After doing some thinking and some analysis of statistics, I've notice that there is a strong correlation between the 2010 edition of the San Francisco Giants and the 2011 Atlanta Braves. You may recall that the Giants won the World Series last year.

DISCLAIMER! I am not insinuating that the Braves are going to win the World Series this year, however, the similarities between these two teams is fairly stark, in my opinion. I'm also not much of a stat head, but I think I can illustrate some statistics that demonstrate the common ground in between these two teams. Let's take a look at some numbers:

 

I'll start out with some basic statistics. Through 62 games this season, the Atlanta Braves are 35-28 (with a Pythagorean W-L record of 36-27.) Through 62 games last season, the Giants were 36-27. So, there's that.

 

OFFENSE

The Giants had a team batting average of .257, a team OPS of .729, and a team batting WAR of 18.0.

The Braves have a team batting average of .241, a team OPS of .688, and a projected team batting WAR of 11.0 (162/62 games played=2.61 x current team WAR of 4.2).

 

The Giants were a significant margin better than the Braves are offensively. Can we expect this disparity to even itself up as the law of averages take into effect during the season? Maybe. My guess is that the Braves will have a little more luck with keeping their players healthy during the season, and I expect (hope) that players such as Jason Heyward and Dan Uggla will begin to bring a little bit more to the table offensively. My guess is that this team will finish with an offensive WAR around 13 or 14.

 

PITCHING

The Giants had a team ERA of 3.36, a team WHIP of 1.271, and a team pitching WAR of 22.6

The Braves have a team ERA of 2.99, a team WHIP of 1.148, and a projected team pitching WAR of 32.9.

 

Do I think that the Braves' pitching is going to continue at the astonishing rate at which it is currently performing? Eh, no. Pitchers wear down as the pressure of a 162-game season wears on. I do, however, believe that the Braves' pitching staff as a whole in 2011 is stronger than that of the Giants' in 2010. What do I expect in terms of WAR from the Braves' pitchers when the season is completed? My guess would be around 28. Both teams have excellent pitching staffs with solid bullpens. Jurrjens has performed much better than any of the Giants' pitchers (to this point), and the Giants have an advantage at closer with 2010 Brian Wilson over Craig Kimbrel (although if you want to consider Venters as a closer, that advantage also goes to the Braves.)

 

DEFENSE

 

The Giants had a team fielding percentage of .988.

The Braves have a team fielding percentage of .987.

 

I'll be the first to admit that I am not very knowledgeable about fielding statistics, but this would indicate that these two teams are fairly equal in terms of their capacity to field the ball.

 

 

This is a fairly rudimentary (and quickly put-together) analysis, but I thought I'd illustrate the similarities between these two teams. Are they carbon copies of each other? Obviously not. The Giants were a bit more balanced between hitting and pitching than the Braves currently are, however, by the end of the season, I expect that gap for the Braves to narrow a bit. I wouldn't expect it to be THAT much different than the types of numbers that the Giants ended their season with.

 

Let me know what you think.

Although this type of piece may be more suited to be written by a geriatric Duck such as benzduck (just kidding!), I thought I'd put together my list of the 10 Most Influential People in Oregon Ducks History. During what could be described of the "Doldrums of the Offseason", I thought I'd kick my brain into football gear and come up with a little something to tide us over for a while. As much as I hate it, there are still 103 days until Oregon-LSU, so...yeah.

 

Be they players, coaches, donors, or cheerleaders, anyone associated with the football program in any way was fair game in my consideration of people on this list. It is certainly difficult to distinguish where to place certain people on this list, and it was equally difficult to omit some people from this list, but that's why I love "Honorable Mention" lists. Also, by "influential", I mean influential in a POSITIVE way. A list reserved for people that affected the program in a negative way could be forthcoming, but I'm not going to touch that in this list.

 

I'd love to hear your opinion about how completely wrong I am or how accurate and incredibly well-done my list is (preferably). Here goes nothing.

Continue reading this post »

 

Who: Oregon Ducks vs Creighton Bluejays
Where: Matthew Knight Arena, Eugene, Oregon
When: 7:00pm PST
Media: HD Net

 

This is what all of the anticipation and hype has come down to-IT'S THE CBI NATTY! More important than that miniscule and insignificant football game that the Ducks played in January in the Phoenix-Glendale-Tempe-Chandler-Scottsdale-Peoria-Surprise Megalopolis is this game. IT'S THE BLUEJAYS AND THE DUCKS-FOR ALL THE ZEBRA PENS!

