A Republican pretending to be a conservative to try and win a primary.
Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain has undergone a transformation on significant issues since the failure of his presidential campaign, particularly since he has faced a challenge from a conservative rival in his Senate re-election campaign.
The AP lists some of McCain's flip flops as he tries to do his best Charlie Crist impersonation.
One thing for which I can thank McCain is that his presidential campaign smoked out those radio talkers who are not independently conservative but shills for the GOP. Liberals would accuse conservative talkers of being hacks for the party and in some cases they would be right. During the presidential campaign McCain would only go on radio shows that gave his campaign full-throated support. That list includes Hugh Hewitt, Bill Bennett and the biggest GOP shill/McCainkisser of them all Michael Medved. McCain may have had the courage to stand up to the North Vietnamese but lacked the guts to go on Rush Limbaugh during the presidential campaign.
For the good of the party McCain has to go. If McCain gets re-elected, it will embolden McCain acolytes like Crist, Lindsay Gramnesty, Mike Huckabee and by his own admission, Scott Brown. And if a Republican becomes president in 2012, McCain will go back to his old tricks of being the "maverick" of his party, advocating cap-and-trade, amnesty, and ripping conservatives while getting his fanny kissed by Matt Lauer on the TODAY Show.
Yes, the Sisko is angry.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Thursday, February 11, 2010
If you wanted to be scared out of your mind
A horror flick is not the answer. The real ticket to a night with the lights on and the covers high is the always-excellent Mark Steyn. Excellent - but disturbing.
(update - before I hit publish, a tour of the blogs uncovered this bit from the Corner, also by Steyn. Courtesy of the fine folks at the Swilling.)
Every time I retail the latest indignity imposed upon the “citizen” by some or other Continental apparatchik, I receive e-mails from the heartland pointing out, with much reference to the Second Amendment, that it couldn’t happen here because Americans aren’t Euro-weenies. But nor were Euro-weenies once upon a time. ...Please, read the whole thing - preferably in a warm, well-lit room, with a comforting beverage close at hand.
Two-thirds of a century on, almost every item on the list has been abandoned, from “independence and self-reliance” (40 per cent of people receive state handouts) to “a healthy suspicion of power and authority” – the reflex response now to almost any passing inconvenience is to demand the government “do something”, the cost to individual liberty be damned. American exceptionalism would have to be awfully exceptional to suffer a similar expansion of government and not witness, in enough of the populace, the same descent into dependency and fatalism. ...
What’s easier to do if you’re a democratic government that’s made promises it can’t afford? Cut back on nanny-state lollipops? Or shrug off thankless military commitments for which the electorate has minimal appetite? ... On its present course, as Dennis Prager put it, America “will be a large Sweden, and just as influential as the smaller one.”
And that’s the optimistic scenario – because the only reason Sweden can be Sweden and Germany Germany and France France is because America is America. Who will cushion America’s decline as America cushioned Europe’s? ...
Much of the timing of American decline depends on Beijing, which will make the final determination on such matters as when the dollar ceases to be the world’s reserve currency. Given that they hold at least the schedule of our fate in their hands, it would be rather reassuring if they had the capability to assume America’s role as the global order-maker. But they don’t and they never will. The most likely future is not a world under a new order but a world with no order – in which pipsqueak states go nuclear while the planet’s wealthiest nations, from New Zealand to Norway, are unable to defend their own borders and are forced to adjust to the post-American era as they can. Yet, in such a geopolitical scene, the United States will still remain the most inviting target – first, because it’s big, and secondly, because, as Britain knows, the durbar moves on but imperial resentments linger long after imperial grandeur. ...
The first victims of American retreat will be the many corners of the world that have benefitted from a unusually benign hegemon. But the consequences of retreat will come home, too. In a more dangerous world, American decline will be steeper, faster and more devastating than Britain’s – and something far closer to Rome’s.
(update - before I hit publish, a tour of the blogs uncovered this bit from the Corner, also by Steyn. Courtesy of the fine folks at the Swilling.)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
The coveted 25-54 year-old demographic...
...has insomnia.
MSNBC’s David Shuster became a fan of Fox News’ late-night comedy/news hybrid Red Eye just in time for its three-year anniversary.Incredible as it seems, more people in this demo are watching Fox Cable News at 3am than CNN in prime time. MSNBC isn't even mentioned.
And it’s coming at a time when the 3amET show is seeing big ratings in the A25-54 demographic – even topping CNN prime time last week.
Just like when we highlighted the show’s ratings in September 2009 (which the FNC advertising department enjoyed as well, taking out full-page ads in the New York Post and others), the ratings for last week show Red Eye beating CNN again. This time, the show had better ratings in the A25-54 demographic than Campbell Brown at 8pmET and Larry King at 9pmET, and tied Anderson Cooper at 10pmET (Monday-Thursday).
Tuesday, February 09, 2010
Much better now
For those who asked or just had a prayer and a good thought, thanks. I'm over the congestion. There's a little backstory, which I hinted at but didn't elaborate, until now.
As for the other doctory things:
The tech who gave the echocardiogram was a pleasant guy, born in Spain. He attached me to what seemed like forty leads and had me lay on my side in the classic first-aid recover pose. (Worst. Swimsuit photo. EVER.) Somewhere behind me, he got the terminal up and running, and then reached across with his one arm to move the sonogram wand across my torso. So, yeah, real awkward. And he kept saying stuff like, "Beautiful! Wonderful!" in his classical accent. I tried to be fierce, peeps, but it was difficult. New spot - whooosh whooosh behind me, and then "Booteefool!" followed by a click and a beep. He was either happy about the cardio or got a top score on Minesweeper, I can't tell.
Next, the stress test. Since I didn't want to fool with my BP before the visit I had been taking exactly nothing for my sinus complaints, so I wasn't feeling my best. Luckily the actual jogging wasn't so bad. Hockey pays off. They took my BP every three minutes, and the machine went up a level (really, it said so right on the screen). The hardest part was not pulling too much with my arms and just using them to steady myself. I got up to level five and still hadn't hit the target heart rate yet.
"How many levels are there?" I asked.
"As many as it takes," said the doctor.
"So, Level 6.... the machine starts throwing things at me?"
"Knives," he replied. The laughter finally got me to the target.
Why was I taking a stress-echo test? Basically, a couple of days before Christmas, I was woken by a great deal of discomfort in my chest. I also felt dizzy and had tingling in my hands, much worse on the left. Freaking out about said conditions didn't help all that much, either.
Don't ask why, because I have no good answer, but I didn't call anyone, nor tell anyone. I rode it out. That tingling certainly wasn't my brain working. I suppose I had a mental line of demarcation, where I would have just woke up the Ladybug and gone to the hospital, and my symptoms never crossed. Had they done, though, I may not have been in a place to ask for help. It was, in all respects, incredibly dumb.
A couple of weeks later, a milder form of this happened again, and then again a few days later, and again, and by the last week of January it was almost a daily occurance. Mind you, I'm still playing my weekly hockey games at this point,* and the funny thing is that my symptoms NEVER occured during or after games. I'd feel like crap driving there but be fine once I started.
* (I'm intensely stupid, he explained.)
Finally I got fed up with it and checked myself in for fun tests. They took very good care of me. Better still, my wife declined to kill me once I told her the whole story.
The upshot of it is that all my EKGs and my stress-echocardiogram were fine. Cholesterol and components were excellent. The only thing to watch, oddly, was my B-12 level, which is (marginally) low. I wonder if that's a contributing factor? Maybe the illness had something to do with it.
In any case, I'm keeping a close eye on things. It looks like you're stuck with me for a while longer.
update: beat this, techie!
As for the other doctory things:
The tech who gave the echocardiogram was a pleasant guy, born in Spain. He attached me to what seemed like forty leads and had me lay on my side in the classic first-aid recover pose. (Worst. Swimsuit photo. EVER.) Somewhere behind me, he got the terminal up and running, and then reached across with his one arm to move the sonogram wand across my torso. So, yeah, real awkward. And he kept saying stuff like, "Beautiful! Wonderful!" in his classical accent. I tried to be fierce, peeps, but it was difficult. New spot - whooosh whooosh behind me, and then "Booteefool!" followed by a click and a beep. He was either happy about the cardio or got a top score on Minesweeper, I can't tell.
Next, the stress test. Since I didn't want to fool with my BP before the visit I had been taking exactly nothing for my sinus complaints, so I wasn't feeling my best. Luckily the actual jogging wasn't so bad. Hockey pays off. They took my BP every three minutes, and the machine went up a level (really, it said so right on the screen). The hardest part was not pulling too much with my arms and just using them to steady myself. I got up to level five and still hadn't hit the target heart rate yet.
"How many levels are there?" I asked.
"As many as it takes," said the doctor.
"So, Level 6.... the machine starts throwing things at me?"
"Knives," he replied. The laughter finally got me to the target.
Why was I taking a stress-echo test? Basically, a couple of days before Christmas, I was woken by a great deal of discomfort in my chest. I also felt dizzy and had tingling in my hands, much worse on the left. Freaking out about said conditions didn't help all that much, either.
Don't ask why, because I have no good answer, but I didn't call anyone, nor tell anyone. I rode it out. That tingling certainly wasn't my brain working. I suppose I had a mental line of demarcation, where I would have just woke up the Ladybug and gone to the hospital, and my symptoms never crossed. Had they done, though, I may not have been in a place to ask for help. It was, in all respects, incredibly dumb.
A couple of weeks later, a milder form of this happened again, and then again a few days later, and again, and by the last week of January it was almost a daily occurance. Mind you, I'm still playing my weekly hockey games at this point,* and the funny thing is that my symptoms NEVER occured during or after games. I'd feel like crap driving there but be fine once I started.
* (I'm intensely stupid, he explained.)
Finally I got fed up with it and checked myself in for fun tests. They took very good care of me. Better still, my wife declined to kill me once I told her the whole story.
The upshot of it is that all my EKGs and my stress-echocardiogram were fine. Cholesterol and components were excellent. The only thing to watch, oddly, was my B-12 level, which is (marginally) low. I wonder if that's a contributing factor? Maybe the illness had something to do with it.
In any case, I'm keeping a close eye on things. It looks like you're stuck with me for a while longer.
update: beat this, techie!
Monday, February 08, 2010
Cry-landers
Our very young ice hockey team has had everything go sideways on them. Not a surprise, as they are still not quite ready for contention - not even in this year's Eastern Conference, which features seven or eight mediocre teams, any two of which will make the playoffs by default this season.
In their honor, I've decided to put up a post about the worst of times. It's easy to pick out the best times when you win four straight championships and nothing else; when you have seven Hall of Famers over a concentrated period and little else. But when the suffering starts to pile up - it's just about 30 seasons since "OT - NYI, Nystrom (Tonelli, Henning) 7:11" - it's time to have a laugh about crying. This is not an original idea (and Leafs fans have been waiting longer than we have), but it's cathartic. If you like, you can hum the Simpsons' "Mediocre Presidents" song in your head as you read, for these are the adequate, forgettable, and occasionally regrettable Islanders...
Starting goalie: Tommy Soderstrom - Folks are more familiar with the longer tenure of Tommy Salo, a middling enough keeper who shrank from big moments and was reduced to tears in an arbitration hearing by his own general manager. That deserves special mention. Soderstrom, however, beats him out. He wasn't really good at anything. His 3.61 GAA is lowest in the annals of the franchise for any goalie with 50 career games, save Gerry Desjardins, who is excused because he played for the team in their first three seasons. Save percentage? .886, in the dead puck era. He played ten seconds in the 1996-97 season, and that was it for his career. And then there's this demoralizing fight. Perhaps the odd helmet/mask combo fooled the Isles into thinking they were getting Arturs Irbe, or something.
Backup: Eric Fichaud - Not really all his fault. He was drafted too high by the Leafs, and then dealt off in a trade that hurt everyone involved: the popular Benoit Hogue went from Long Island cult hero to Toronto pariah, the extra picks were squandered, and poor Fichaud was tossed onto the ice to face NHL teams behind one of the most porous teams of the day. His first two teams finished in the bottom five of the league and his final team finished 19th out of 26. The only consolation for him must have been that the Leafs finished below the Isles twice in those three seasons. Just a horrible trade.
Dishonorables:
Salo. Not Ron Hextall - everyone remembers "A River Runs Through Him" but there were mitigating factors: 1. if not for Hextall the Isles would never even have made the playoffs that year; 2. the Rangers were so stacked that year that beating them would have been even more astounding than beating the Pens the year before; and 3. Jamie McLennan got similarly smoked in his game two appearance. It wasn't Ron's fault.
Defenders:
Dick Tarnstrom - drafted in 1994, finally came to North America as a 27-year old rookie and human giveaway machine for the 2001-2002 Isles. He was a frustrating player to watch; offensively gifted but lost anywhere within fifty feet of his own goalkeeper. (Penguins fans are nodding right now. Sixteen goals and 52 points while going minus 37?!? Ugh.)
Thomas Pock - three points in fifty-nine games, minus 17, hasn't played an NHL minute since. Completely overmatched by the NHL. At least he was only a waiver claim.
Bruno Gervais - the current whipping boy for suffering Isles fans. He's a polite, well-spoken, decent young fellow who likes cooking, has a cute girlfriend, and gets undressed regularly by opposing forwards. Probably not as bad as advertised, but that's a function of having a poor team: you have guys playing too many minutes, against too-tough opposition. Bruno may be a sixth or seventh guy, and he's been on the TOP pair at times. Sadly, there can be only one outcome.
Janne Niinimaa - if you look at his numbers, they're actually not bad. Janne was never very comfortable on the Island but he didn't disgrace himself, either. On this I think some of my fellow fans were overreacting. Then again, you can go to any Isles blog and see that for yourself: if they win a few games everyone is mentally organizing parades and banner-raisings; lose a few and it's "trade everybody, those guys stink!" In other words, we probably owe Janne a fruit basket or something. I hope he's happier wherever he is now.
Dean Chynoweth - this was hardly Dean's fault: he was very frequently injured. The trouble was that he was drafted in the first round ahead of some talented players, such as Joe Sakic and John LeClair. (I'm leaving out others like Mathieu Schneider who actually later became Islanders... including the 114th overall pick, who is now their general manager.)
