wade and James, when playing at their best, will beat the Bulls with Rose at his best.
If, and that's a big ass IF, the Bulls can play their tenacious D they are known for, then they have a shot of winning it all. If they have to rely on Rose as much as they have, then forget about it.
(This blog is the first in a series of 6 - I will take the suggestions of my 6 subscribers and write about a topic. This suggestion - Bulls playoffs - was a topic recommended by Kevin Kirchman. If you have any special requests and you are not a subscriber, either (a) subscribe or (b) just let me know what you want me to write about).
5/09/2011
Blind Fate
It's funny how life works out...
One minute, you're saying good-bye to a family member (rest in peace Grandma). Next minute (more specifically, a week later), you're saying hello to a new one (Hello Amber and Zipsie family!)
It's a reminder that every now and then, it's as if the Even Steven theory exists. Not to say a death is equivalent to bringing someone new into the family. Just that when something is lost, you may find a version of it somewhere else.
Or maybe it's just coincidence how the timing of the two works. It's probably just life at work. I really don't know what it is, but I do think life plays out in a tragically funny way sometimes.
For every loss that you experience in whatever sense of life (whether it be the passing of someone or just losing a job or the like), there is a potential gain right around the corner. We can't let loss blind us from this fact. I learned last year that some of the mistakes I made were meant to happen because they led me into a new life (new job, school, new friends, etc.) that I currently enjoy.
I guess saying all of this makes me sound like a fortune cookie or a motivational speaker, but screw it.
If you find yourself down - keep your head up and your eyes open. You never know what awaits next.
One minute, you're saying good-bye to a family member (rest in peace Grandma). Next minute (more specifically, a week later), you're saying hello to a new one (Hello Amber and Zipsie family!)
It's a reminder that every now and then, it's as if the Even Steven theory exists. Not to say a death is equivalent to bringing someone new into the family. Just that when something is lost, you may find a version of it somewhere else.
Or maybe it's just coincidence how the timing of the two works. It's probably just life at work. I really don't know what it is, but I do think life plays out in a tragically funny way sometimes.
For every loss that you experience in whatever sense of life (whether it be the passing of someone or just losing a job or the like), there is a potential gain right around the corner. We can't let loss blind us from this fact. I learned last year that some of the mistakes I made were meant to happen because they led me into a new life (new job, school, new friends, etc.) that I currently enjoy.
I guess saying all of this makes me sound like a fortune cookie or a motivational speaker, but screw it.
If you find yourself down - keep your head up and your eyes open. You never know what awaits next.
5/06/2011
Derb(y) Your Enthusiasm: Reflecting on a Moment with Grandma
While the memories of Grandma are still fresh in everyone's mind, one in particular sticks out.
Almost a year ago today, the running of the 2010 Kentucky Derby was hours from starting. I was heading to the gym for a workout and decided I would go to a local off-track betting to place my horse bets for the day. I threw $10 each on a couple of double digit horses (10/1 odds or worse) and then decided to throw $20 on Calvin Borel's horse- Super Saver. After I made my decision on a horse, I remembered that Grandma had no chance of going up to an OTB herself, so I gave her a call to see who she liked. Grandma liked Super Saver as well and wanted me to throw $2 on him to win. I told her not to worry about the cost of the ticket- my treat.
The bets were placed, and by race time, Super Saver was at 8/1. The race started, and the horse wasn't immediately in front - but that's how Borel prefers it. That's actually how I like my horses to be too. Being too far ahead at the start of the race usually signals a slow down at the end of the race. Give me a good closer anytime over a strong starter (at least in racing). I digress.
Super Saver rode the rail to a victory, which caused me to erupt in a euphoric cheer. But my greatest moment came from the moments after the race, when my grandma called and wanted to share her happiness over her $16 profit with the win. Her call pushed me to cash the ticket earlier than I had planned. After collecting the $180 (money put in + profits reaped from horse), I gave my dad the $18 that she was owed for her pick.
The next race, we disagreed on who we liked - my grandma stuck with Borel's horse while I went in the direction of Lookin' at Lucky. Surprisingly, my pick bested grandma's.
But the one moment last May, hearing enthusiasm in my soon-to-be-90 year old grandma's voice was a moment I'll never forget.
Bets for this year
Betting to win: Dialed In ($50 at around 3/1 odds), Archarcharch ($10 at around 10/1 odds - splitting it $5/5 with a friend, whose Dad's name is the same as the jockeys, Mucho Macho Man $10)
Betting in exacta box: Dialed In and Twice the Appeal, $5 box.
I will watch the Kentucky Derby and will remember back to a year ago - when my Grandma and I shared a moment that no one else could share.