But no, seriously, the mods are useless and lazy and they don't really love Oregon. I AM COMMITTED TO BEING THERE FOR MY FELLOW DUCK FANS THAT CAN'T WAIT TO SEE A CBI BANNER HUNG FROM THE RAFTERS!

We're up 14-7 with 15:13 to go now.

Go Ducks, and I hate your physically dominating presence and pink shoes, Echenique.

Poll

Does Matt Daddy hate Oregon because he doesn't think the CBI is important?

30%

Yes

59 votes

28%

Indubitably

54 votes

14%

Without a Doubt

27 votes

27%

I'm stupid and/or Axemen

52 votes

192 votes | Poll has closed

Seahawks are getting dominated by the Bears right now. 14-0. Can't say I'm too sad about seeing Pete Carroll getting dominated, although they did come back last week from a deficit against the Saints. I think most people are looking forward to the Spygaters vs. the Foot Fetishists later, though. By the way, I really strongly dislike Rex Ryan. He's like the anti-Chip. I would hate to be a fan of a team that he coached. Discuss the games here. Go Ducks!

Because, hey, we've been "on" everything else, right? I'm sure this won't be as outstanding and eloquent as Dave's, HRD's, and Benzduck's pieces, but I feel like conveying my feelings to the community, so here it goes.

For those who have read my comments and posts on this blog over my time as a member, you may not expect for me to write a post on optimism. I was highly upset after we lost the National Championship Game, there's no doubting that. On the seemingly eternal car ride back to our hotel from University of Phoenix Stadium, I was hurt. We were THAT CLOSE from winning the biggest game in school history on the biggest stage in collegiate athletics. The Oregon Ducks were THAT close to being national champions.

Think about that for a minute. We were a 19 yard Wes Byrum field goal away from heading to overtime for a chance to be national champions. Possibly the most revered position in American sport. The champions of college football.

As we all know, however, close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. We came up short. As we all know, it was painful. We all heard the catcalls and comments from Cal, UW, Beaver, and SEC fans alike:

"Yep, the Ducks are the team that will never win the big one."

"Chip Kelly's a great coach...until you match his team up against a great defensive line."

"Another game, another loss to a far superior SEC team. What's that, 5 straight?"

It may have been my lowest moment as a sports fan. Don't get me wrong, I'm accustomed to losing on the big stage. I'm a Braves, Titans, Cavaliers, and Ducks fan. Those four teams have accounted for one championship in my lifetime, and I was a year old when that championship was won. The Braves have been to the playoffs eleven times in my lifespan, and they've won a single title. The Titans? We all remember Kevin Dyson being one yard short against the Greatest Show on Turf in Super Bowl XXXIV. The Cavs? We won't be back to the playoffs anytime soon, but they batted .000 in their playoff visits in my lifetime as well. All of that losing on the big stage, and this still hurts more than any of that.

However, I'll take the optimistic route. Shocking, right?

Continue reading this post »

Well, I'm about to share with you the spreadsheet that contains the predictions that the ATQ community made for the 2010 season.

 

Here are some of the highlights:

 

Five people correctly predicted that the Ducks would make it to the National Championship Game.

Only two people correctly predicted that only 4 Pac-10 teams would receive a bowl berth.

Quite a few people predicted that USC would have the best total defense in the Pac-10 this year. Whoops!

WAY too many of you thought that 'Quizz would be the Pac-10 POTY.

Check it out for yourself.

Use this here thread to discuss College Gameday (I don't see a Washington State flag!) and the college football action other than the Ducks/Bavers game. I'm loving the Duck presence at Gameday in Corvallis this morning. There aren't really any noon games that excite me, unfortunately. I guess I might just spend my 3 and a half hours between noon and 3:30 breathing into a paper bag. (Just kidding, I'll probably relegate myself to watching some Big East action!)

GO DUCKS!

Talk about everything but the Oregon beatdown of the Fuskies here. Right now, I'm watching Desmond Howard be uncomfortably exuberant, Chris Fowler talk with his hands a lot, and Kirk Herbstreit act like he's Corso's caretaker. I saw a few signs with Oregon featured in them in Salt Lake City, very nice to see.

 

At 12:00, we've got a scintillating menu of games to watch including Illinois/Michigan, Baylor/Oklahoma, Florida/Vandy, and Lousiville/Syracuse (on the Big East Network!).

 

Huck the Fuskies!

