Most of us fall into the trap of having unhelpful standards. Whenever we try to prove something, we end up doing the opposite. Once we know something important is at stake, the cognitive load can be overbearing and we crumble under the weight of those standards. According to Jake Breeden in a recent Authors@Google talk, [...]
On March 1 the Columbus Blue Jackets were languishing in last place in the Western Conference with 13 points from 20 games. From that date through April 16, the Blue Jackets have earned the most points in the Western Conference, climbing from the cellar into ninth place to be even on points with the Detroit [...]
It seems like just yesterday sports resisted every attempt to introduce technology into their games. Traditionalists decry the removal of the human element. Modernists present technology as a matter of fairness – in that we could finally correct unjust wrong calls. A couple of decades into this “technological revolution”, its hard to say our games [...]
I’m pleased the Browns failed in Arizona. Not in a I hope Jimmy Haslam and Joe Banner fail in their efforts to steer the Browns onto a winning path, but in a “there is more than one way to skin a cat” and the NFL’s latest feline fancy Chip Kelly seems more interested in flying [...]
Cleveland’s front office talks quite a bit about contention. Ask most Indians fans what contention means to them and they’ll likely talk about playing baseball into October. Ask the Indians front office and you’ll likely get a discussion of the economic realities in baseball, competing for a division title, and some abstract commitment about prudently [...]
To borrow a phrase from the club, Aston Villa stand ready to embark on a vibrant new era and Paul Lambert is the right man for the job. For some, Lambert may feel like second or third choice. After a very public flirtation with former Manchester United forward and current Molde FK coach Ole Gunnar [...]
The numbers paint a pretty dismal picture: 38 points from 38 games – lowest point total in 42 years One point worse than the total accumulated by relegated Birmingham City last season Four wins in 18 home games – worst home record in history of the club Two wins in final 18 games of the [...]
Spent some thinking about the Indians chances this season and decided to put together a data visualization to try and explain how the AL Central might finish this year. The viz uses data from Fangraphs – primarily the 2011 WAR (Wins Above Replacement), 2012 Projected WAR, and games played data to determine factors influencing the [...]
Just a few weeks ago I wrote about how Cleveland Browns head coach Eric Mangini was taking the Browns on a road to nowhere. I laid out arguments about he was an arrogant jerk despite his lack of success in New York, how his teams play boring football, and lamented the general absence of progress [...]
If you’re not a fan of Eric Mangini, get in line. Get in line behind the Browns fans, the Browns players, the local media, the national media, and likely, the Browns front office. This certainly can’t be what Randy Lerner had in mind when went against popular sentiment and made Mangini the fourth head coach [...]