Scott Lachance - much like Chynoweth, he wasn't openly dreadful the way some of the others were, but it's all about opportunity cost. The Isles took him FOURTH overall in 1991, leaving on the table players like Peter Forsberg, Brian Rolston, Alexei Kovalev, Ray Whitney, and Markus Naslund. Heck, they could have taken Richard Matvichuk if they wanted a defender. Then again, it also comes down to player development; had they taken Matvichuk maybe he's on this list and Lachance has a long career as a respected blueliner for Minnesota/Dallas.
Dishonorables:
Most of the folks I could list here just weren't around very long, so instead, some follow-up trivia about 1991: the Isles took Ziggy Palffy in the second round of this draft, after all the above-listed players were off the board. Nice pick. And the all-time scoring leader for that draft class, surprisingly, is NOT Forsberg or even Eric Lindros. Injuries limited their playing time too much. With 408 goals and 980 points (and counting), it's Kovalev.
Forwards:
Kirk Muller - public enemy number one for a large number of Isles fans of my age. He'd won a Cup with the Canadiens - beating the '93 Isles in the conference finals along the way - and midway through the shortened '94-'95 year, the Isles traded for him and Matheiu Schneider. However, it cost them Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov, depriving the Isles of their most talented forward and defender in one shot. And Muller flat-out did NOT want to play for the Isles, bitched about it publicly, and dogged it while on the ice. The Isles were forced to accept pennies on the dollar for him midway through the very next season. Oh, we'll be talking about the GM of THIS trade in a few minutes, thankyouverymuch. Sonofab...
Brett Lindros - Don Maloney bragged upon his selection in 1994 that he had "the better Lindros." It was not to be. He was even more concussion-prone than big brother Eric. Eventually he was forced to retire after just 51 games. He scored twice in that time. Nobody was ever angry at Brett they way they were at anyone else on this list, really; he may well have made good on his potential. (Of course, with Milbury on the horizon, he would have done so in another jersey.) This is just a very sad story.
Alexei Yashin - I remain convinced that the real problem with Yashin was not his talent, nor his production. He played well, if not as well as he had in Ottawa. He overcame a severe injury that affected the tendons in one of his hands, which could have ended his career. I don't buy the "aloof Russian" reputation crap, either. Nobody would have thought he was aloof if he was only paid $3 million per year. No, the real issue here was that the Isles paid a king's ransom for him (soon-to-be franchise defender Zdeno Chara, checking forward Bill Muckalt, AND the second-overall pick, which became Jason Spezza), paid him a kings' fortune, and then were stuck with the bill after the lockout and the new salary cap. Eventually they were forced to buy him out; now he plays back home in Russia and sleeps with Carol Alt, so who's laughing now?
Oleg Kvasha - no discussion of Yashin is complete without Kvasha. When it comes to enigmatic Russian talents, this was the poster child: a large, physical player with gifted hands who could never top 15 goals in a season. Eventually went back to play in Russia as well, though his tastes in supermodels are unknown. Talk about enigmas: either there's another dude named Oleg Kvasha out there, or he has hidden musical talents.
Mike Comrie - anytime a guy plays for five different teams before his 30th birthday, something's up, but when he's done two separate stints for two of them, then it's on a whole new level. The guy's obviously got great talent, but something makes him very easy to part with despite it all. Incidentally, one of the prospects he was once traded for, Rob Schremp, is currently an Islanders rookie, and off to a promising start.
Chris Simon - long one of the league's better enforcers, but had good enough hands to score 29 goals one season. Also good enough hands to clobber Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick. In fairness to Simon, it was later revealed that he had been concussed by an illegal hit from behind that received no penalty at all. He claimed later that he didn't really recall what he'd done to Hollweg because of it; I only note that he certainly recalled which player was responsible for it. He was later suspended again for stomping on a guy with his skate. Now out of hockey.
Joe Sacco - remember those players I didn't mention above, who eventually became Islanders after being drafted after Dean Chynoweth in 1987? Joe was one of them, but he gets mentioned anyway, because while on the Island, he put up one of the most confounding statlines in league history: in 73 games in 1998-99, he scored three lonely goals with zero assists - zero as in nil, zip, none, bubkes. Nobody deflected one of his shots in, or scored on one of his rebounds, or even had a fluke shot off his rump and into the net, much less converted an actual pass. It's astonishing. He wasn't a brawler, either. One would think that even in just ten minutes played per game, you could get an assist just by accident, at least once. I mean, even Mick Vukota never went an entire year without an assist, and he took 250 penalty minutes a year.
Scott Scissons - it seems odd to hate on a guy who played all of two NHL games, and scored no points. Wonder no more. He was taken sixth overall in 1990's entry draft. Eighty-seven different players taken in that draft had points in the NHL, including eight goaltenders. If that's not enough, one of those goalies is still playing in the area: you may have heard of him, fellow by the name of Brodeur, the NHL's all-time wins and shutouts leader in the regular season. Scott *($$!?%^* Scissons, people!
Dishonorables: I'll take nominations from the audience here. I just can't go on. Scott Scissons....
GM: Mike Milbury - the easy choice. He was the engineer of so many disastrous moments during his inexplicably long stay in the organization. Tops was trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to Florida for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish: that's one of the five best goalies in the league and a perennial 30-goal scorer (if a touch of a headcase) for one of the other guys on this list and hard-working yet clearly secondary scorer. Then there's Spezza/Chara for Yashin, the constant coaching changes, exiling young talent before it could develop, whiffing on top draft choices... to say nothing of the already-mentioned arbitration hearing where he savaged his own starting goalkeeper. It was a comedy of terrors with Mad Mike at the helm. O to put it another way - searching his name returns his wikipage as the top result, and a blog called "Mike Milbury Sucks" as the second. The third is his current job as an analyst on NBC and CBC. The fourth is "Mike Milbury's Bad Deals."
Dishonorable: Don Maloney - the former Ranger played a bit for the Isles before moving up to the front office in 1992. He came into a team with a lot of offensive talent (four 30-goal scorers) and a reasonable defense (Norton, Kurvers, Krupp, Malakhov, Pilon, Kasparaitis), and they shocked the two-time champion Penguins in the conference semifinals in 1993. He didn't feel like they could get any farther without better goalkeeping, though. He brought in Hextall. That, as we have seen, didn't work out so hot, so he panicked and sent Hextall right back to Philadelphia... for Soderstrom. Later that very season, he bundled Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to Montreal in the infamous Kirk Muller deal. That was pretty much all she wrote.
Muller was eventually dealt for Ken Freakin' Belanger, straight up. Schnieder is STILL playing, but was long dealt away: the Isles got Kenny Jonsson for him, which was nice, and the first-round pick that was part of that deal became... well whodathunk it? Roberto Luongo, who was part of Mad Mike's finest moment as GM of the Florida Panthers. Oh, wait... he was our GM, wasn't he?
:::facepalm:::
So just three degrees of separation for the two worst trades in the history of the franchise (Turgeon/Malakhov for Muller/Schneider and Luongo/Jokinen for Kvasha/Parrish). Shocka. We'd better not be out of beer...
Trivia - Maloney and I were born on the same date, but not the same year. We also share a birthday with Jesse James. I am the only one of us not to kill a person or a franchise.
In their honor, I've decided to put up a post about the worst of times. It's easy to pick out the best times when you win four straight championships and nothing else; when you have seven Hall of Famers over a concentrated period and little else. But when the suffering starts to pile up - it's just about 30 seasons since "OT - NYI, Nystrom (Tonelli, Henning) 7:11" - it's time to have a laugh about crying. This is not an original idea (and Leafs fans have been waiting longer than we have), but it's cathartic. If you like, you can hum the Simpsons' "Mediocre Presidents" song in your head as you read, for these are the adequate, forgettable, and occasionally regrettable Islanders...
Starting goalie: Tommy Soderstrom - Folks are more familiar with the longer tenure of Tommy Salo, a middling enough keeper who shrank from big moments and was reduced to tears in an arbitration hearing by his own general manager. That deserves special mention. Soderstrom, however, beats him out. He wasn't really good at anything. His 3.61 GAA is lowest in the annals of the franchise for any goalie with 50 career games, save Gerry Desjardins, who is excused because he played for the team in their first three seasons. Save percentage? .886, in the dead puck era. He played ten seconds in the 1996-97 season, and that was it for his career. And then there's this demoralizing fight. Perhaps the odd helmet/mask combo fooled the Isles into thinking they were getting Arturs Irbe, or something.
Backup: Eric Fichaud - Not really all his fault. He was drafted too high by the Leafs, and then dealt off in a trade that hurt everyone involved: the popular Benoit Hogue went from Long Island cult hero to Toronto pariah, the extra picks were squandered, and poor Fichaud was tossed onto the ice to face NHL teams behind one of the most porous teams of the day. His first two teams finished in the bottom five of the league and his final team finished 19th out of 26. The only consolation for him must have been that the Leafs finished below the Isles twice in those three seasons. Just a horrible trade.
Dishonorables:
Salo. Not Ron Hextall - everyone remembers "A River Runs Through Him" but there were mitigating factors: 1. if not for Hextall the Isles would never even have made the playoffs that year; 2. the Rangers were so stacked that year that beating them would have been even more astounding than beating the Pens the year before; and 3. Jamie McLennan got similarly smoked in his game two appearance. It wasn't Ron's fault.
Defenders:
Dick Tarnstrom - drafted in 1994, finally came to North America as a 27-year old rookie and human giveaway machine for the 2001-2002 Isles. He was a frustrating player to watch; offensively gifted but lost anywhere within fifty feet of his own goalkeeper. (Penguins fans are nodding right now. Sixteen goals and 52 points while going minus 37?!? Ugh.)
Thomas Pock - three points in fifty-nine games, minus 17, hasn't played an NHL minute since. Completely overmatched by the NHL. At least he was only a waiver claim.
Bruno Gervais - the current whipping boy for suffering Isles fans. He's a polite, well-spoken, decent young fellow who likes cooking, has a cute girlfriend, and gets undressed regularly by opposing forwards. Probably not as bad as advertised, but that's a function of having a poor team: you have guys playing too many minutes, against too-tough opposition. Bruno may be a sixth or seventh guy, and he's been on the TOP pair at times. Sadly, there can be only one outcome.
Janne Niinimaa - if you look at his numbers, they're actually not bad. Janne was never very comfortable on the Island but he didn't disgrace himself, either. On this I think some of my fellow fans were overreacting. Then again, you can go to any Isles blog and see that for yourself: if they win a few games everyone is mentally organizing parades and banner-raisings; lose a few and it's "trade everybody, those guys stink!" In other words, we probably owe Janne a fruit basket or something. I hope he's happier wherever he is now.
Dean Chynoweth - this was hardly Dean's fault: he was very frequently injured. The trouble was that he was drafted in the first round ahead of some talented players, such as Joe Sakic and John LeClair. (I'm leaving out others like Mathieu Schneider who actually later became Islanders... including the 114th overall pick, who is now their general manager.)
Scott Lachance - much like Chynoweth, he wasn't openly dreadful the way some of the others were, but it's all about opportunity cost. The Isles took him FOURTH overall in 1991, leaving on the table players like Peter Forsberg, Brian Rolston, Alexei Kovalev, Ray Whitney, and Markus Naslund. Heck, they could have taken Richard Matvichuk if they wanted a defender. Then again, it also comes down to player development; had they taken Matvichuk maybe he's on this list and Lachance has a long career as a respected blueliner for Minnesota/Dallas.
Dishonorables:
Most of the folks I could list here just weren't around very long, so instead, some follow-up trivia about 1991: the Isles took Ziggy Palffy in the second round of this draft, after all the above-listed players were off the board. Nice pick. And the all-time scoring leader for that draft class, surprisingly, is NOT Forsberg or even Eric Lindros. Injuries limited their playing time too much. With 408 goals and 980 points (and counting), it's Kovalev.
Forwards:
Kirk Muller - public enemy number one for a large number of Isles fans of my age. He'd won a Cup with the Canadiens - beating the '93 Isles in the conference finals along the way - and midway through the shortened '94-'95 year, the Isles traded for him and Matheiu Schneider. However, it cost them Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov, depriving the Isles of their most talented forward and defender in one shot. And Muller flat-out did NOT want to play for the Isles, bitched about it publicly, and dogged it while on the ice. The Isles were forced to accept pennies on the dollar for him midway through the very next season. Oh, we'll be talking about the GM of THIS trade in a few minutes, thankyouverymuch. Sonofab...
Brett Lindros - Don Maloney bragged upon his selection in 1994 that he had "the better Lindros." It was not to be. He was even more concussion-prone than big brother Eric. Eventually he was forced to retire after just 51 games. He scored twice in that time. Nobody was ever angry at Brett they way they were at anyone else on this list, really; he may well have made good on his potential. (Of course, with Milbury on the horizon, he would have done so in another jersey.) This is just a very sad story.
Alexei Yashin - I remain convinced that the real problem with Yashin was not his talent, nor his production. He played well, if not as well as he had in Ottawa. He overcame a severe injury that affected the tendons in one of his hands, which could have ended his career. I don't buy the "aloof Russian" reputation crap, either. Nobody would have thought he was aloof if he was only paid $3 million per year. No, the real issue here was that the Isles paid a king's ransom for him (soon-to-be franchise defender Zdeno Chara, checking forward Bill Muckalt, AND the second-overall pick, which became Jason Spezza), paid him a kings' fortune, and then were stuck with the bill after the lockout and the new salary cap. Eventually they were forced to buy him out; now he plays back home in Russia and sleeps with Carol Alt, so who's laughing now?
Oleg Kvasha - no discussion of Yashin is complete without Kvasha. When it comes to enigmatic Russian talents, this was the poster child: a large, physical player with gifted hands who could never top 15 goals in a season. Eventually went back to play in Russia as well, though his tastes in supermodels are unknown. Talk about enigmas: either there's another dude named Oleg Kvasha out there, or he has hidden musical talents.