We have 5 minutes to go until ESPN begins to reveal the first set of BCS Rankings for the 2010 season. Most agree that the Ducks (ranked #1 in the AP, Coaches', and Harris Poll) will either be ranked 2nd or 3rd, trailing Oklahoma and/or Boise State. The official word is soon forthcoming, so use this thread to discuss the standings as they are unveiled. Let's hope that some miracle occurs and the Ducks start out on top, unlikely as it is.

 

WTD! Go Ducks!

Let's turn around this game. Hopefully we've made defensive adjustments and our offense will keep doing its job. Autzen at night is a magical place. Let's win the second half, and win the day. Burn down the trees. I'm sick of hearing about how our defense is a joke and can't stop anyone, let's turn it around and solidify what we already know: that we have a special team that wins 2nd halves.  GO DUCKS AND LET'S WIN THE FREAKING DAY!

Hey guys, I've finally calmed my excitement enough to write about this incredible game from our Ducks. Despite some ridiculously rude and classless Tennessee fans that I encountered (We'll touch on that later.), I had an excellent time at Neyland Stadium. Here's a retrospective.

Continue reading this post »

I thought I'd post this and see which AtQers are daring to venture into my kingdom for Ducks-Vols on September 11. I was also wondering what kind of contingent you guys think that our fan base will have at Neyland? I'm thinking and hoping that there will be a fairly strong turnout.

I assume that there are plans for some sort of AtQ meet-up/tailgate. Have any plans been made for that?

 

Also, out of curiosity, what section will you be sitting in at Neyland?

Hello, Quack Nation. I was recently perusing CougCenter, and stumbled upon an awesome idea from coug2828. How about we, as Duck (and whatever other trolls stumble upon the site [I may or may not be talking to you, cougfan]) fans give our opinions about what will transpire in the 2010 season? We can see how we stack up at making predictions against the so-called "experts". What I'd like to do is submit your predictions on various matters using the Google Docs form that I will link to below. Next week, I'll stop accepting new input, and I'll post the statistics that I come up with in another FanPost. After the season is over, I'll be able to take a look at what the respondents said before the season and compare them to what happens during the season. This survey features a variety of questions pertaining to the Pac-10 as a conference, and our beloved Oregon Ducks.

 

Your participation in the survey is greatly and sincerely appreciated, and I'm interested to see what fans of the Ducks and other teams have to say. Thanks, and go Ducks! *JOKE ENTRIES WILL BE DISREGARDED AND DELETED

 

https://spreadsheets.google.com/viewform?formkey=dDctM2M3TG9SUEJsWVByOG0wX3E4OEE6MQ

 

If you're a complainer like Tako, sorry, but you're going to have to copy and paste the link until I get this whole internet thing figured out.

I just thought I'd put together a little something on Oregon's roster in NCAA 11. Today we will look at Oregon's offense. Just remember, I don't always break down NCAA 11 rosters, but when I do, I prefer doing it on ATQ. Stay strung out on quack, my friends.

 

Quarterbacks

1. Jeremiah Masoli-92 OVR, 85 THP, 89 THA, 85 SPD

2. Nate Costa-85 OVR, 90 THP, 85 THA, 71 SPD

3. Darron Thomas-80 OVR, 89 THP, 78 THA, 90 SPD

4. Daryle Hawkins-74 OVR, 84 THP, 86 THA, 85 SPD

Thoughts:

Masoli is still included in the game despite no longer being a part of the program. Costa's speed is a bit underrated and Thomas's is overrated, in my opinion. I would also bump Darron's throwing accuracy up, I don't see any reason why it is so low, especially when an unproven guy like Daryle's is an 86. Whatever though.

Running Backs

1. LaMichael James-95 OVR, 97 SPD, 95 AGI, 94 ACC, 89 BRK

2. Kenjon Barner-89 OVR, 92 SPD, 89 AGI, 95 ACC, 86 BRK

3. Remene Alston-85 OVR, 95 SPD, 91, AGI, 85 ACC, 82 BRK

4. Lache Seastrunk-78 OVR, 91 SPD, 89 AGI, 93 ACC, 80 BRK

5. Jide Shinaba-65 OVR, 91 SPD, 80 AGI, 80 ACC, 65 BRK

BONUS FULLBACK! Malachi Lewis-84 OVR, 86 SPD, 85 AGI, 87 ACC, 84 BRK

Thoughts:

Not really sure why Shinaba's break tackle rating is so low and why they have Lewis listed as a fulback...um...Seems pretty accurate otherwise, except I would bump LMJ's acceleration rating up to about 97 or 98. Not a bad job by EA on the RB's though. Kenjon and Remene look quite accurate. CaDuck will be thrilled with Kenjon's 89 overall.

