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A Defense of Sudden Death Playoffs in Baseball
So despite my general antipathy toward America’s pastime, I’ve been looking into baseball a lot lately. I’m working on a three part series that will “take on” Pythagorean Expectation. But considering...
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Tim Tebow and the Taxonomy of Clutch
There’s nothing people love more in sports than the appearance of “clutch”ness, probably because the ability to play “up” to a situation implies a sort of super-humanity, and we love our super-heroes....
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Google Autocomplete Error in My Favor
So I was scanning for funny search terms that have led wary surfers to the blog, but stumbled into the following instead (click to enlarge): In case you’re wondering, yes, I signed out of Google and...
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Thoughts on the Packers Yardage Anomaly
In their win over Detroit on Sunday, Green Bay once again managed to emerge victorious despite giving up more yards than they gained. This is practically old hat for them, as it’s the 10th time that...
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Graph of the Day: Quarterbacks v. Coaches, Draft Edition
[Note: With the recent amazing addition to my office, I’ve considered just turning this site into a full-on baby photo-blog (much like my Twitter feed). While that would probably mean a more steady...
View ArticleSports Geek Mecca
I’m in Boston for the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. Like last year, I’ll be posting some of my thoughts, impressions, etc on Twitter (@skepticalsports). For more extensive live coverage,...
View ArticleSports Geek Mecca: Recap and Thoughts, Part 1
So, over the weekend, I attended my second MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference. My experience was much different than in 2011: Last year, I went into this thing barely knowing that other people were...
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Starting this Week: Crappier Posts! (but, you know, posts)
There’s no denying that it has been pretty slow around here this year. This is partly due to my unreliable new co-blogger: I mean, it’s practically like I have to teach him everything from scratch. On...
View ArticleStat Geek Smackdown 2012, Round 1: Odds and Ends
So in case any of you haven’t been following, the 2012 edition of the ESPN True Hoop Stat Geek Smackdown is underway. Now, obviously this competition shouldn’t be taken too seriously, as it’s roughly...
View ArticleChampionship Experience Matters! (Un-Sexy Version)
So in Monday’s post, I included my “5-by-5” method (I probably shouldn’t call it a “model”) for picking NBA champions. In case you missed it, here it is again: If there are any teams within 5 games of...
View ArticleThe Case Against the Case for Dennis Rodman: Initial Volleys
When I began writing about Dennis Rodman, I was so terrified that I would miss something and the whole argument would come crashing down that I kept pushing it further and further and further, until a...
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Sports Geek Mecca: Recap and Thoughts, Part 2
This is part 2 of my “recap” of the Sloan Sports Analytics Conference that I attended in March (part 1 is here), mostly covering Day 2 of the event, but also featuring my petty way-too-long rant about...
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The Clock: A Graph and Some Thoughts
If you’re a hardcore follower of this blog, you know that one of things I have frequently complained about is the failure of NBA play-by-play data to include the shot clock. It’s so obviously important...
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Don’t Play Baseball With Bill Belichick
[Note: I apologize for missing last Wednesday and Friday in my posting schedule. I had some important business-y things going on Wed and then went to Canada for a wedding over the weekend.] Last week I...
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Is Randy Moss the Greatest?
So apparently San Francisco backup wide receiver Randy Moss made some headlines at Super Bowl media day by expressing the opinion that he is the greatest receiver of all time. Much of the response I’ve...
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Graph of the Day: Second Look at Stan Van?
Granted, “of the Day” isn’t really accurate considering how often I post, but I found it amusing enough to share: Win % in games played by Dwight Howard. Red years were with Stan Van Gundy coaching....
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LeBron’s High-Usage Shooting Efficiency (Featuring Adrian Dantley)
As anyone (statistically-inclined or not) can tell you, LeBron James is having a pretty good year. His 26.8 points, 8 rebounds and 7.3 assists per game (through 81) makes for another entry in his...
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Graph of the Day: Big Papi on the World Series Legend Curve
Nothing fancy here folks, just a little perspective. David Ortiz had a crazy-good (Matsui-esque) World Series, taking MVP honors and his third title overall. His 1.948 OPS is 7th all-time and tops many...
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Graph of the Day: When Do Undefeated Teams Lose?
The Kansas City Chiefs beat Buffalo today to push their record to 9-0, with Alex Smith once again putting up numbers only his mother or Terry Bradshaw could love (too bad he doesn’t have Randy Moss)....
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I’m Joining FiveThirtyEight
The title pretty much says it all. In January I’ll be starting a real j-o-b as a “Senior Writer, Sports” for the new ESPN-backed FiveThirtyEight, due to launch in February. So I thought I’d better say...
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