Mike Comrie - anytime a guy plays for five different teams before his 30th birthday, something's up, but when he's done two separate stints for two of them, then it's on a whole new level. The guy's obviously got great talent, but something makes him very easy to part with despite it all. Incidentally, one of the prospects he was once traded for, Rob Schremp, is currently an Islanders rookie, and off to a promising start.
Chris Simon - long one of the league's better enforcers, but had good enough hands to score 29 goals one season. Also good enough hands to clobber Ryan Hollweg in the face with his stick. In fairness to Simon, it was later revealed that he had been concussed by an illegal hit from behind that received no penalty at all. He claimed later that he didn't really recall what he'd done to Hollweg because of it; I only note that he certainly recalled which player was responsible for it. He was later suspended again for stomping on a guy with his skate. Now out of hockey.
Joe Sacco - remember those players I didn't mention above, who eventually became Islanders after being drafted after Dean Chynoweth in 1987? Joe was one of them, but he gets mentioned anyway, because while on the Island, he put up one of the most confounding statlines in league history: in 73 games in 1998-99, he scored three lonely goals with zero assists - zero as in nil, zip, none, bubkes. Nobody deflected one of his shots in, or scored on one of his rebounds, or even had a fluke shot off his rump and into the net, much less converted an actual pass. It's astonishing. He wasn't a brawler, either. One would think that even in just ten minutes played per game, you could get an assist just by accident, at least once. I mean, even Mick Vukota never went an entire year without an assist, and he took 250 penalty minutes a year.
Scott Scissons - it seems odd to hate on a guy who played all of two NHL games, and scored no points. Wonder no more. He was taken sixth overall in 1990's entry draft. Eighty-seven different players taken in that draft had points in the NHL, including eight goaltenders. If that's not enough, one of those goalies is still playing in the area: you may have heard of him, fellow by the name of Brodeur, the NHL's all-time wins and shutouts leader in the regular season. Scott *($$!?%^* Scissons, people!
Dishonorables: I'll take nominations from the audience here. I just can't go on. Scott Scissons....
GM: Mike Milbury - the easy choice. He was the engineer of so many disastrous moments during his inexplicably long stay in the organization. Tops was trading Roberto Luongo and Olli Jokinen to Florida for Oleg Kvasha and Mark Parrish: that's one of the five best goalies in the league and a perennial 30-goal scorer (if a touch of a headcase) for one of the other guys on this list and hard-working yet clearly secondary scorer. Then there's Spezza/Chara for Yashin, the constant coaching changes, exiling young talent before it could develop, whiffing on top draft choices... to say nothing of the already-mentioned arbitration hearing where he savaged his own starting goalkeeper. It was a comedy of terrors with Mad Mike at the helm. O to put it another way - searching his name returns his wikipage as the top result, and a blog called "Mike Milbury Sucks" as the second. The third is his current job as an analyst on NBC and CBC. The fourth is "Mike Milbury's Bad Deals."
Dishonorable: Don Maloney - the former Ranger played a bit for the Isles before moving up to the front office in 1992. He came into a team with a lot of offensive talent (four 30-goal scorers) and a reasonable defense (Norton, Kurvers, Krupp, Malakhov, Pilon, Kasparaitis), and they shocked the two-time champion Penguins in the conference semifinals in 1993. He didn't feel like they could get any farther without better goalkeeping, though. He brought in Hextall. That, as we have seen, didn't work out so hot, so he panicked and sent Hextall right back to Philadelphia... for Soderstrom. Later that very season, he bundled Pierre Turgeon and Vladimir Malakhov to Montreal in the infamous Kirk Muller deal. That was pretty much all she wrote.
Muller was eventually dealt for Ken Freakin' Belanger, straight up. Schnieder is STILL playing, but was long dealt away: the Isles got Kenny Jonsson for him, which was nice, and the first-round pick that was part of that deal became... well whodathunk it? Roberto Luongo, who was part of Mad Mike's finest moment as GM of the Florida Panthers. Oh, wait... he was our GM, wasn't he?
:::facepalm:::
So just three degrees of separation for the two worst trades in the history of the franchise (Turgeon/Malakhov for Muller/Schneider and Luongo/Jokinen for Kvasha/Parrish). Shocka. We'd better not be out of beer...
Trivia - Maloney and I were born on the same date, but not the same year. We also share a birthday with Jesse James. I am the only one of us not to kill a person or a franchise.
Super Bowl quick hits
So this is what the feminazis were wetting themselves over?
I knew the Saints had this when they went onside to start the second half and got the ball. That took kugeln.
The Saints became the first team to lose to the Buccaneers and win the Super Bowl in the same season.
Does Sean Payton look like country singer Kenny Chesney?
Confession: Thirty years ago I owned a Tshirt that said, "I'd Walk Over You To See The Who".
additions from the 'fly - True story: at the end of the first quarter I asked everyone at our Super Bowl bash, "What are the odds that they blow this lead the way the Broncos coughed it up against the Redskins?"
I thought the goal-line stand would be the key sequence in the game. Instead the key sequence came when the Saints held the Colts to three-and-out, forced the punt, and kicked the field goal at the end of the half. Had they kicked the short field goal instead, they would have been giving the Colts the ball back at the 25 or so with two timeouts and 1:35 or so on the clock - in other words, they may have been looking at 17-6 instead of 10-6 at the half. And then with the onside kick they were saying pretty clearly that they weren't rolling over in awe of Indy.
Halftime - Is it really that hard to get a current act to do this? Was Jimi Hendrix too dead to return their calls? The Who were doing farewell tours back when the NFL had TWO franchises in Los Angeles. Sure, the music sounded all right, but when you've got a full backing band of young folks you don't need Townsend to do all that much - except hit the notes during his measly three lines in Baba O'Reilly. Couldn't even do that. And of course Daltry didn't even try to go above middle C, if that. It was pretty rough. At this point I'd rather see Doctor Who do the halftime show, at least they get a new one of him every five years.
Pick Six! And the best part of it was the return of the Classic Manning Face. It's amazing. None of us doubted for a second that the Colts were tying the game: that's how clutch Peyton's been since finally defeating the Patriots in the playoffs in 2005. That INT may have been the worst pass he's thrown in five years. Are we sure that Brett Favre didn't sneak onto the field in a Manning jersey for that play? Manning was bright red - it was like he'd gone to Miami Beach at halftime and gotten sunburned. Incredible turn of events.
Huge party on Bourbon Street after the final gun. I wonder if they even knew the score, or if they'd just been partying since Thursday.
Overall, one of the better games, especially after the early deficit where it looked as if New Orleans had started Mardi Gras early. Things really picked up after that.
I knew the Saints had this when they went onside to start the second half and got the ball. That took kugeln.
The Saints became the first team to lose to the Buccaneers and win the Super Bowl in the same season.
Does Sean Payton look like country singer Kenny Chesney?
Confession: Thirty years ago I owned a Tshirt that said, "I'd Walk Over You To See The Who".
additions from the 'fly - True story: at the end of the first quarter I asked everyone at our Super Bowl bash, "What are the odds that they blow this lead the way the Broncos coughed it up against the Redskins?"
I thought the goal-line stand would be the key sequence in the game. Instead the key sequence came when the Saints held the Colts to three-and-out, forced the punt, and kicked the field goal at the end of the half. Had they kicked the short field goal instead, they would have been giving the Colts the ball back at the 25 or so with two timeouts and 1:35 or so on the clock - in other words, they may have been looking at 17-6 instead of 10-6 at the half. And then with the onside kick they were saying pretty clearly that they weren't rolling over in awe of Indy.
Halftime - Is it really that hard to get a current act to do this? Was Jimi Hendrix too dead to return their calls? The Who were doing farewell tours back when the NFL had TWO franchises in Los Angeles. Sure, the music sounded all right, but when you've got a full backing band of young folks you don't need Townsend to do all that much - except hit the notes during his measly three lines in Baba O'Reilly. Couldn't even do that. And of course Daltry didn't even try to go above middle C, if that. It was pretty rough. At this point I'd rather see Doctor Who do the halftime show, at least they get a new one of him every five years.
Pick Six! And the best part of it was the return of the Classic Manning Face. It's amazing. None of us doubted for a second that the Colts were tying the game: that's how clutch Peyton's been since finally defeating the Patriots in the playoffs in 2005. That INT may have been the worst pass he's thrown in five years. Are we sure that Brett Favre didn't sneak onto the field in a Manning jersey for that play? Manning was bright red - it was like he'd gone to Miami Beach at halftime and gotten sunburned. Incredible turn of events.
Huge party on Bourbon Street after the final gun. I wonder if they even knew the score, or if they'd just been partying since Thursday.
Overall, one of the better games, especially after the early deficit where it looked as if New Orleans had started Mardi Gras early. Things really picked up after that.
Thursday, February 04, 2010
Is this why you're a Giants fan, Fly?
Before Tim Tebow, there were these guys.
This is really over the top. Gloria Steinem would burst a blood vessel if she saw this.
This is really over the top. Gloria Steinem would burst a blood vessel if she saw this.
An observation
Reading is fundamental, until your sinuses back up like like a freeway at rush hour. Turns out that breathing is fundamental.
update and bump: this just keeps getting worse. Crapola. I just had a huge doctory thing last week, what with the bloodwork and the general checking-up and flaaaaaayvin. I feel smooshed. This is going to be quite fun: I'm going back later today for a follow-up to discuss some of the results. I'm sure they'll wonder what I did in the past week to turn myself into a phlegm-filled zombie. When they checked me out they told me I was perfectly fit; now this? Did they replace my blood with used motor oil or something?
update and bump: this just keeps getting worse. Crapola. I just had a huge doctory thing last week, what with the bloodwork and the general checking-up and flaaaaaayvin. I feel smooshed. This is going to be quite fun: I'm going back later today for a follow-up to discuss some of the results. I'm sure they'll wonder what I did in the past week to turn myself into a phlegm-filled zombie. When they checked me out they told me I was perfectly fit; now this? Did they replace my blood with used motor oil or something?
Wednesday, February 03, 2010
Does this guy realize...
...that he's in the Republican primary?
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that illegal immigrants should not count in the census, a position that would cost the state federal money and one that puts him at odds with Gov. Charlie Crist — his primary opponent — as well as the Republican-controlled legislature.
Rubio’s spokesman told the paper that his position was based on “rightful representation in Congress and ensuring that every voter has an equal voice.”
Today, Crist, trailing Rubio in recent polls, called the former state House speaker’s position “absurd.”
“Florida deserves to have her fair share. And I think making sure that we count every single Floridian is vitally important. That’s why I went to the school yesterday in North Miami,” Crist said.
Pork and illegals, that's a winning issue in a GOP primary. Well, Charlie's got $7.5 million in the bank so maybe he cn spend his way to victory.
Republican U.S. Senate candidate Marco Rubio told the Sarasota Herald-Tribune that illegal immigrants should not count in the census, a position that would cost the state federal money and one that puts him at odds with Gov. Charlie Crist — his primary opponent — as well as the Republican-controlled legislature.
Rubio’s spokesman told the paper that his position was based on “rightful representation in Congress and ensuring that every voter has an equal voice.”
Today, Crist, trailing Rubio in recent polls, called the former state House speaker’s position “absurd.”
“Florida deserves to have her fair share. And I think making sure that we count every single Floridian is vitally important. That’s why I went to the school yesterday in North Miami,” Crist said.
Pork and illegals, that's a winning issue in a GOP primary. Well, Charlie's got $7.5 million in the bank so maybe he cn spend his way to victory.
I need to hustle
I'm only halfway through Season 8 of Stargate SG-1, with 9 and 10 to go.
Hulu has always been free, but there’s long been speculation that would change. Now the L.A. Times is reporting that in six months Hulu may introduce a $4.99 per month subscription option that would give viewers access to TV show episodes beyond the five most recent already offered.
With broadband I do more TV watching on the PC than on a TV.
Hulu has always been free, but there’s long been speculation that would change. Now the L.A. Times is reporting that in six months Hulu may introduce a $4.99 per month subscription option that would give viewers access to TV show episodes beyond the five most recent already offered.
With broadband I do more TV watching on the PC than on a TV.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
I'm loving it
Rubio has double digits over Good-Time Charlie.
According to a new Rasmussen telephone poll among likely Florida GOP primary voters, former state Speaker Marco Rubio now has a double-digit lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the race to be the Republican nominee for the open Florida Senate seat. Rubio now leads 49% to Crist's 37%, with 11 % undecided. Both have a double-digit lead over likely general election opponent, Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek.
It's not Crist's moderation that honks people off, it's the fact that he has no core principles at all. He is all things to all people so that he might get votes. Name the issue and Charlie has two, maybe three recorded positions on it.
It was his devotion to the polls that started his downfall. Rubio is having a "moneybomb" internet fundraising drive on Feb 10, the anniversary of Charlie and Barack's manhug last year in Ft. Myers.
On Thursday Crist met Obama at MacDill and then disappeared. If the president's approval rating was still 80% Charlie would have been on the stage in Tampa next to him licking Obama's ear.
I am registered independent in Florida. I may register as a Republican just to vote for Rubio.
According to a new Rasmussen telephone poll among likely Florida GOP primary voters, former state Speaker Marco Rubio now has a double-digit lead over Gov. Charlie Crist in the race to be the Republican nominee for the open Florida Senate seat. Rubio now leads 49% to Crist's 37%, with 11 % undecided. Both have a double-digit lead over likely general election opponent, Democratic Congressman Kendrick Meek.
It's not Crist's moderation that honks people off, it's the fact that he has no core principles at all. He is all things to all people so that he might get votes. Name the issue and Charlie has two, maybe three recorded positions on it.
It was his devotion to the polls that started his downfall. Rubio is having a "moneybomb" internet fundraising drive on Feb 10, the anniversary of Charlie and Barack's manhug last year in Ft. Myers.
On Thursday Crist met Obama at MacDill and then disappeared. If the president's approval rating was still 80% Charlie would have been on the stage in Tampa next to him licking Obama's ear.
I am registered independent in Florida. I may register as a Republican just to vote for Rubio.
Now this is progress...
The fortunate lady is Pam Iorio, the mayor of Tampa and the scene is MacDill AFB on Thursday.