Wide Recievers

1. Jeff Maehl-88 OVR, 89 SPD, 92 ACC, 87 CAT

2. DJ Davis-88 OVR, 90 SPD, 93 ACC, 82 CAT

3. Lavasier Tuinei-85 OVR, 93 SPD, 96 ACC, 75 CAT

4. Tyrece Gaines-81 OVR, 88 SPD, 93 ACC, 74 CAT

5. Diante Jackson-78 OVR, 90 SPD, 92 ACC, 75 CAT

6. Mikey Dosen (?)-74 OVR, 87 SPD, 86 ACC, 70 CAT

7. Eric Dungy-69 OVR, 86 SPD, 93 ACC, 65 CAT

8. Dane Ebanez-66 OVR, 94 SPD, 80 ACC, 62 CAT

9. Nick Cole-61 OVR, 83 SPD, 86 ACC, 60 CAT

 

Thoughts:

I'd put switch Jackson and Gaines. Once again, looks pretty good. Tuinei would be an absolute beast if his catching ability was higher. I wasn't sure about Dosen, no one seems to match up with the player very well. Poor Nick Cole. He's the lowest rated player on the roster.

Tight Ends

1. David Paulson-82 OVR, 85 SPD, 68 CAT, 79 PB, 85 RB

2. Dion Jordan-79 OVR, 80 SPD, 70 CAT, 70 PB, 72 RB

3. Curtis White-75 OVR, 90 SPD, 75 CAT, 77 PB, 77 RB

Thoughts;

EA goofed this up. Paulson is fine, but Dion Jordan is now a defensive end, so he shouldn't even be listed at this position. Also, there is no way in hell that White's speed rating should be a 90. I mean, the guy has decent speed, but a guy with a 4.78 40 time should NOT have a 90 speed rating. On that scale, LMJ's speed should be like a 284.

 

Offensive Tackles

1. Bo Thran-90 OVR, 88 STR, 85 PB, 85 RB

2. C.E. Kaiser-87 OVR, 85 STR, 83 PB, 83 RB

3. Darrion Weems-84 OVR, 88 STR, 87 PB, 88 RB

4. Everett Benyard-79 OVR, 85 STR, 95 PB, 95 RB

5. Nick Cody-75 OVR, 88 STR, 83 PB, 85 RB

Thoughts:

Everett Benyard seems to be quite a beast, however he's still 4th string. I think Thran and Kaiser may be slightly underrated, but that may just be the Oregon homer in me.

 

Offensive Guards

1. Carson York-87 OVR, 87 STR, 84 PB, 83 RB

2. Mark Asper-82 OVR, 92 STR, 89 PB, 86 RB

3. Charlie Carmichael-79 OVR, 89 STR, 84 PB, 87 RB

4. Josh Sanford-74 OVR, 81 STR, 82 PB, 79 RB

5. Nick Rowland-72 OVR, 88 STR, 85 PB, 85 RB

Thoughts:

I don't know if I would agree that York is that much better than Asper. Ryan Clanton is conspicuously missing from the roster.

 

Centers

1. Jordan Holmes-87 OVR, 86 STR, 81 PB, 80 RB

2. Max Forer-70 OVR, 85 STR, 77 PB, 76 RB

Thoughts:

Jordan Holmes rises in the morning and pisses excellence. That's all I really have to say.

 

KEY:

OVR-Overall

THP-Throwing Power

THA-Throwing Accuracy

SPD-Speed

AGI-Agility

ACC-Acceleration

BRK-Break Tackle

CAT-Catching

PB-Pass Blocking

RB-Run Blocking

STR-Strength

 

There you go. Complain and analyze below.

While discussing the merits of who would be the toughest opponents for the Ducks in 2010 (I ranked Washington 4th, by the way.), a discussion point regarding who the Huskies would rather beat next season came up-the Ducks or the Trojans? My compadre grimc31 claims that Washington fans would rather see a win over USC than a win over Oregon, which I disagree with wholeheartedly. He challenged me to ask Creepy Dog Central this question via poll, so we could find out from...Washington fans. So here we are. Feel free to explain your vote in the comments.

Poll

Who would you rather beat?

44%

Oregon

184 votes

55%

USC

231 votes

415 votes | Poll has closed