Press box versus box score: Big league game stories are conventionally formulaic. So why not create them using an actual formula? Stats Monkey is a project aimed at automatically generating those staples of sports journalism by analyzing box scores and play-by-play feeds. Toronto Star writer Cathal Kelly fires back by revealing the secret process used by human journalists to come up with those precious 700 words, and breaking down a side-by-side comparison.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 10:56 AM - 7 comments

Because we're all suckers for athlete bloggers: Leon Boyd, the closer for the Netherlands in the '09 WBC, and recently signed to a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, has a blog. Worth it alone for the account of his save against the Dominican Republic.

posted by DrJohnEvans to culture at 11:00 PM - 2 comments

Corey Koskie’s clear head: In light of recent discussions here and elsewhere which have shown us just how little we know about the effects of concussion, Gordon Edes writes an account of Corey Koskie's recovery process: a small step towards a proper diagnostic and treatment process for head injuries.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 11:02 AM - 3 comments

Don Sanderson is dead.: Will it mean anything? Unlikely.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 12:13 PM - 17 comments

Distant Replay: Mark Bowden of The Atlantic sits down with Philadelphia Eagles head coach Andy Reid to go over some game film. Specifically, the film from the 1958 NFL championship game.

posted by DrJohnEvans to football at 03:15 PM - 2 comments

Phillies hot-doggin' the trade market: A rare spring-training move sees Kyle Kendrick traded to the Yomiuri Giants in exchange for Kobayashi Iwamura.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 03:25 PM - 11 comments

Why Stephen Brunt didn't cast his Hall of Fame vote.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 12:11 AM - 6 comments

Gaborik issues public apology to fantasy owners: "When developing this team it is obvious that management paid no attention to fantasy owners, but instead selfishly decided that winning games was more important." I have to wonder what sparked this.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 10:26 PM - 8 comments

Baseball Pitches Illustrated.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 09:44 AM - 5 comments

Getting Tough with the '72 Dolphins: In response to Don Shula's asterisk comments, Neate Sager takes a closer look at the perfect-record Dolphins and their schedule, trying to envision how their story would be treated by today's media.

posted by DrJohnEvans to football at 10:20 AM - 62 comments

Coudal Partners: had less than a week to come up with TV spots advertising the new Chicago Blackhawks home television schedule, and here's what they came up with: Fifteen Years, Are you serious?, My Goal, and Soda.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 05:46 PM - 9 comments

The numbers are out: and the Nike swoosh pays just over eleven grand per appearance. At least, that's what Ohio State's new equipment deal with Nike: ...if more than five football players tape over or otherwise block out the Nike logo on their shoes, Nike can take back $11,880 for each shoe, up to a maximum of $59,400.

posted by DrJohnEvans to culture at 10:40 AM - 13 comments

Boy: meets girl buys hockey team. Boy moves aggressively to move team to southern Ontario, because attempts to move politely didn't work out. Boy puts together multiple fallback plans, buying a mysterious plot of land in Cambridge and making deals with Hamilton. Boy seems willing to take NHL to court if his plans are blocked. Boy pisses off some of the NHL board of governors by doing so, but must be liked by others for raising their teams' market values by hugely overpaying for his team. The NHL doesn't want another team in southern Ontario, yet Boy received 7,200 season ticket deposits on first day of sales with no advance notice. So how the heck does this story end?

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 10:35 AM - 27 comments

Sabres 1: – Senators 4 (neigh)
Detroit 2 – Anaheim 3

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 06:03 PM - 22 comments

The world through the eyes of a sideline reporter: Surprisingly entertaining interview with Elliotte Friedman.

posted by DrJohnEvans to culture at 11:21 PM - 6 comments

Sabres 0: - Senators 2
Red Wings 1 - Ducks 1
with apologies to lilnemo

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 09:47 AM - 38 comments

Why you won't see "the wave" in Milwaukee tonight: Going to tonight's Brewers-Nats game? Get a free rectal exam and receive two free tickets to a future game.

posted by DrJohnEvans to culture at 03:26 PM - 15 comments

The search for sports history: Forty years ago, no one would've dreamed that the hockey game they just watched would've been replayed in its entirety on today's NHL Network, so no one bothered to take care of the footage. Here are some stories of sports video history nuts, and what they have and haven't uncovered.

posted by DrJohnEvans to culture at 09:45 AM - 5 comments

Jersey Chair: It's too late for Christmas, but you can still order one in time for International WTF? Day.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 12:14 PM - 25 comments

What's Wrong with the Ottawa Senators?: Why has a team seemingly bursting with talent continued to disappoint? Why the perpetual playoff pathos, brought sharply into focus this season with a 5-7-1 record? Longtime blogger Chris McMurtry puts forth his official theory: It's all John Muckler's fault.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 08:42 PM - 33 comments

White Sox home games to start at 7:11pm next season.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 12:08 PM - 20 comments

The Worst Hockey Logos of All Time: James Mirtle counts 'em down.

posted by DrJohnEvans to hockey at 11:18 AM - 39 comments

Baseball Race.: What it says. Finally makes sense of all those horse racing metaphors you hear, although admittedly I can't see a "far pole" for the teams to "come around" on this thing.

posted by DrJohnEvans to baseball at 01:02 AM - 12 comments

Professional football has a new all-time passing leader.: Damon Allen breaks Warren Moon's record 70,553 career passing yards, and he's got at least one more season left in him.

posted by DrJohnEvans to football at 08:26 PM - 20 comments

Ricky Williams could retire as... an Argo?: Sure, he's under contract to the Dolphins for next year. But after that? "I was thinking it wouldn't be bad to come back up here and kind of follow the same steps as [head coach Pinball Clemons]—play here a couple years and maybe get a chance to coach up here. Because I really like Toronto, I really like this organization ... you can live here, you know? You feel like you have a life."

posted by DrJohnEvans to football at 07:47 PM - 29 comments