Am I over the top with these comments? I may be watching too many clips from the racebaiters at MSNBC, but if there is another pic of the president bowing to a Caucasian I haven't seen it.
(nf - you are perhaps a touch intemperate. Don't let them drag you down to their level, my friend.)
(nf - you are perhaps a touch intemperate. Don't let them drag you down to their level, my friend.)
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Now that's puttin' on the foil
First, I'd like to welcome Ken Socrates' hockey blog, Hockey Gone Wild, to the sidebar. Do go read!
(update - oh, yeah... helps to include the link. Fixed now.)
Second, I'd like to show off a little. I've been harping on the pity points in the NHL... it reduces competitiveness at the end of games, doesn't eliminate the "boring" ties (games still are even after 65 minutes), artificially makes teams look better than they are, and makes it harder to catch the teams ahead of you in the standings.
Tiresome? Well, you'll notice I haven't run the Real Standings for a while. But check this out from The Hockey News' Edward Fraser. Essentially, it's a pithier and better-written version of all of my harping over the past few months.
I'd like to take credit, but I've just discovered Mr. Fraser's work, and way back in December 2007, it turns out that he invented the Real Standings, with a twist - he eliminated ties entirely and went to a 2-0 system. In recognition, the next Real Standings here will be named the Fraser Standings. (I'm not changing the tag, though.) And yes, I will actually try to run them sometime over the weekend. It takes a little while to catch up if I haven't updated it regularly.
(update - oh, yeah... helps to include the link. Fixed now.)
Second, I'd like to show off a little. I've been harping on the pity points in the NHL... it reduces competitiveness at the end of games, doesn't eliminate the "boring" ties (games still are even after 65 minutes), artificially makes teams look better than they are, and makes it harder to catch the teams ahead of you in the standings.
Tiresome? Well, you'll notice I haven't run the Real Standings for a while. But check this out from The Hockey News' Edward Fraser. Essentially, it's a pithier and better-written version of all of my harping over the past few months.
I'd like to take credit, but I've just discovered Mr. Fraser's work, and way back in December 2007, it turns out that he invented the Real Standings, with a twist - he eliminated ties entirely and went to a 2-0 system. In recognition, the next Real Standings here will be named the Fraser Standings. (I'm not changing the tag, though.) And yes, I will actually try to run them sometime over the weekend. It takes a little while to catch up if I haven't updated it regularly.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
A programming note
Haloscan, which has been the commenting service here at the Hive for a few years, is officially going kaput. In its place, the company js-kit is offering a service they like so much they've renamed themselves after it: Echo.
No, your comments won't be sent to the attic. It looks like there will be a lot of cross-platform compatibility, so people with existing OpenID or other accounts can just log in, and use whatever avatars, profile pics, and online info they already have. Whether or not the actual commenting will be worth anything remains to be seen, though js-kit did a good job with Haloscan and I had no complains. One difference straightaway is that the Echo comments can be threaded. I'm personally not a fan, because it can be harder to find new comments that way; but I get so little comment traffic in general, it's not likely to make a difference one way or another.
This post is the first to feature the Echo system. Try it out and let's see what we've got.
No, your comments won't be sent to the attic. It looks like there will be a lot of cross-platform compatibility, so people with existing OpenID or other accounts can just log in, and use whatever avatars, profile pics, and online info they already have. Whether or not the actual commenting will be worth anything remains to be seen, though js-kit did a good job with Haloscan and I had no complains. One difference straightaway is that the Echo comments can be threaded. I'm personally not a fan, because it can be harder to find new comments that way; but I get so little comment traffic in general, it's not likely to make a difference one way or another.
This post is the first to feature the Echo system. Try it out and let's see what we've got.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Marco!
Rubio!
For the first time, Quinnipiac finds the former state House Speaker Marco Rubio leading the formerly very popular — and still well-known — Gov. Charlie Crist by a margin of 47% to 44%.As per Drew at AoS HQ. Oh, wait, there's more?
The survey is also chock full of bad news for Democrats. President Obama is seen unfavorably in the Sunshine State these days by 49% of the people, versus 45% who still see a positive leader.If Obama actually stumps for Meek, he may not even carry his own district.
And in the Senate horse race, Rubio now tops Rep. Kendrick Meek 44% to 35%.
There's the 24 hours at LeMans...
...and then there's the 24 hours of urine.
At the VA hospital I was given a gallon-sized brown plastic jug and instructed to save my urine for a 24-hour stretch. That jug is in the office refrigerator as I write this.
I've done this before, about 16 years ago. I and my brothers were in completion to see which of us would donate a kidney to our sister. (The Chief won). The hospital in Philly handling this wanted me to save a day of my urine and bring it in. The Center City hospital had minimal parking, so I parked in the Vet lot and took the subway uptown. There I was, on the Broad Street Line carrying a jug of my own urine, which probably happens every day on the Philly subway.
I get to the hospital with my jug, and the first thing they ask me is for a urine sample. I pointed to the jug and said, "Get it out of there." Not good enough for these folks.
At the VA hospital I was given a gallon-sized brown plastic jug and instructed to save my urine for a 24-hour stretch. That jug is in the office refrigerator as I write this.
I've done this before, about 16 years ago. I and my brothers were in completion to see which of us would donate a kidney to our sister. (The Chief won). The hospital in Philly handling this wanted me to save a day of my urine and bring it in. The Center City hospital had minimal parking, so I parked in the Vet lot and took the subway uptown. There I was, on the Broad Street Line carrying a jug of my own urine, which probably happens every day on the Philly subway.
I get to the hospital with my jug, and the first thing they ask me is for a urine sample. I pointed to the jug and said, "Get it out of there." Not good enough for these folks.
If I had a brain...
...I'd smother it. I don't have a brain, but for the sake of argument let's say I did. I would smother it. I might play with it for awhile, but eventually I'd smother it.
Remember that space heater I got a few weeks ago? Remember how toasty and warm I was in the Spider Cave? I got up close to that heater because I wanted my feet to feel toasty warm. I forgot that my feet will never feel toasty and warm because my feet will never feel anything because I have @#$%^&*&^%$ neuropathy!!!
So when I showed up at my doctor's office with a burn blister on my right big toe I was surprised that my doctor didn't schedule me to get my head examined as well a a trip to the wound care center.
It's a tiny blister. No infection. Taking antibiotics until my trip to the wound care center next Thursday. I was at least hoping for the podiatry clinic, where reside the most beautiful doctors in the entire VA hospital. Oh well.
Remember that space heater I got a few weeks ago? Remember how toasty and warm I was in the Spider Cave? I got up close to that heater because I wanted my feet to feel toasty warm. I forgot that my feet will never feel toasty and warm because my feet will never feel anything because I have @#$%^&*&^%$ neuropathy!!!
So when I showed up at my doctor's office with a burn blister on my right big toe I was surprised that my doctor didn't schedule me to get my head examined as well a a trip to the wound care center.
It's a tiny blister. No infection. Taking antibiotics until my trip to the wound care center next Thursday. I was at least hoping for the podiatry clinic, where reside the most beautiful doctors in the entire VA hospital. Oh well.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Recent baseball transaction
I'm not talking about Gary Matthews going to the Mets, or Rick Ankiel to the Royals, but Athletics prospect Grant Desme going to the Padres.
Not the San Diego Padres. The real Padres.
Desme is leaving the game at a time when his fortunes seemed to be rising fast. He batted .288 with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs in 131 games last year. Then he starred in the Arizona Fall League, where some of the game’s top prospects compete. He likely would have started this season at Class AA.
“Here’s a kid that’s on the brink,” Fai said over the phone from Vancouver, B.C., where he works as the assistant general manager for the Oakland affiliate there. “This would probably be an easier decision for someone who was maybe going through the motions in the minors. “But if you know Grant, the spiritual side of his life has always been a priority. I don’t know if there was a tipping factor that made him wake up and say, ‘Today’s the day.’”
Regardless, today is the day: As first reported by FOXSports.com, the 23-year-old star prospect has informed the A’s that he will retire and become a priest.
As the article said, this would be an easier decision if the kid stunk on ice. But Desme may be giving up a legitimate shot at the bigs. That's renouncing the world for you.
Not the San Diego Padres. The real Padres.
Desme is leaving the game at a time when his fortunes seemed to be rising fast. He batted .288 with 31 home runs and 89 RBIs in 131 games last year. Then he starred in the Arizona Fall League, where some of the game’s top prospects compete. He likely would have started this season at Class AA.
“Here’s a kid that’s on the brink,” Fai said over the phone from Vancouver, B.C., where he works as the assistant general manager for the Oakland affiliate there. “This would probably be an easier decision for someone who was maybe going through the motions in the minors. “But if you know Grant, the spiritual side of his life has always been a priority. I don’t know if there was a tipping factor that made him wake up and say, ‘Today’s the day.’”
Regardless, today is the day: As first reported by FOXSports.com, the 23-year-old star prospect has informed the A’s that he will retire and become a priest.
As the article said, this would be an easier decision if the kid stunk on ice. But Desme may be giving up a legitimate shot at the bigs. That's renouncing the world for you.
It's my fault, Part 1
Sports and news talk radio are running ads about the Gasparilla Pirate Fest next Saturday. The closest I can compare this to in style and temperment is Mardi Gras in New Orleans.
These ads are reminding attendees that, for the first time, local laws concerning underage drinking and public winoism will be enforced. You see, the parade runs down Bayshore Blvd, where there are many very nice homes owned by folks with the money to buy them. Well, last year there was one too many guys pooping in the front yard bushes, and complaints from homeowners have begotten a renewed effort by cops to crack down.
And it's my fault. It's also my fault that beer sales are cut off after the seventh inning and the fourth quarter of sporting events. Most of you reading this have no problem going to the game, drinking a few beers (not as many as you like- what are they $50 a piece at the ballpark?) and going home. But because of guys like me who couldn't control themselves the rest of you have to be treated like eight year olds.
New Jersey raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 back in the 1980's? I own that one, too.
Okay, maybe I share some responsibility with the law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, since fear of litigation is probably motivating some of these ballpark rules. ("My client was held down by concession employees and had MGD poured down his throat.")
That's not the only thing that's my fault. But that's for Part 2.
These ads are reminding attendees that, for the first time, local laws concerning underage drinking and public winoism will be enforced. You see, the parade runs down Bayshore Blvd, where there are many very nice homes owned by folks with the money to buy them. Well, last year there was one too many guys pooping in the front yard bushes, and complaints from homeowners have begotten a renewed effort by cops to crack down.
And it's my fault. It's also my fault that beer sales are cut off after the seventh inning and the fourth quarter of sporting events. Most of you reading this have no problem going to the game, drinking a few beers (not as many as you like- what are they $50 a piece at the ballpark?) and going home. But because of guys like me who couldn't control themselves the rest of you have to be treated like eight year olds.
New Jersey raising the drinking age from 18 to 21 back in the 1980's? I own that one, too.
Okay, maybe I share some responsibility with the law firm of Dewey, Cheatem & Howe, since fear of litigation is probably motivating some of these ballpark rules. ("My client was held down by concession employees and had MGD poured down his throat.")
That's not the only thing that's my fault. But that's for Part 2.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
Sleepyblog
Awwww.... the Hive is so CUTE when it's just curled up so peacefully, doing nothing! So innocent and trusting. I wonder what it dreams about...
(Content soon, folks. Unless, y'know, there isn't.)
(Content soon, folks. Unless, y'know, there isn't.)
Saturday, January 16, 2010
What I learned this week...
...is what I already know.
The local head of the NAALCP was on radio in Tampa insisting that she wasn't giving Harry Reid a pass, and then proceeded to give him a pass. You see, one can be patronizing and condescending to black people if you support the right issues. How quickly the NAALCP defends their white masters in the Democratic party.
Reid's remarks aren't that bad, but we know that if they can from someone on the right the racebaiters would be wetting themselves.
99% of the time, a charge of racism is merely a club in which to beat conservatives.
Reid went to Revvum Al for absolution. Revvum Jesse must be furious.
There was talk of the Congressional Black Caucus holding press conferences to highlight the voting records of those who criticized Dingy Harry. I'd like to see those freaks and criminals of the CBC call people in favor of restraining the size of the federal government racists. That's a winning strategy. NOT!
To say I lost respect for the NAALCP and their ilk would assume I had any respect for them in the first place.
The local head of the NAALCP was on radio in Tampa insisting that she wasn't giving Harry Reid a pass, and then proceeded to give him a pass. You see, one can be patronizing and condescending to black people if you support the right issues. How quickly the NAALCP defends their white masters in the Democratic party.
Reid's remarks aren't that bad, but we know that if they can from someone on the right the racebaiters would be wetting themselves.
99% of the time, a charge of racism is merely a club in which to beat conservatives.
Reid went to Revvum Al for absolution. Revvum Jesse must be furious.
There was talk of the Congressional Black Caucus holding press conferences to highlight the voting records of those who criticized Dingy Harry. I'd like to see those freaks and criminals of the CBC call people in favor of restraining the size of the federal government racists. That's a winning strategy. NOT!
To say I lost respect for the NAALCP and their ilk would assume I had any respect for them in the first place.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Because it worked SO well last time...
Obama is doubling down on his sterling coattail record...
Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine are frantically speed-dialing Martha Coakley's HQ right now. Unfortunately, the phone lines are a little tied up with questions about her record as the Massachusetts district attorney, or with angry Red Sox fans, to say nothing of the mysterious voices from inside the walls crying geeeetttttt ouuttttttt!
(One of those items may be slightly embellished.)
If it works the way his November push did, you know what you'll hear next, right?
Sir Obama ran away
He bravely ran away, away!
When voters reared their ugly heads
He bravely said "I won!" and fled
Brave, brave, brave Sir Obama!
Creigh Deeds and Jon Corzine are frantically speed-dialing Martha Coakley's HQ right now. Unfortunately, the phone lines are a little tied up with questions about her record as the Massachusetts district attorney, or with angry Red Sox fans, to say nothing of the mysterious voices from inside the walls crying geeeetttttt ouuttttttt!
(One of those items may be slightly embellished.)
If it works the way his November push did, you know what you'll hear next, right?
Sir Obama ran away
He bravely ran away, away!
