04/19/24
September 22, 2015
SportsFilter: The Tuesday Huddle:
A place to discuss the sports stories that aren't making news, share links that aren't quite front-page material, and diagram plays on your hand. Remember to count to five Mississippi before commenting in anger.
The NFL is tracking players via RFID this season (but the data isn't available to teams).
posted by yerfatma at 08:55 AM on September 22, 2015
If you're always looking for soccer on TV, SoccerAmerica runs a daily page of what's coming on.
posted by rcade at 09:41 AM on September 22, 2015
Related: since I'm already guy-that-links-everything-Zach-Lowe-publishes, this recent piece on the NBA partnering with the Mayo Clinic to study the use of GPS trackers during games is an interesting read. It delves into pros and cons from both League/Management and the Players' points-of-view.
posted by Ufez Jones at 09:45 AM on September 22, 2015
The NFL is tracking players via RFID this season
OH MY GOD how are we not doing this with the balls yet? Slap two tags inside each one to give you precise position and orientation info, and that stupid stupid stupid "Let's check the chains" ritual vanishes.
posted by Etrigan at 10:49 AM on September 22, 2015
OH MY GOD how are we not doing this with the balls yet? Slap two tags inside each one to give you precise position and orientation info, and that stupid stupid stupid "Let's check the chains" ritual vanishes.
Seriously! This has got to be the simplest impactful change the league could make, yet they still haven't done it for who knows what reason. We spot the ball by eye. We spot the chains by eye. Then we run the chains out to precisely measure the ball against them as if there was anywhere near that level of precision in the original marking.
posted by bender at 11:09 AM on September 22, 2015
I'd love to see chain measurements disappear. But it would have to be linked to ref whistles, because players move the ball after a play ends.
posted by rcade at 11:34 AM on September 22, 2015
OH MY GOD how are we not doing this with the balls yet?
RFID does have limitations, and there is at least 1 NFL stadium where the reliability of anything radio frequency based is suspect.
posted by cixelsyd at 11:48 AM on September 22, 2015
Qualcomm?
posted by yerfatma at 11:57 AM on September 22, 2015
Well played on both of your parts, methinks.
posted by tahoemoj at 01:36 PM on September 22, 2015
Sports that should not be called "sports."
posted by rumple at 08:06 PM on September 22, 2015
The Tigers just pulled Daniel Norris after five innings of a perfect game because of a pitch count. He only was up to 63!
posted by rcade at 08:43 PM on September 22, 2015
Headline is NSFW, but check out these videos of Robert Lewandowski scoring 5 goals in 9 minutes for Bayern Munich. The last one in particular is gorgeous.
posted by Joey Michaels at 09:28 PM on September 22, 2015
I was just about to post that, Joey. Amazing.
posted by owlhouse at 10:28 PM on September 22, 2015
Lewandowski had a disappointing last half hour though.
posted by Mr Bismarck at 12:27 AM on September 23, 2015
Headline is NSFW
I like deadspin in general, but their soccer coverage is awful. It's equal parts cursing, trolling and attempts to coin phrases no one wants to hear (their insistence on calling every player under 30 who scores 2 goals "Young Cock" is especially irritating). I don't get who the target market is.
posted by yerfatma at 08:28 AM on September 23, 2015
rcade, looking at the Tigers' season, that doesn't even scratch the top 10 head-scratching decisions...
posted by MeatSaber at 09:08 AM on September 23, 2015
Lewandoski, OMG, that fifth goal especially was amazing! Pep's reaction is totally understandable.
posted by billsaysthis at 09:53 AM on September 23, 2015
I like deadspin in general, but their soccer coverage is awful.
Grantland, on the other hand, is putting out some great soccer content (albeit somewhat intermittently).
posted by holden at 10:19 AM on September 23, 2015
Agreed. I hope Grantland sticks around because the regular contributors are terrific. I actually learn things from some of their soccer pieces. And learn from their pieces on all major North American sports too. Like Ufez was saying yesterday (?), Zack Lowe and the guy who makes all the heatmaps have piqued my interest in the NBA at least as much as Brad Stevens has.
posted by yerfatma at 10:39 AM on September 23, 2015
I figure this might interest folks here, an O'Reilly report, "Data Analytics in Sports" [pdf].