SB Nation User Blog: ploni

Mangini & Clock Management

ploni — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 16:54:32 -0000

From Seth Wickersham's excellent article about NFL coaches and their clock management skills entitled "3-2-1 ... Meltdown" on espn.com:

Not every coaching misstep is so obvious. New Browns boss Eric Mangini violated a key adage when his old team, the Jets, played the Bills on Dec. 14: If you're on D and need the ball back, never call time with between 2:10 and 2:00 left. Normally, an offense protecting a lead won't pass, lest an incompletion stop the clock. But if a defense calls time under 2:10, like New York did against Buffalo with 2:06 left, it invites the offense to throw the ball, since the two-minute warning will stop the clock no matter which play is run. Thanks to the TO, the Jets had to defend pass and run. Sure enough, the Bills spread the field and rolled quarterback J.P. Losman to the right. Luckily, blitzing safety Abram Elam forced a fumble, which defensive end Shaun Ellis returned for the winning score. Because of the win, no one criticized Mangini on his blunder—or his gamble, if you think he called time to bait the Bills—which only gives him more incentive to ignore the math. Nearly every coach works this way.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?section=magazine&id=3837344

If I Were Running the NFL . . .

ploni — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:58:14 -0000

After reading the ESPN story about the 1958 NFL Championship game and watching the movie The Express recently, I started dreaming . . .

If I were running the NFL, I would:

1. Return the hash marks to the 1950's/1960's positions close to the sidelines. This will change multiple aspects of the game for the better such as kicking, run offense, run defense, and more.
2. Impose the strictest possible behavior and dress codes for players, coaches, agents, owners, fans, and broadcasters. "No tolerance" should be the rule.
3. Return the uniform styles to what they used to be: long pants, short socks, real sleeves, etc.
4. Eliminate two teams.
5. Hold the Super Bowl in the city of the team in the championship game having the best record.
6. Impose huge fines and team penalties for dancing, celebrating, jiving, or other demonstrations of arrogance.
7. Eliminate radio helmets on offense and defense.
8. Change the sudden death rule so that the team relinquishing the lead must kick off.

I not sure if I'm alone in this daydream and I don't know if this is just me, but the NFL as a product just doesn't capture my imagination like it used to.

Will they ever fix it?

$hame on You, MLB!

ploni — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:55:01 -0000

"Alex Rodriguez makes more this year than his hometown Florida Marlins."

-- Associated Press story, April 1, 2008

This is pathetic, a travesty, a continuing fraud, a mockery, a duplicity, and a deceit.

After steroids, HGH, PEDs, corked bats, Who-Knows-What-Else? and now this, it's time to seriously analyze my MLB loyalties.

This is a shame.

Tribe Signs Casey Blake

ploni — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 15:40:03 -0000

Here's the Plain Dealer's report:

http://www.cleveland.com/tribe/index.ssf/2008/02/indians_sign_casey_blake_to_on.html

What I want to add is:

My wish for the Tribe is to be able to pull every bit of talent out of every player as well as they have pulled the talent out of Casey Blake.

Like his RISP numbers or not, you've got to admit that Blake has been a workhorse for the Tribe these past five years, a solid player and a good teammate. He has certainly helped form the gritty complexion of this team and I assume that's what's he's cashing in on with this, his largest contract.

Point by Point: Anderson vs. Quinn

ploni — Tue, 25 Dec 2007 16:15:36 -0000

What I've seen from Anderson is this:

He has a helluva arm.
He is impulsive in his choice of throws and is poor in his ability to read defensive coverages, particularly the positioning of safeties.
He throws on average more than one interception per game and is especially prone to be intercepted on the road.
He plays poorly early in games and seems often to be motivated by game pressure.
He does not run much or run well.
He lacks finesse; he seems to throw much too hard, inaccurately, and without "touch" to receivers and backs on shorter routes.
He has excellent rapport with teammates, particularly the receivers.
He is young.
In theory, he overall fits well with the team's offensive strategy. In actuality, however, he is lacking in its execution.

Question:

Referring to the above and assuming for a moment that Anderson is either traded, signed away, or injured next season, what might we expect, point by point above, from Brady Quinn as a starter next year?

Jason Grim[sley]

ploni — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:53:25 -0000

Stealing Joey's punked bat. Doping up. Ratting on fellow players.

Jason Grimsley* had some kind of major-league career, didn't he?

* On-Field Antics: W42-L58, 4.77 ERA, 1.55 WHIP

Schilling to Clemens: Give Back Your Cy Youngs, Roger!

ploni — Thu, 20 Dec 2007 17:37:16 -0000

From 38 Pitches: Curt Schilling's Official Blog:

Roger Clemens and Barry Bonds. I know both of these men. Roger had a profound effect on my career from a very early point. His `undressing' of me and lecture were a major turning point. I've always respected his career accomplishments and regarded him as the greatest pitcher to ever play the game.

Now I, like every other Yankee, Clemens fan am faced with a dilemma. The two men that fingered multiple players, from my understanding, both testified with immunity, but only if they told the truth. So these guys had every reason in the world to NOT lie. That doesn't mean they didn't, but there is an immense amount of incentive for them to NOT lie when they gave their depositions because lying would have seen them open to legal actions beyond what they are already facing.

So the question to me then becomes this. It's no mystery that Roger and Andy are as close as any two teammates I know of. Andy makes no bones about Rogers influence in his career. Their personal trainer, the trainer Roger took to Toronto, then to NY, has admitted to administering PED's to both men. Andy has admitted he did, and that it was a mistake and he never did it again. Roger has denied every allegation brought to the table. So as a fan my thought is that Roger will find a way in short order to organize a legal team to guarantee a retraction of the allegations made, a public apology is made, and his name is completely cleared. If he doesn't do that then there aren't many options as a fan for me other than to believe his career 192 wins and 3 Cy Youngs he won prior to 1997 were the end. From that point on the numbers were attained through using PED's. Just like I stated about Jose, if that is the case with Roger, the 4 Cy Youngs should go to the rightful winners and the numbers should go away if he cannot refute the accusations.

1898 "Special Instructions to Players"

ploni — Tue, 04 Dec 2007 23:12:57 -0000

The Web site BoingBoing.net today presents professional baseball's very eye-opening 1898 "Special Instructions to Players" document that's possibly up for auction through the Robert Edward Auctions house.

Self-explanatory, boingboing.net's story can be viewed here and Robert Edward Auctions' link (with viewable image) here.

WARNING: Just make sure small children, grandmothers, and persons with heart conditions aren't present within 20 feet of your monitor.

Yahoo! Sports Writer Picks Tribe Manager

ploni — Tue, 25 Sep 2007 17:43:30 -0000

Eric Wedge should be the 2007 American League Manager of the Year, writes Tim Brown of Yahoo! Sports in a column today.

Justifying his choice, Brown cites Wedge's numerous season-long personnel and strategy moves--including benching infielder Josh Barfield, inserting Rafel Perez in the bullpen, and being "move level" in his own managerial approach--that proved to be the difference in the team's 2007 performance.

As Brown summed it up: In 2007, the "Indians came to play."

Who's Untouchable?

ploni — Sun, 01 Jul 2007 19:40:07 -0000

It's almost the All-Star break and it'll soon be getting down to the trading deadline. The Tribe is seriously in the race for the Central division. But as we all know, there are some parts of our team that must be fixed.

Acknowledging for a moment that those pieces are going to come through trades, who in the organization is absolutely, positively, without-a-question unavailable . . . that is, untouchable?