When voters reared their ugly heads
He bravely said "I won!" and fled
Brave, brave, brave Sir Obama!
Saturday, January 09, 2010
The Winter of Our Discontent
Update: If I hadn't found a space heater, this would have been an option.
At 8 am Saturday morning it was 35 degrees in Tampa, FL. It will get below 30 tonight and tomorrow night. It took me three days of calling and visiting Walmarts before I found a space heater. I am now toasty warm in my little cave in the 'hood.
The county fined my boss for watering his fruit trees on an unauthorized day of the week. He doesn't have an orchard. Many folks down here have fruit trees growing in their yards. It is not uncommon to yank a few grapefuit off a tree in the backyard and eat them for breakfast. And they didn't need water for the ordinary reasons. By spraying water on the fruit trees and letting it freeze helps save the fruit from being killed off in the deep cold. Tonight, strawberry farmers in Plant City will be flooding their fields for the same reason.
And if you have a late night flight out of Tampa International it may be delayed. TIA doesn't have the means to de-ice aircraft wings. You just have to wait till the sun comes up.
These temps may be normal up in New Jersey, but folks are freaking a little down here. There is even talk of it snowing here like it did 33 years ago.
I will have to go out today eventually. I'll be wearing every stitch of clothing I own.
At 8 am Saturday morning it was 35 degrees in Tampa, FL. It will get below 30 tonight and tomorrow night. It took me three days of calling and visiting Walmarts before I found a space heater. I am now toasty warm in my little cave in the 'hood.
The county fined my boss for watering his fruit trees on an unauthorized day of the week. He doesn't have an orchard. Many folks down here have fruit trees growing in their yards. It is not uncommon to yank a few grapefuit off a tree in the backyard and eat them for breakfast. And they didn't need water for the ordinary reasons. By spraying water on the fruit trees and letting it freeze helps save the fruit from being killed off in the deep cold. Tonight, strawberry farmers in Plant City will be flooding their fields for the same reason.
And if you have a late night flight out of Tampa International it may be delayed. TIA doesn't have the means to de-ice aircraft wings. You just have to wait till the sun comes up.
These temps may be normal up in New Jersey, but folks are freaking a little down here. There is even talk of it snowing here like it did 33 years ago.
I will have to go out today eventually. I'll be wearing every stitch of clothing I own.
Friday, January 08, 2010
First entry for Line of the Year
From Matthew Archbold of the Creative Minority Report:
Secular progressives won't tolerate any mention of Christianity in public. In short, Jesus is the new smoking. And the fear of secondhand Jesus is even more intense than the pungency of nicotine in a restaurant."Fear of secondhand Jesus" is pure win.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
I'll be gone this weekend..
...to visit the Chief in Jacksonville. He has been featured here and here on this blog.
I may even go to Mass with them. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been to Mass. The first time was Christmas Eve Midnight Mass @ Lackland AFB, TX during USAF Basic Training. Why should the Catholic guys be the only ones who get to stay up past lights out?
Twice was with the Nightfly. Once was a Spanish language Mass in Tampa, and at his wonderful wedding to the Ladybug.
I was visiting the Chief for the Super Bowl that was in Jacksonville and we went to Mass that day. I didn't recognize any of the music, but I had no trouble picking it up. During the homily, the priest got on his congregation for not reading their Bibles. (Preach it, brother!)
It will be a great time. There will be feasting Christmas Eve. Mrs Chief has a large family on her side and when they all come over it's a great time.
I may even go to Mass with them. I can count on one hand the number of times that I have been to Mass. The first time was Christmas Eve Midnight Mass @ Lackland AFB, TX during USAF Basic Training. Why should the Catholic guys be the only ones who get to stay up past lights out?
Twice was with the Nightfly. Once was a Spanish language Mass in Tampa, and at his wonderful wedding to the Ladybug.
I was visiting the Chief for the Super Bowl that was in Jacksonville and we went to Mass that day. I didn't recognize any of the music, but I had no trouble picking it up. During the homily, the priest got on his congregation for not reading their Bibles. (Preach it, brother!)
It will be a great time. There will be feasting Christmas Eve. Mrs Chief has a large family on her side and when they all come over it's a great time.
We've already established what kind of Senator you are...
... now we're just haggling about the price.
Bill Nelson, though, is a cheaper whore that Ben Nelson and Mary Laundry.
This site is not allowing me to cut and paste. Unlike Ben, who got a Medicare payoff for his whole state, Bill could only get an exemption of Medicare cuts for three Democratic counties. The other 2 million old-timers in Florida are screwed.
The phone line to Bill Nelson's Tampa office is busy. He's not up for re-election until 2012, so he's counting on short memories.
I know it's not Laundry, but I can't spell her name.
edit by the 'fly - it's Landreau, I believe. And the new Blogger post editor/creator makes the cut-and-paste a bit of a hassle. I grabbed the money graf for you:
You have a good point about the size of Bill Nelson's particular bribe compared to the others. Ed Morrissey (courtesy of the Ace of Spades) gives a fine rundown of the pay-to-play largesse Harry Reid is funneling from the public purse, even while the Senate debates raising the debt ceiling.
There's a reason why consumers can't raise their own credit limits with most lenders - they'd go more broke, more quickly, and in enough numbers to risk the solvency of the banks doing the lending. It takes a special brand of willful blindness to scold banks for going along with it, vote for a government bailout to that problem, and then turn around mere months later and try to commit the same mistake; akin to a parent who pulls his kid out of a fire and then dives back into the building to prove how hot it is.
Bill Nelson, though, is a cheaper whore that Ben Nelson and Mary Laundry.
This site is not allowing me to cut and paste. Unlike Ben, who got a Medicare payoff for his whole state, Bill could only get an exemption of Medicare cuts for three Democratic counties. The other 2 million old-timers in Florida are screwed.
The phone line to Bill Nelson's Tampa office is busy. He's not up for re-election until 2012, so he's counting on short memories.
I know it's not Laundry, but I can't spell her name.
edit by the 'fly - it's Landreau, I believe. And the new Blogger post editor/creator makes the cut-and-paste a bit of a hassle. I grabbed the money graf for you:
Many pundits wondered how Nelson could justify supporting a health care reform bill that cuts Medicare by $500 billion when his home state has so many seniors. Now, we know. He is having the heart of his base exempted from the worst of the cuts.When you try to paste now, you have to click the "allow access" button, and then Blogger should permit it. Who knows why they do it.
You have a good point about the size of Bill Nelson's particular bribe compared to the others. Ed Morrissey (courtesy of the Ace of Spades) gives a fine rundown of the pay-to-play largesse Harry Reid is funneling from the public purse, even while the Senate debates raising the debt ceiling.
There's a reason why consumers can't raise their own credit limits with most lenders - they'd go more broke, more quickly, and in enough numbers to risk the solvency of the banks doing the lending. It takes a special brand of willful blindness to scold banks for going along with it, vote for a government bailout to that problem, and then turn around mere months later and try to commit the same mistake; akin to a parent who pulls his kid out of a fire and then dives back into the building to prove how hot it is.
Monday, December 21, 2009
Musical Monday, hockey edition, again
There's something about Dylan and the Lord's Own Hockey that inspires me.
Slapshots ring out in the October night
Enter the head coach from the player’s bench
Sees the goaltender sittin’ in a pool of red light
Calls out, “Get the backup in there now!”
Here comes the story of the Hurricanes
The ones the media have come to blame
For all those games they never won
Sittin’ in the box when they coulda been
The champions of the world…
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Erik Cole and a couple of friends are drivin’ around
A top contender for the Eastern Conference crown
Then they dropped the puck and the losses started comin’ down
Refs whistlin’ them for all those bogus calls
Just like the time before and the time before that
In Carolina that’s just the way things go
You might as well not even show up on the scoresheet
‘Less you wanna draw the heat
Jim Rutherford built this team from scratch
Got him some defensmen and a couple of scorers
Said his goalie was one of the best that there was
But the team kept gettin’ worse and he had to face the reporters
He said “All my guys are hurt and they’re on the IR
Ain’t gonna fire my coach or bench my star
We’ve just gotta have a little time
Get our team into a little climb
Just last year we won two playoff rounds!”
Two months later and the Hurricanes are still dead-last
Bloggers sayin’, “Hey, isn’t this the new NHL?
Everyone’s above .500 now, how can this pass?
We’re looking like the ‘75 Capitals!”
This is the story of the Hurricanes
Out of the playoff race by Christmastime
They’ve gotta hope the ping-pongs run
So they can at least draft #1
But they used to be champions of the world!
This one, much older, started life as a comment Chris Botta's Islanders Point Blank blog, in January 2009.
Isles are in the basement, tankin’ on the season
I’m on Point Blank, thinkin’ ’bout the reasons
Bad drafts, dumb trades, front-office charades
Fifty games played and an injury parade
Look out, fans! Nothing getting done
Waiting on a new trend while riding out the old one
Snowie in a three-piece suit on the telephone
Wants a first-round pick, but they don’t wanna give him one
New coach, new kids, old vets, prospects,
Twelve third-liners and eleven second-round picks
Looking for a rebuild, tired of the quick-fix
Playin in an old barn in the middle of the sticks
Trying to save face, want to build a new space
Town drags its feet so they may be movin’ someplace
Look out, fans! It’s feeling old
Fifteen years with the same tale told
Feeling down, can’t get a shovel in the ground
And the town of Hempstead keeps jerkin’ us around
It's not so odd. Dylan is from Minnesota dere, ya know?
Slapshots ring out in the October night
Enter the head coach from the player’s bench
Sees the goaltender sittin’ in a pool of red light
Calls out, “Get the backup in there now!”
Here comes the story of the Hurricanes
The ones the media have come to blame
For all those games they never won
Sittin’ in the box when they coulda been
The champions of the world…
Meanwhile, far away in another part of town
Erik Cole and a couple of friends are drivin’ around
A top contender for the Eastern Conference crown
Then they dropped the puck and the losses started comin’ down
Refs whistlin’ them for all those bogus calls
Just like the time before and the time before that
In Carolina that’s just the way things go
You might as well not even show up on the scoresheet
‘Less you wanna draw the heat
Jim Rutherford built this team from scratch
Got him some defensmen and a couple of scorers
Said his goalie was one of the best that there was
But the team kept gettin’ worse and he had to face the reporters
He said “All my guys are hurt and they’re on the IR
Ain’t gonna fire my coach or bench my star
We’ve just gotta have a little time
Get our team into a little climb
Just last year we won two playoff rounds!”
Two months later and the Hurricanes are still dead-last
Bloggers sayin’, “Hey, isn’t this the new NHL?
Everyone’s above .500 now, how can this pass?
We’re looking like the ‘75 Capitals!”
This is the story of the Hurricanes
Out of the playoff race by Christmastime
They’ve gotta hope the ping-pongs run
So they can at least draft #1
But they used to be champions of the world!
This one, much older, started life as a comment Chris Botta's Islanders Point Blank blog, in January 2009.
Isles are in the basement, tankin’ on the season
I’m on Point Blank, thinkin’ ’bout the reasons
Bad drafts, dumb trades, front-office charades
Fifty games played and an injury parade
Look out, fans! Nothing getting done
Waiting on a new trend while riding out the old one
Snowie in a three-piece suit on the telephone
Wants a first-round pick, but they don’t wanna give him one
New coach, new kids, old vets, prospects,
Twelve third-liners and eleven second-round picks
Looking for a rebuild, tired of the quick-fix
Playin in an old barn in the middle of the sticks
Trying to save face, want to build a new space
Town drags its feet so they may be movin’ someplace
Look out, fans! It’s feeling old
Fifteen years with the same tale told
Feeling down, can’t get a shovel in the ground
And the town of Hempstead keeps jerkin’ us around
It's not so odd. Dylan is from Minnesota dere, ya know?
Saturday, December 19, 2009
Christmas @ The Spider's Church
The top pic is our music team (along with some other volunteers) singing some special music last Sunday. That's me on the right with the other tenor. Most of the folks in this pic are real musicians; I'm just bluffing me way in. This pic makes it look like I can actually read music. NOT!
Actually I can read a little music. For example, there are two melodies to "Away in a Manger". I can tell which melody I'm singing by the sheet music.
In the next pic you can see that I haven't cut my hair since May. Well, it's coming off after Christmas. Too high maintenance. The beard wasn't gray until the 2000 election. The need for bifocals make glasses more practical (and cheaper) than contact lenses.
This pic also shows the difficulties that I have finding a dress shirt that fits. I am a laundry bag with legs. A shirt with a neck big enough for me to wear a tie will be a dress on me. But then the occasions of my tie-wearing are rare.
I wanted to end this by talking about the place these pics were taken, Hope Bible Church in Tampa. Sure, the preaching is standard evangelical. Our pastors just open the Bible and talk about what's in it.
But good preaching is a waste in a place that is unwelcoming. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 13 that if he had all knowledge and all faith but no love he was nothing. This place and these good people are a sanctuary for me.
I really couldn't tell you how I am staying sober. Many have studied God's Word more than I, have prayed than I, have gone to more AA meetings than I and have stumbled. In this area I am totally at the mercy of the Almighty. Maybe the fact that these good people have taken me in as one of there own has something to do with it.
Thursday, December 17, 2009
Fun with goalie numbers
In a long-distant post, I remember discussing goalie stats, and how the standards changed historically from the old, pre-expansion NHL, through the expansion and scoring boom of the 70's and 80's, and into the "dead-puck" era and beyond. I can't find that post at all, sadly - it's not tagged. But I do remember that in the comments, someone suggested that links to the pertinent numbers and goalies would have helped.
Well, this is that... kind of. (I'm full of met expectations in this post, aren't I?)
The NHL's official stat pages for the keepers is a great resource for tinkering with numbers and comparing/contrasting.* The guys I found and linked below, I've picked for particular reasons. For example, you'll have heard that Martin Brodeur has won more regular-season games than any other goalie to play in the NH, and that he tied Terry Sawchuck's all-time-best mark for shutouts. You may also know that after last night's game against Montreal, he is tied with the former Canadien, Patrick Roy, for most regular-season appearances by a goalie. (If you click that first link above, you'll see it for yourself - at least if you click before the Devils play Ottawa on Friday, when Brodeur will pass Roy.)