Almost a year ago today, the running of the 2010 Kentucky Derby was hours from starting. I was heading to the gym for a workout and decided I would go to a local off-track betting to place my horse bets for the day. I threw $10 each on a couple of double digit horses (10/1 odds or worse) and then decided to throw $20 on Calvin Borel's horse- Super Saver. After I made my decision on a horse, I remembered that Grandma had no chance of going up to an OTB herself, so I gave her a call to see who she liked. Grandma liked Super Saver as well and wanted me to throw $2 on him to win. I told her not to worry about the cost of the ticket- my treat.
The bets were placed, and by race time, Super Saver was at 8/1. The race started, and the horse wasn't immediately in front - but that's how Borel prefers it. That's actually how I like my horses to be too. Being too far ahead at the start of the race usually signals a slow down at the end of the race. Give me a good closer anytime over a strong starter (at least in racing). I digress.
Super Saver rode the rail to a victory, which caused me to erupt in a euphoric cheer. But my greatest moment came from the moments after the race, when my grandma called and wanted to share her happiness over her $16 profit with the win. Her call pushed me to cash the ticket earlier than I had planned. After collecting the $180 (money put in + profits reaped from horse), I gave my dad the $18 that she was owed for her pick.
The next race, we disagreed on who we liked - my grandma stuck with Borel's horse while I went in the direction of Lookin' at Lucky. Surprisingly, my pick bested grandma's.
But the one moment last May, hearing enthusiasm in my soon-to-be-90 year old grandma's voice was a moment I'll never forget.
Bets for this year
Betting to win: Dialed In ($50 at around 3/1 odds), Archarcharch ($10 at around 10/1 odds - splitting it $5/5 with a friend, whose Dad's name is the same as the jockeys, Mucho Macho Man $10)
Betting in exacta box: Dialed In and Twice the Appeal, $5 box.
I will watch the Kentucky Derby and will remember back to a year ago - when my Grandma and I shared a moment that no one else could share.
5/04/2011
If They Don't Hit, Must You Acquit?
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| Sox and Twins binary game score looks like a computer nerd's dream, but a fantasy baseball offensive nightmare. |
"I don't want no hits, cuz a hit is a ball that ain't get glove from me".
If TLC rewrote their song "No Scrubs" for baseball purposes, we might get something like that. Speaking of no hits, the White Sox managed to get as many hits today as Dustin Diamond's webpage. Francisco Liriano threw his first career complete game, striking out a pedestrian two batters and walking six. I first paid attention to the lack of hits around the 6th inning, when 0s were lined up like Cheerio's in a bowl.
Being down 1-0 from the 4th inning on, there was never a point in the game, where we didn't have the game-tying, go-ahead, or game-winning batter in the box on offense. However, I was faced with a sports person's conundrum:
"Do I root for a no-hitter or do I root for my team to win?"
It seems like an easy question to answer. You root for your team to win, no questions asked.
An aside: keep in mind that entering the game, only 269 no-hitters (retrosheet.com) have been thrown in the 396,126 games played in baseball history (baseball-reference.com), dating back to 1876. The odds of you seeing a no-hitter at any random game in history is 0.00067% chance. And now, my brother and I have seen 2 of the 270 (almost 1% of the no-hitters thrown in) in the history of baseball.
In the early part of me noticing the no-hit bid, I was definitely on the side of wanting them to win, but a small part of me said, screw it, I wanna see a no-hitter.
After the 8th inning came and went without a hit and we were still down 1-0, I started to move into the camp of "I want to see a no hitter", with "I want the only hit to be a walk-off home run" in 2nd place.
The Twins' 9th inning went without a hitch offensively, leaving Liriano to face the 9-1-2 part of the Sox order. After a quick first out, Liriano put Pierre on base with his 6th and final walk of the game before retiring the next two guys and capping off the no-hitter. An awkward celebration of what we just saw ensued, celebrating a rare event in baseball that happened against your team. I had (and still have) no clue on how I should have acted in that scenario.
Do you root for the no-no to see history? Or do you always root for your team to ruin it, no questions asked? Or does it depend on how much your team is trailing by? I think cheering against your team in a no-hitter where you're losing 8-0 would be easier to do than in a 1-0 game.
In any regard, seeing such a rare event at a baseball game would seem to outweigh the rooting for your team to muster out a hit, unless of course you're needing that game to make the playoffs or are in the playoffs when that event is happening against you.
To leave you with random facts and awesome numbers:
The odds of hitting all 6 numbers in a 52 ball lottery is 1 in 20,358,520, or 0.0000049%.
My friend Tim has now seen a no-hitter, triple play, batter hit for cycle and 4 HRs by a player in a game.