*With one exception - they don't sort the career numbers based on any minimum number of games played, so the "all-time leaders" for the rate stats are pages of guys who played one game in net for their careers. It can be a hassle to page through those and try to find the actual career guys.
Brodeur got his 103 clean sheets by allowing 2.21 goals per 60 minutes (the goals-against average is the goalie equivalent to a pitcher's ERA). Sawchuck permitted 2.51. Does that make Brodeur clearly better? Is that more a function of the Devils' excellent system? It's hard to say. No complete records exist for the numbers of shots Sawchuck faced; we can't be sure what percentage of those he saved. And from there, it's another step to compare his average to the league average. Carl Yaztremski hit .301 in 1968, which sounds terrible to us, but he led the AL that year; it's possible that's more impressive than anyone who hit .335 in Coors Field during the steroid era. To take Roy as an example: he led the league in GAA in 1991-92. He saved 91.4% of shots against him, and surrendered 2.36 goals per full game; the league averaged 3.48 per team, per game. Bob Sauve led the league twelve seasons earlier with an identical GAA (save percentage not recorded), with teams averaging 3.52 goals per game. But nearly overnight, the game changed - in 1999-2000, Roy's 2.28 GAA (and identical .914 sv%) was only good for ninth, in a league where teams only scored 2.75 goals per game. Was Roy actually better in 2000, or in 1992?
But the data get better every day, as do the tools used to understand them. Tom Awad at Puck Prospectus has developed something called Goals Versus Threshold, for example. In brief, it takes offense, defense, and goaltending, separates and quantifies each, and translates it into how many goals that contribution is worth to a team. It's not easy to calculate, but it's a substantial move forward. Folks also like the Corsi rating, named for its inventor, former goalie coach Jim Corsi, though like any stat, it's not perfect.**
** I have a book on goalkeeping which has contributions from Corsi, and it's excellent, much like the article on Corsi you can reach by clicking his name above.
As far as the basics? Start with the unassuming, yet wonderfully-named, Doug Soetart. Soetart finished his career with a winning record... but his GAA was 3.97. It's the largest GAA I could find for any keeper who won at least 100 games, and more than he lost. Even during the superball scoring of his time, it was rare for a guy with much worse numbers to keep playing.
You'll notice that in the few years Soetart's sv% was recorded, it was fairly unremarkable. Ken Wregget, the longtime Flyer and Penguin (among others), was one of the first keepers who played an entire career with shots and saves officially recorded, and you'll see that he never reached .900 until 1995, and never got under 3 goals per game until three seasons after. Not coincidentally, these were the beginning of the lower-scoring environments following the loss of half the '94-'95 season. Wregget only recorded 9 shutouts for his career, and six of those were beyond this cutoff.
There's a lot of examples like this that suggest that a goalie is often dependent on the team in front of him to put up the sorts of statistics that catch attention; it's also part of why a number of people don't automatically call Brodeur the best goalie in history, just because he tops so many all-time lists. Had the Islanders drafted him in 1990 instead of the Devils, for example, he wouldn't have played behind Scott Stevens, Scott Neidermeyer, Ken Daneyko, and Colin White, but behind Kenny Jonsson, Scott LaChance, Rich Pilon, and Radek Martinek. Jonsson was a fine defender, but I don't think there's much of a comparison. (Didn't pick those names at random, either - they're the four defenders who played the most games for those franchises since 1993, when Brodeur came up for good. And fifth/sixth are Brian Rafalski and Tommy Albelin vs. Eric Cairns and Roman Hamrlik. Oy.)
The most stark example I could find was old-time Charlie Gardiner, a Scotsman (aye!) who finished his career way back in 1934 with a 2.02 GAA... and a career losing record. He was one of the last goalies to be named a captain (the NHL forbade it for many years, but recently permitted Vancouver's Roberto Luongo the honor); and won the Stanley Cup his last year while suffering from an illness that eventually killed him; he was named to the Hall of Fame in 1945. That 2.02 is eye-popping, but the league's teams only scored 2.41 times per game in his last season. He began his career before forward passing was permitted. He also played for the so-called "goalless wonders," the Chicago Black Hawks.***
*** The 1906 Chicago White Sox were known as the Hitless Wonders... the '59 AL pennant winners weren't much better. Maybe it's the city?
At least Gardiner won a title. More modern (and less successful) examples include:
Doug Favell - 123-153-69, 3.17 GAA. Started with the expansion Flyers, moved to the dreadful mid-70's Maple Leafs, and ended with the expansion Colorado Rockies. Played from '67-'79.
Gary Smith - 173-261-74, 3.39 GAA. A victim of one of the worst squads in NHL history, the late, lamented Oakland/California Seals. Went 19-34-12 in '69-'70 despite a respectable 3.11 GAA; moved to Vancouver and went 32-24-9 with a 3.09 GAA and six shutouts in '74-'75. Played from 1965-1980.
Tommy Salo - 210-225-73, 2.55 GAA. Favored whipping boy of his own GM, "Mad" Mike Milbury (may his name be razed). Won a gold medal in the 1994 Olympics, then moved to the Islanders, and eventually the Oilers; good enough to shut out 37 NHL opponents from 1994-2004.
Jamie Storr - 85-86-23, 2.54 GAA. Seventh-overall pick in the 1993 entry draft, and tossed into action too soon behind some mediocre LA Kings squads. Went 0-8 in his last NHL season to sneak under .500, and now plays in Germany. Played exactly the same years as Salo.
Ron Tugnutt - 186-239-62, 3.05 GAA. Another fine example of how the game changes: in 1990-91, Tugger had a 4.05 GAA in 56 games for Quebec; in 1998-99, in the midst of the dead puck era, he led the NHL with a 1.79 GAA in 43 games for Ottawa. During that 1991 season, he faced 73 shots in a single game against Boston, stopping 70, for one of the greatest ties in league history. Played from 1987-2004.
On the other end, there's Michel Larocque, who backed up Ken Dryden on the Montreal dynasty teams of the 70's. He finished 160-89-45 with a 3.33 GAA from 1973-1984; but more accurately, he had two careers: Montreal ('73-'81: 144-48-31, 2.83 GAA,17 SO) and everywhere else ('81-'84: 16-41-14, 5.56 GAA, 0 SO). Nobody could blame Larocque for playing second fiddle to Hall-of-Famer Dryden, but he failed to beat out Denis Herron in 1980; was supplanted by Richard Sevigny in 1981, and was moved to Toronto. There he was outdone by backup Vincent Tremblay (out of the NHL by age 24!) and then lost his job to the underrated Mike Palmateer. His last year was as the third goalie for St Louis, who had Mike Liut and Rick Heinz (who only played 49 games in his career, but now runs a goalie school). At every stop Larocque was usually a half-goal or more worse per game than his fellow keepers. The W-L-T record is wildly misleading when compared to his other stats and his teammates.
Two other notables are John Vanbiesbrouck, the all-time winningest US goalie, and Oilers/Sabres/Blues stalwart Grant Fuhr. Both Hall-of-Famers from the 1981 draft class, with numbers which may pale next to modern keepers, but which were considerable when measured against their peers. VBK played for mostly forgettable teams and won 30+ games only once, leading the league with 31 in 1985-86; Fuhr was the keeper for the Oilers dynasties in the mid-late 80's, and thus won more often; but his career GAA and sv% were worse and he had fewer shutouts (3.38, .887, and 25 SO against 2.98, .889, and 40 SO for Beezer). He also had two fewer cool nicknames, though that wasn't his fault - "Grant Fuhr" is simple and memorable, and no reporter wants to spell "Vanbiesbrouck" five times, especially in the days when "cut and paste" involved an X-acto knife and Elmer's glue.
Well, this is that... kind of. (I'm full of met expectations in this post, aren't I?)
The NHL's official stat pages for the keepers is a great resource for tinkering with numbers and comparing/contrasting.* The guys I found and linked below, I've picked for particular reasons. For example, you'll have heard that Martin Brodeur has won more regular-season games than any other goalie to play in the NH, and that he tied Terry Sawchuck's all-time-best mark for shutouts. You may also know that after last night's game against Montreal, he is tied with the former Canadien, Patrick Roy, for most regular-season appearances by a goalie. (If you click that first link above, you'll see it for yourself - at least if you click before the Devils play Ottawa on Friday, when Brodeur will pass Roy.)
*With one exception - they don't sort the career numbers based on any minimum number of games played, so the "all-time leaders" for the rate stats are pages of guys who played one game in net for their careers. It can be a hassle to page through those and try to find the actual career guys.
Brodeur got his 103 clean sheets by allowing 2.21 goals per 60 minutes (the goals-against average is the goalie equivalent to a pitcher's ERA). Sawchuck permitted 2.51. Does that make Brodeur clearly better? Is that more a function of the Devils' excellent system? It's hard to say. No complete records exist for the numbers of shots Sawchuck faced; we can't be sure what percentage of those he saved. And from there, it's another step to compare his average to the league average. Carl Yaztremski hit .301 in 1968, which sounds terrible to us, but he led the AL that year; it's possible that's more impressive than anyone who hit .335 in Coors Field during the steroid era. To take Roy as an example: he led the league in GAA in 1991-92. He saved 91.4% of shots against him, and surrendered 2.36 goals per full game; the league averaged 3.48 per team, per game. Bob Sauve led the league twelve seasons earlier with an identical GAA (save percentage not recorded), with teams averaging 3.52 goals per game. But nearly overnight, the game changed - in 1999-2000, Roy's 2.28 GAA (and identical .914 sv%) was only good for ninth, in a league where teams only scored 2.75 goals per game. Was Roy actually better in 2000, or in 1992?
But the data get better every day, as do the tools used to understand them. Tom Awad at Puck Prospectus has developed something called Goals Versus Threshold, for example. In brief, it takes offense, defense, and goaltending, separates and quantifies each, and translates it into how many goals that contribution is worth to a team. It's not easy to calculate, but it's a substantial move forward. Folks also like the Corsi rating, named for its inventor, former goalie coach Jim Corsi, though like any stat, it's not perfect.**
** I have a book on goalkeeping which has contributions from Corsi, and it's excellent, much like the article on Corsi you can reach by clicking his name above.
As far as the basics? Start with the unassuming, yet wonderfully-named, Doug Soetart. Soetart finished his career with a winning record... but his GAA was 3.97. It's the largest GAA I could find for any keeper who won at least 100 games, and more than he lost. Even during the superball scoring of his time, it was rare for a guy with much worse numbers to keep playing.
You'll notice that in the few years Soetart's sv% was recorded, it was fairly unremarkable. Ken Wregget, the longtime Flyer and Penguin (among others), was one of the first keepers who played an entire career with shots and saves officially recorded, and you'll see that he never reached .900 until 1995, and never got under 3 goals per game until three seasons after. Not coincidentally, these were the beginning of the lower-scoring environments following the loss of half the '94-'95 season. Wregget only recorded 9 shutouts for his career, and six of those were beyond this cutoff.
There's a lot of examples like this that suggest that a goalie is often dependent on the team in front of him to put up the sorts of statistics that catch attention; it's also part of why a number of people don't automatically call Brodeur the best goalie in history, just because he tops so many all-time lists. Had the Islanders drafted him in 1990 instead of the Devils, for example, he wouldn't have played behind Scott Stevens, Scott Neidermeyer, Ken Daneyko, and Colin White, but behind Kenny Jonsson, Scott LaChance, Rich Pilon, and Radek Martinek. Jonsson was a fine defender, but I don't think there's much of a comparison. (Didn't pick those names at random, either - they're the four defenders who played the most games for those franchises since 1993, when Brodeur came up for good. And fifth/sixth are Brian Rafalski and Tommy Albelin vs. Eric Cairns and Roman Hamrlik. Oy.)
The most stark example I could find was old-time Charlie Gardiner, a Scotsman (aye!) who finished his career way back in 1934 with a 2.02 GAA... and a career losing record. He was one of the last goalies to be named a captain (the NHL forbade it for many years, but recently permitted Vancouver's Roberto Luongo the honor); and won the Stanley Cup his last year while suffering from an illness that eventually killed him; he was named to the Hall of Fame in 1945. That 2.02 is eye-popping, but the league's teams only scored 2.41 times per game in his last season. He began his career before forward passing was permitted. He also played for the so-called "goalless wonders," the Chicago Black Hawks.***
*** The 1906 Chicago White Sox were known as the Hitless Wonders... the '59 AL pennant winners weren't much better. Maybe it's the city?
At least Gardiner won a title. More modern (and less successful) examples include:
Doug Favell - 123-153-69, 3.17 GAA. Started with the expansion Flyers, moved to the dreadful mid-70's Maple Leafs, and ended with the expansion Colorado Rockies. Played from '67-'79.
Gary Smith - 173-261-74, 3.39 GAA. A victim of one of the worst squads in NHL history, the late, lamented Oakland/California Seals. Went 19-34-12 in '69-'70 despite a respectable 3.11 GAA; moved to Vancouver and went 32-24-9 with a 3.09 GAA and six shutouts in '74-'75. Played from 1965-1980.
Tommy Salo - 210-225-73, 2.55 GAA. Favored whipping boy of his own GM, "Mad" Mike Milbury (may his name be razed). Won a gold medal in the 1994 Olympics, then moved to the Islanders, and eventually the Oilers; good enough to shut out 37 NHL opponents from 1994-2004.
Jamie Storr - 85-86-23, 2.54 GAA. Seventh-overall pick in the 1993 entry draft, and tossed into action too soon behind some mediocre LA Kings squads. Went 0-8 in his last NHL season to sneak under .500, and now plays in Germany. Played exactly the same years as Salo.
Ron Tugnutt - 186-239-62, 3.05 GAA. Another fine example of how the game changes: in 1990-91, Tugger had a 4.05 GAA in 56 games for Quebec; in 1998-99, in the midst of the dead puck era, he led the NHL with a 1.79 GAA in 43 games for Ottawa. During that 1991 season, he faced 73 shots in a single game against Boston, stopping 70, for one of the greatest ties in league history. Played from 1987-2004.