All stats as of Tuesday
| Total games, MLB history | 396,126 | Likelihood of seeing one (%) |
| Occurrences of… | ||
| No-hitters | 269 | 0.000679077 |
| Cycles | 291 | 0.000734615 |
| Triple Plays | 684 | 0.001726723 |
| 4 HR games | 15 | 3.78667E-05 |
| *editor's note: My math was severely flawed on his odds. For a link on the breakdown of being able to see all 4 of these, here's Jason Lyen's breakdown of probability. | ||
| Likelihood of seeing all 4 | 3.26181E-14 | (or 0.00000000000326%) |
5/01/2011
QB or not QB: The Cynical Views of a 49ers Fan
Not much since the Jeff Garcia era has gone right for the San Francisco 49ers - from the numerous coaching changes to the botched QB decisions. No matter how you dice it, as a #1 pick, Alex Smith has failed to become the franchise guy that any team who drafts a QB with the top selection should expect. Yet....for some reason, the Niners/Harbaugh want to bring the model of inconsistency back into the fold for next year. I guess it makes some sense, given the lack of practice time that any new QB, including Colin Kaepernick, would have due to the lockout.
On the bright side (and the only bright side) I can find about bringing Smith back is that he finally may have a competent offensive mind to work with. Harbaugh had a big hand in developing Andrew Luck into the future 2012 #1 pick (barring injury) and also putting Stanford football on the map in a very short amount of time, capping off his last season with the Cardinal in a very impressive romping of V-Tech.
With the drafting of a new QB, you'd think I'd be happier, given the impending end of the Alex Smith era and the hope of success with the young guy. However, Kaepernick enters the NFL on similar terms as Smith did: both men played on offenses in college that make for a difficult transition into the pro game. Smith played under the tutelage of Urban Meyer while Meyer was still an up-and-coming coach for Utah. Meyer emphasized the "spread offense", which usually uses 4-5 receiver sets to space out defenders and give the offense more room to run and pass. In college systems like this, the QB used is often quick and usually has an option to run or pass. Here are Smith's statistics in his junior year, after which he declared for the NFL draft:
However, it remains to be seen whether Kaepernick will fall prey to the system QB problem that Smith had. Lining up under center is a lot different than in an option-based shotgun formation, which could never work in the NFL due to the speed of the game. I do think that both quarterbacks will benefit from having a former QB coaching them.
If neither can succeed with this guy as coach, then forget about it. Personally, the inevitable signing of Alex Smith is puzzling, but since it is inevitable, I'd like to see both the new coach and the motivation of a draft pick to light a fire under his ass to give Smith a decent chance at improvement.
Time will tell, and hopefully time will allow this to play out as scheduled. I wish whatever QB plays this year the best, and hopefully the best results in our first division championship since Mooch was coach.
On the bright side (and the only bright side) I can find about bringing Smith back is that he finally may have a competent offensive mind to work with. Harbaugh had a big hand in developing Andrew Luck into the future 2012 #1 pick (barring injury) and also putting Stanford football on the map in a very short amount of time, capping off his last season with the Cardinal in a very impressive romping of V-Tech.
With the drafting of a new QB, you'd think I'd be happier, given the impending end of the Alex Smith era and the hope of success with the young guy. However, Kaepernick enters the NFL on similar terms as Smith did: both men played on offenses in college that make for a difficult transition into the pro game. Smith played under the tutelage of Urban Meyer while Meyer was still an up-and-coming coach for Utah. Meyer emphasized the "spread offense", which usually uses 4-5 receiver sets to space out defenders and give the offense more room to run and pass. In college systems like this, the QB used is often quick and usually has an option to run or pass. Here are Smith's statistics in his junior year, after which he declared for the NFL draft:
- 32 TDs, 4 Ints in 317 attempts for 2952 yards, completing over two-thirds of his passes in the process
- 135 attempts for 631 yards (deceiving because in college, they count sacks as negative rushing yards), 10 TDs rushing
- 22 TDs, 8 picks in 359 passes for 3022 yards, completing about 65% of his passes
- 173 attempts for 1206 yards (7 yards/carry) for 20 TDs
However, it remains to be seen whether Kaepernick will fall prey to the system QB problem that Smith had. Lining up under center is a lot different than in an option-based shotgun formation, which could never work in the NFL due to the speed of the game. I do think that both quarterbacks will benefit from having a former QB coaching them.
If neither can succeed with this guy as coach, then forget about it. Personally, the inevitable signing of Alex Smith is puzzling, but since it is inevitable, I'd like to see both the new coach and the motivation of a draft pick to light a fire under his ass to give Smith a decent chance at improvement.
Time will tell, and hopefully time will allow this to play out as scheduled. I wish whatever QB plays this year the best, and hopefully the best results in our first division championship since Mooch was coach.
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