On the other end, there's Michel Larocque, who backed up Ken Dryden on the Montreal dynasty teams of the 70's. He finished 160-89-45 with a 3.33 GAA from 1973-1984; but more accurately, he had two careers: Montreal ('73-'81: 144-48-31, 2.83 GAA,17 SO) and everywhere else ('81-'84: 16-41-14, 5.56 GAA, 0 SO). Nobody could blame Larocque for playing second fiddle to Hall-of-Famer Dryden, but he failed to beat out Denis Herron in 1980; was supplanted by Richard Sevigny in 1981, and was moved to Toronto. There he was outdone by backup Vincent Tremblay (out of the NHL by age 24!) and then lost his job to the underrated Mike Palmateer. His last year was as the third goalie for St Louis, who had Mike Liut and Rick Heinz (who only played 49 games in his career, but now runs a goalie school). At every stop Larocque was usually a half-goal or more worse per game than his fellow keepers. The W-L-T record is wildly misleading when compared to his other stats and his teammates.
Two other notables are John Vanbiesbrouck, the all-time winningest US goalie, and Oilers/Sabres/Blues stalwart Grant Fuhr. Both Hall-of-Famers from the 1981 draft class, with numbers which may pale next to modern keepers, but which were considerable when measured against their peers. VBK played for mostly forgettable teams and won 30+ games only once, leading the league with 31 in 1985-86; Fuhr was the keeper for the Oilers dynasties in the mid-late 80's, and thus won more often; but his career GAA and sv% were worse and he had fewer shutouts (3.38, .887, and 25 SO against 2.98, .889, and 40 SO for Beezer). He also had two fewer cool nicknames, though that wasn't his fault - "Grant Fuhr" is simple and memorable, and no reporter wants to spell "Vanbiesbrouck" five times, especially in the days when "cut and paste" involved an X-acto knife and Elmer's glue.
Monday, December 14, 2009
Sharp-saving
This started ten days ago... I read about Hawerchuk's quick item here at Tango's site. It's devoted mostly to baseball and sabermetrics - excellent for fans and students alike. The art of recording and analyzing hockey data is jumping forward, and Tango posts a couple of times a week on it.
In any case, I stuck a comment out there... and, like most of my comments in places like this, it made no visible impact. I don't mind that, actually, since what I don't know about advanced statistics could fill a typical introductory textbook on the subject, no matter what the real standings posts may say. But I do find it interesting to follow the topics as they develop and see other people who may have thought along similar lines, and see what they post about it.
If all this puck talk bores you, I do apologize. I haven't the energy to risk much more right now.
In any case, I stuck a comment out there... and, like most of my comments in places like this, it made no visible impact. I don't mind that, actually, since what I don't know about advanced statistics could fill a typical introductory textbook on the subject, no matter what the real standings posts may say. But I do find it interesting to follow the topics as they develop and see other people who may have thought along similar lines, and see what they post about it.
It is not surprising that winning teams tend to have higher save percentages, but this save percentage split is much larger than normal (this year goalies have averaged .939 in all wins and .873 in all losses). Even though these teams outshot their opponents by a 2-to-1 margin on average, they still lost 40% of the time. This indicates that often a goalie does not have a low save percentage because of a low shot total, but rather that he has a low shot total because of a low save percentage.Emphasis mine, just to highlight the similarity to what I'd written last week:
Those two trends seem to suggest that stopping a high percentage of shots is what pushes the totals higher, not the reverse. In his four worst save % performances of the year, [Cam] Ward was yanked every time, meaning that he didn’t play well enough to be allowed the chance to face a lot of shots - in much the same way as a pitcher getting smacked around doesn’t get a lot of IPs.Incidentally, the author of that Puck Prospectus piece, Phil Myrland, blogs at the provocatively-titled Brodeur is a Fraud. Many of his sidebar links go to other worthy, puck-oriented writers (haven't checked them all). At this rate I may need a separate hockey section of the blogroll.
If all this puck talk bores you, I do apologize. I haven't the energy to risk much more right now.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Clone cars
I was glancing through this slideshow and, when I saw Honda's P-NUT concept car, I felt something... a presence I'd not felt since...
It's a trap! We can't repel mileage of that magnitude!
It's a trap! We can't repel mileage of that magnitude!
Whose Idea Was This?
Was Joan Baez booked?
There's no reason to apologize for supporting U.S. war efforts, American country singer Toby Keith said Friday, just hours before performing at the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert.
Keith, whose 2002 saber-rattling hit "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" was inspired by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said he stands by President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.
Keith's appearance at the downtown Oslo Spektrum arena, scheduled for 1900 GMT (2 p.m. EST), has been questioned by Norwegians dismayed that a performer known for a fervent pro-war anthem is playing at a show focused on peace.
Toby Keith is one of the most politically incorrect country singers around. He would be the last guy I would expect to be invited to play at the Nobel Peace Prize concert.
I guess Europeans like country music because, Toby played there last year as well.
There's no reason to apologize for supporting U.S. war efforts, American country singer Toby Keith said Friday, just hours before performing at the annual Nobel Peace Prize concert.
Keith, whose 2002 saber-rattling hit "Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)" was inspired by the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said he stands by President Barack Obama's decision to send 30,000 troops to Afghanistan.
Keith's appearance at the downtown Oslo Spektrum arena, scheduled for 1900 GMT (2 p.m. EST), has been questioned by Norwegians dismayed that a performer known for a fervent pro-war anthem is playing at a show focused on peace.
Toby Keith is one of the most politically incorrect country singers around. He would be the last guy I would expect to be invited to play at the Nobel Peace Prize concert.
I guess Europeans like country music because, Toby played there last year as well.
Real Standings 4½ - now with value-added commentary!
I'm running this earlier than usual so the links below wouldn't grow stale. The standings are updated through Thursday's action. -nf
As a twist, I've added an additional line to the end of the tables, which you will see at the end - the teams are still sorted the way the NHL wants them to be, but next to "actual points" is a new column labelled 3-1-0. That simply means, three points for a win, one for a tie, and nothing for a loss.
I love the idea behind the system, in that it would assess a premium on winning the game. I'd extend overtime to ten minutes, or even a full period (twenty minutes), to further increase the chances for a decision, and scrap the shootout, because it's inherently unfair to have teams cop extra points on a skills competition after the game is finished - especially one that is more luck than skill. Teams would definitely push for more wins, even at the cost of an occasional loss: 1-1 would be better than 0-0-2; heck, 3-5 would be better than 0-0-8. Notice how, below, the Sabres would be well ahead of the Bruins, on the strength of having four more wins? That's the idea - reward teams that win their games, knowing that ties are no longer an option in the playoffs.
The only downside is that, at the extremes, it could become almost as unfair as the system it replaces.
Assume two teams go to OT every game. One goes all out for every point and finishes 30-52 for 90 points. The other tries to stall for the sure point every time, only countering in the most obvious situations (blocks leading to breakaways, for example). They split their games with the all-out team, draw everything else, and finish 3-3-76 for 85 points.
A team that has 49 more losses than another would look very odd indeed above them in the standings, even given the 27 more wins. Not that either would make the playoffs anyway, but to take a less extreme example - say the same two teams with 20 OT games each, not an unheard-of total. They each go 40-22 in regulation, but the tie-up team takes its 20 draws, while the all-outers split their games 7-13. The 47-35 team will finish ahead of the 40-22-20 team by one point. That could be a problem.
One compromise is to muddle up the two systems - three for a win, nothing for a loss, but only for regulation and overtime. Once the game gets to a shootout, each team gets a point, with the successful team (it could hardly be called a "win") gets the third point. The standings would look odd: just as an example:
A. 35-30 (12- 5) 134
B. 38-34 ( 7- 3) 131
C. 34-28 ( 7-13) 129
D. 33-33 (10- 6) 125
E. 30-30 (11-11) 123
That's regulation record (shootout record) total points, where the total points equals 3*wins + 2*SO wins + SO losses. It looks odd, but people would get used to it if you broke it up in pairs like that; but I dislike it for a different reason. If you go through it and subtract shootout losses from the total points, you would make just one change: team C would finish behind team D, which would be more fair, because D's winning percentage (43/82, .524) is better than C's (41/82, .500). Whenever possible, we want the teams winning more often to be the playoff teams, because in the playoffs, it's win or lose, no pity points, and no pat on the back for hanging in there for 60 or 65 minutes.
The thing is, nobody - NOBODY - complained that the 2-1-0 system was unfair. They complained that there were too many ties, that the ends of games were boring. The league added the five-minute regular-season OT in response, but ties didn't go down "enough," so they cooked up solutions to a problem that really didn't exist, and made it worse. All the fixes debated above, and elsewhere in the hockey world, have varying merits, but the simplest fix would simply be to go back to the old, not-really-broken system... just make the OT a real hockey period, sudden death, and not the five-minute afterthought we currently have.
As a twist, I've added an additional line to the end of the tables, which you will see at the end - the teams are still sorted the way the NHL wants them to be, but next to "actual points" is a new column labelled 3-1-0. That simply means, three points for a win, one for a tie, and nothing for a loss.
I love the idea behind the system, in that it would assess a premium on winning the game. I'd extend overtime to ten minutes, or even a full period (twenty minutes), to further increase the chances for a decision, and scrap the shootout, because it's inherently unfair to have teams cop extra points on a skills competition after the game is finished - especially one that is more luck than skill. Teams would definitely push for more wins, even at the cost of an occasional loss: 1-1 would be better than 0-0-2; heck, 3-5 would be better than 0-0-8. Notice how, below, the Sabres would be well ahead of the Bruins, on the strength of having four more wins? That's the idea - reward teams that win their games, knowing that ties are no longer an option in the playoffs.
The only downside is that, at the extremes, it could become almost as unfair as the system it replaces.
Assume two teams go to OT every game. One goes all out for every point and finishes 30-52 for 90 points. The other tries to stall for the sure point every time, only countering in the most obvious situations (blocks leading to breakaways, for example). They split their games with the all-out team, draw everything else, and finish 3-3-76 for 85 points.
A team that has 49 more losses than another would look very odd indeed above them in the standings, even given the 27 more wins. Not that either would make the playoffs anyway, but to take a less extreme example - say the same two teams with 20 OT games each, not an unheard-of total. They each go 40-22 in regulation, but the tie-up team takes its 20 draws, while the all-outers split their games 7-13. The 47-35 team will finish ahead of the 40-22-20 team by one point. That could be a problem.
One compromise is to muddle up the two systems - three for a win, nothing for a loss, but only for regulation and overtime. Once the game gets to a shootout, each team gets a point, with the successful team (it could hardly be called a "win") gets the third point. The standings would look odd: just as an example:
A. 35-30 (12- 5) 134
B. 38-34 ( 7- 3) 131
C. 34-28 ( 7-13) 129
D. 33-33 (10- 6) 125
E. 30-30 (11-11) 123
That's regulation record (shootout record) total points, where the total points equals 3*wins + 2*SO wins + SO losses. It looks odd, but people would get used to it if you broke it up in pairs like that; but I dislike it for a different reason. If you go through it and subtract shootout losses from the total points, you would make just one change: team C would finish behind team D, which would be more fair, because D's winning percentage (43/82, .524) is better than C's (41/82, .500). Whenever possible, we want the teams winning more often to be the playoff teams, because in the playoffs, it's win or lose, no pity points, and no pat on the back for hanging in there for 60 or 65 minutes.
The thing is, nobody - NOBODY - complained that the 2-1-0 system was unfair. They complained that there were too many ties, that the ends of games were boring. The league added the five-minute regular-season OT in response, but ties didn't go down "enough," so they cooked up solutions to a problem that really didn't exist, and made it worse. All the fixes debated above, and elsewhere in the hockey world, have varying merits, but the simplest fix would simply be to go back to the old, not-really-broken system... just make the OT a real hockey period, sudden death, and not the five-minute afterthought we currently have.
Wednesday, December 09, 2009
Das Leben der Anderen
or The Lives of Others.
The story of the Stasi (the East German secret police) monitoring a playwright and his actress girlfriend circa 1984. These lefties who think that the old Soviet Union was the greatest thing since sliced bread need to see this movie.
German with English subtitles. Maybe twenty years ago I could have gotten by without subtitles, but not today.
One scene of nudity, but it's not porn. It's actually quite depressing.
The story of the Stasi (the East German secret police) monitoring a playwright and his actress girlfriend circa 1984. These lefties who think that the old Soviet Union was the greatest thing since sliced bread need to see this movie.
German with English subtitles. Maybe twenty years ago I could have gotten by without subtitles, but not today.
One scene of nudity, but it's not porn. It's actually quite depressing.
Tuesday, December 08, 2009
The Difference Between Tiger Woods and Max Baucus
Tiger pays off his mistresses with his own money.
In nominating his girlfriend for the job of U.S. attorney, Montana Sen. Max Baucus didn't disclose the relationship to the White House, Montana's other senator or a local attorney tapped to review potential candidates, several people involved in the process said Sunday.
Dana Christensen, a Montana lawyer who reviewed Mr. Baucus's recommendations for the post, said in an interview Sunday that he didn't know that one of the six applicants, Melodee Hanes, had a personal relationship with Mr. Baucus, a Democrat.
It may be his personal business, but when former NJ governor McGreevey put his boyfriend on the state payroll, when SC governor Sanford disappears for a week and may have used state assets to "hike the Appalachian Trail", and when a US senator tries to hook his girlfriend up with a federal prosecutor billet, then it becomes the people's business.
In nominating his girlfriend for the job of U.S. attorney, Montana Sen. Max Baucus didn't disclose the relationship to the White House, Montana's other senator or a local attorney tapped to review potential candidates, several people involved in the process said Sunday.
Dana Christensen, a Montana lawyer who reviewed Mr. Baucus's recommendations for the post, said in an interview Sunday that he didn't know that one of the six applicants, Melodee Hanes, had a personal relationship with Mr. Baucus, a Democrat.
It may be his personal business, but when former NJ governor McGreevey put his boyfriend on the state payroll, when SC governor Sanford disappears for a week and may have used state assets to "hike the Appalachian Trail", and when a US senator tries to hook his girlfriend up with a federal prosecutor billet, then it becomes the people's business.
Monday, December 07, 2009
Classic (Standings) IV
Your Eastern Conference:
And your Western Conference:
This week's charts highlights one of the big downsides to the pity-point system: the playoff races aren't as tight. Five of the six divisions would have closer races if the league still scored under its previous rules. Only the Central Division would be otherwise, as Chicago's lead over Nashville and Detroit would move from five and six points to six and eight points. The Southeast and Northeast are the strongest the other way - Washington's nine-point edge over Atlanta would be a less-comfortable five, and in the old Adams Division (the Northeast), Boston's lead over Buffalo would actually be a deficit. That's rather a huge deal. Instead of the third seed as the weakest division winner (and a home-ice advantage over sixth-seeded Buffalo), the Bruins would slide all the way to seventh, and have to open the playoffs on the road, against Ovechkin and the Capitals.
Further, it's harder to make up ground in the new system. Not only are certain teams further behind than otherwise, but to make up that extra distance, they have to hope the teams ahead of them don't scrape points after regulation. That just makes it harder. On the surface it's more exciting to look at the standings and see your team at or above .500, a thrill that 80% of the league currently enjoys. It's not so much of a thrill, however, when you realize that even a great run isn't likely to move you up in the standings so long as the teams you chase are getting extra points from a skills competition after the actual games end. Think of the Columbus Blue Jackets and their fans. 13-11-5 sounds better than 11-11-7... except now they're eleventh in the conference, well out of the playoffs. They have to pass Vancouver and Detroit and catch Dallas, currently eighth. But in the old system, they'd already be ahead of Detroit, and they'd only be behind Dallas by one win (31 points to 29). They could do that on Wednesday against Florida, who are fairly poor. Oh, but not now... and not with Dallas' Marty Turco leading all goaltenders in overtime games. If he wasn't 1-5 in shootouts, it would be even worse.
(OK, to be fair, Columbus has Steve Mason, who is the only goalie in the league currently WORSE than Turco in the shootout this season. But is it fair to either team to have it come to this?)
And your Western Conference:
This week's charts highlights one of the big downsides to the pity-point system: the playoff races aren't as tight. Five of the six divisions would have closer races if the league still scored under its previous rules. Only the Central Division would be otherwise, as Chicago's lead over Nashville and Detroit would move from five and six points to six and eight points. The Southeast and Northeast are the strongest the other way - Washington's nine-point edge over Atlanta would be a less-comfortable five, and in the old Adams Division (the Northeast), Boston's lead over Buffalo would actually be a deficit. That's rather a huge deal. Instead of the third seed as the weakest division winner (and a home-ice advantage over sixth-seeded Buffalo), the Bruins would slide all the way to seventh, and have to open the playoffs on the road, against Ovechkin and the Capitals.
Further, it's harder to make up ground in the new system. Not only are certain teams further behind than otherwise, but to make up that extra distance, they have to hope the teams ahead of them don't scrape points after regulation. That just makes it harder. On the surface it's more exciting to look at the standings and see your team at or above .500, a thrill that 80% of the league currently enjoys. It's not so much of a thrill, however, when you realize that even a great run isn't likely to move you up in the standings so long as the teams you chase are getting extra points from a skills competition after the actual games end. Think of the Columbus Blue Jackets and their fans. 13-11-5 sounds better than 11-11-7... except now they're eleventh in the conference, well out of the playoffs. They have to pass Vancouver and Detroit and catch Dallas, currently eighth. But in the old system, they'd already be ahead of Detroit, and they'd only be behind Dallas by one win (31 points to 29). They could do that on Wednesday against Florida, who are fairly poor. Oh, but not now... and not with Dallas' Marty Turco leading all goaltenders in overtime games. If he wasn't 1-5 in shootouts, it would be even worse.
(OK, to be fair, Columbus has Steve Mason, who is the only goalie in the league currently WORSE than Turco in the shootout this season. But is it fair to either team to have it come to this?)
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Tiger Woods, Job Creator
Full disclosure: the guy posting this flunked out of the Accounting Department at Rutgers.
Tiger Woods is a job creator. Would Nike even have a golf division if Tiger didn't exist? Nike pays him millions because he moves product. People need to be hired to make and sell the product Tiger moves. Tiger, therefore creates jobs. Sadly, Tiger's current issues prevented him from going to the White House for the jobs photo op and tell this to a president who appears to be ignorant of these things.
Tiger Woods makes money for the other golfers he beats. There are many people (I am one of them) who only watch golf to see Tiger. Tiger sells more tickets and gets more eyeballs watching commercials. Tournaments get more revenue from sponsors and ticket sales. Organizers can raise the prize money. You may have finished fourth, but you made more money than if you finished third in a Tigerless world.
Two things I think of when I hear chuckleheads saying higher taxes for those making $250K per year or greater won't affect them. First I wonder which commandment talks about coveting what is not yours. Then I think, "You chuckleheads! Obama's taking money from the customers of your employer!" A central air system installed right starts at $5K. Fewer people are going to be able to pony of that kind of dough if they have to hand more over to the US Treasury. What does a tax increase on the rich mean to guys like me? Bye-bye overtime, and maybe 40hrs per week as well. And chucklehead wonders why he got laid off.
You guys who know more about this stuff are welcome to correct any faulty thinking I may have. Remember, I flunked out of Accounting at RU.
Tiger Woods is a job creator. Would Nike even have a golf division if Tiger didn't exist? Nike pays him millions because he moves product. People need to be hired to make and sell the product Tiger moves. Tiger, therefore creates jobs. Sadly, Tiger's current issues prevented him from going to the White House for the jobs photo op and tell this to a president who appears to be ignorant of these things.
Tiger Woods makes money for the other golfers he beats. There are many people (I am one of them) who only watch golf to see Tiger. Tiger sells more tickets and gets more eyeballs watching commercials. Tournaments get more revenue from sponsors and ticket sales. Organizers can raise the prize money. You may have finished fourth, but you made more money than if you finished third in a Tigerless world.
Two things I think of when I hear chuckleheads saying higher taxes for those making $250K per year or greater won't affect them. First I wonder which commandment talks about coveting what is not yours. Then I think, "You chuckleheads! Obama's taking money from the customers of your employer!" A central air system installed right starts at $5K. Fewer people are going to be able to pony of that kind of dough if they have to hand more over to the US Treasury. What does a tax increase on the rich mean to guys like me? Bye-bye overtime, and maybe 40hrs per week as well. And chucklehead wonders why he got laid off.
You guys who know more about this stuff are welcome to correct any faulty thinking I may have. Remember, I flunked out of Accounting at RU.
Thursday, December 03, 2009
Wednesday, December 02, 2009
Tiger, Tiger burning bright
Keep your way far from her And do not go near the door of her house,
Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one ;
And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien ;
And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed ;
Proverbs 5:8-11
Not a whole lot has changed in the 3000 years since these words were written. And from what we know of the writer he didn't follow his own advice.
The technology makes things more interesting. Bathsheba never had any text messages or voicemail to hang over King David's head. And maybe a rewrite where the poor guy loses his hard-earned goods to the cocktail waitress.
For a guy who is world famous, Tiger has worked hard to mind his own business. He's never been on MSNBC calling me a teabagger or a racist. He has done nothing to harm the economy. In fact, he has probably created more jobs than the other public figures mentioned on this blog. Hopefully he can get his family back together.
Or you will give your vigor to others And your years to the cruel one ;
And strangers will be filled with your strength And your hard-earned goods will go to the house of an alien ;
And you groan at your final end, When your flesh and your body are consumed ;
Proverbs 5:8-11
Not a whole lot has changed in the 3000 years since these words were written. And from what we know of the writer he didn't follow his own advice.
The technology makes things more interesting. Bathsheba never had any text messages or voicemail to hang over King David's head. And maybe a rewrite where the poor guy loses his hard-earned goods to the cocktail waitress.
For a guy who is world famous, Tiger has worked hard to mind his own business. He's never been on MSNBC calling me a teabagger or a racist. He has done nothing to harm the economy. In fact, he has probably created more jobs than the other public figures mentioned on this blog. Hopefully he can get his family back together.
Tuesday, December 01, 2009
The real standings, hopefully improved
These images should at least be larger and more legible - I uploaded each conference as a separate image. Blogger lets me make each individual picture a bit bigger, with better resolution, if I do that rather than upload the whole shebang as a unit.
A table would be the gold standard, however. Hm... in a series of posts mocking the league's pity points, my method could at best be described as a shootout loss - thus deserving of a pity point itself. At least I've successfully employed the concept of irony in my blogging.
Nonetheless I will still decry; heck, at least I'm trying to improve. The NHL seems more than happy about their system, and I think I see why. Say you're CommissionerGarrison Keillor Gary Bettman. You have to interest a non-market such as Phoenix to accept a transplanted team like the Winnipeg Jets, who finished the 1993-94 season a dreadful 24-51-9. Or, let's say you're trying to expand into new markets... but your expansion Tampa Bay Lightning were less than an exemplary example - that's 17-55-10 in '97-98 and 19-54-9 in '98-99. Yeah, who wants in?
So, the very next year, Bettman introduces an overtime loss column. Instead of Tampa duplicating its 19-54-9 record, it gets to say it was 19-47-9-7. Voila! And the brand-new Atlanta Thrashers avoid 60 losses by moving four of them to this OTL column. Huzzah! So what if these points wind up costing the Carolina Hurricanes (37-35-10) a playoff spot in favor of the inferior Buffalo Sabres (35-36-11, but four of the losses were in OT)? And by 2001-02, there were no 50-loss teams in the league; or, scratch that, there were three, but only if you actually count the OTL as an L. And the year after that, 27 of the 30 teams could say, hey, we got points in more than half our games! Somehow only three NHL teams managed to lose 40 or more games.
The extra column drove purists crazy, but it kept the owners happy. Nobody wants to say they were well-below .500, so the extra points were a godsend. Then, after they blew up the 2004-2005 season, they came back with the shootout - because if points for losing was good, then points for winning after the game was over was doubleplusgood!
As a result you have the table below, where 24 out of 30 teams are .500 or better. Everybody's above-average!
Well... not Carolina. Even their pity-point record is 5-17-5; it's almost impossible to be that bad under any circumstance. That translates into a full-year record of 15-51-15 with one game to play; even under the old rules, it's a record of futility that few teams have matched. But under the old rules, the 'Canes would be 2-19-6. There's just no way to sugar-coat that. It's epically bad, a SIX WIN pace. Even if they could scrape the seventh win in the last game, that's a full-year of 7-57-18, and only the ties would keep them from being possibly the worst team in the history of the league. Their seven wins would break the old 1975 Washington Capitals record for the fewest in the expansion era.
A table would be the gold standard, however. Hm... in a series of posts mocking the league's pity points, my method could at best be described as a shootout loss - thus deserving of a pity point itself. At least I've successfully employed the concept of irony in my blogging.
Nonetheless I will still decry; heck, at least I'm trying to improve. The NHL seems more than happy about their system, and I think I see why. Say you're Commissioner
So, the very next year, Bettman introduces an overtime loss column. Instead of Tampa duplicating its 19-54-9 record, it gets to say it was 19-47-9-7. Voila! And the brand-new Atlanta Thrashers avoid 60 losses by moving four of them to this OTL column. Huzzah! So what if these points wind up costing the Carolina Hurricanes (37-35-10) a playoff spot in favor of the inferior Buffalo Sabres (35-36-11, but four of the losses were in OT)? And by 2001-02, there were no 50-loss teams in the league; or, scratch that, there were three, but only if you actually count the OTL as an L. And the year after that, 27 of the 30 teams could say, hey, we got points in more than half our games! Somehow only three NHL teams managed to lose 40 or more games.
The extra column drove purists crazy, but it kept the owners happy. Nobody wants to say they were well-below .500, so the extra points were a godsend. Then, after they blew up the 2004-2005 season, they came back with the shootout - because if points for losing was good, then points for winning after the game was over was doubleplusgood!
As a result you have the table below, where 24 out of 30 teams are .500 or better. Everybody's above-average!
Well... not Carolina. Even their pity-point record is 5-17-5; it's almost impossible to be that bad under any circumstance. That translates into a full-year record of 15-51-15 with one game to play; even under the old rules, it's a record of futility that few teams have matched. But under the old rules, the 'Canes would be 2-19-6. There's just no way to sugar-coat that. It's epically bad, a SIX WIN pace. Even if they could scrape the seventh win in the last game, that's a full-year of 7-57-18, and only the ties would keep them from being possibly the worst team in the history of the league. Their seven wins would break the old 1975 Washington Capitals record for the fewest in the expansion era.
Okay, Van Owen
I felt uncomfortable using four dead police officers to slam Huckabee. Which is why I haven't blogged it. Also, Huckabee's was the first stumble in a long line of stumbles that kept the killer on the streets.
But there is some comfort now that no more tax dollars will be used to feed and house the savage who committed these crimes.
Michelle Malkin (who happens to be from my home town of Absecon, NJ) has a roundup.
What she shows is a guy who was very generous with commutations, especially if one could push the buttons of his Christian compassion.
Maybe, as a pastor, Huckabee displayed a trait which is commendable in clergy but a problem for a governor (or president). Romans 13 says the king does not bear the sword for nothing; his duty is to punish the wicked. Perhaps Pastor Mike doesn't have it in him to fulfill that duty.
One more thought. According to Michelle, Huckabee has granted clemency to 703 convicts, including a dozen murderers. Clemmons and Wayne Dumond we know about, but how many more are out there?
But there is some comfort now that no more tax dollars will be used to feed and house the savage who committed these crimes.
Michelle Malkin (who happens to be from my home town of Absecon, NJ) has a roundup.
What she shows is a guy who was very generous with commutations, especially if one could push the buttons of his Christian compassion.
Maybe, as a pastor, Huckabee displayed a trait which is commendable in clergy but a problem for a governor (or president). Romans 13 says the king does not bear the sword for nothing; his duty is to punish the wicked. Perhaps Pastor Mike doesn't have it in him to fulfill that duty.
One more thought. According to Michelle, Huckabee has granted clemency to 703 convicts, including a dozen murderers. Clemmons and Wayne Dumond we know about, but how many more are out there?
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