04/18/24
January 06, 2010
SportsFilter: The Wednesday 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 Big 10 really helped their cause this bowl season. They won the four games that they had to absolutely win: Wisconsin, Penn State, Ohio State and Iowa.
Now, for a *real* bowl game: The mighty Chippewas of Central Michigan University takes on the mild 'n meek Troy State Nerds tonight in the Something Or Other Bowl. Fire up Chips! National Champs!
posted by NoMich at 10:08 AM on January 06, 2010
the futility of stats. How, as we all know, they can be made to say anything you want
Like you just made up a stat that said 100% of people know that? Learning the difference between a well-constructed stat and a poorly-constructed one isn't just useful for discussing baseball players, it's handy for knowing whether you're going to be able to retire, getting screwed by the government, etc.
posted by yerfatma at 10:38 AM on January 06, 2010
How, as we all know, [stats] can be made to say anything you want.
Actually, they can't.
Stats don't "say" anything. They are raw numbers.
It's the context that the presenter uses them in that can be made to "say anything". The problem is, the listener/reader doesn't want to put the effort into understanding the context and realizing the slight-of-hand that the presenter is using.
For example:
Bert Blyleven had two seasons with more than 17 wins.
Why are they counting "more than 17"? Isn't is usually numbers in sets of 5 that are used for grouping things like wins? Like 10, 15 or 20 wins.
And why "more than 17"?
A quick check shows that Bert Blyleven had 5 seasons of EXACTLY 17 wins. Obviously the presenter thought it helped his case to hide all those (very good) seasons, so he presented it the way he did.
posted by grum@work at 11:52 AM on January 06, 2010
Now, for a *real* bowl game: The mighty Chippewas of Central Michigan University takes on the mild 'n meek Troy State Nerds tonight in the Something Or Other Bowl. Fire up Chips! National Champs!
The GMAC Bowl is the second to last bowl game of the season so it is clearly the second most important.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:06 PM on January 06, 2010
As the graduate of a Sun Belt school I'm hoping that Troy lays a hurting on Central Michigan in the Laughably Scheduled Bowl.
posted by rcade at 12:16 PM on January 06, 2010
The GMAC Bowl is held in Mobile, Al (my birthplace). We are just tickled pink that's held at all in Mobile before the Senior Bowl.
posted by yzelda4045 at 12:27 PM on January 06, 2010
interesting post about the futility of stats.
83.4% of statistics are made up on the spot.
posted by Debo270 at 12:31 PM on January 06, 2010
60% of the time it works every time? wait a minute...
posted by boredom_08 at 01:29 PM on January 06, 2010
The GMAC Bowl is the second to last bowl game of the season so it is clearly the second most important.
OK, so how much of my taxpayer dollars in the banking bailout went to fund this really marginal event?
No denigration of NoMich, YYM, or rcade intended. Fandom is a good thing. The comment is really aimed at the entire bowl process (and GMAC).
posted by Howard_T at 03:07 PM on January 06, 2010
I'm hoping that Troy lays a hurting on Central Michigan
You just dropped way down on my list. Way, way down. Below lbb.
OK, so how much of my taxpayer dollars in the banking bailout went to fund this really marginal event?
I would bet the mortgage GMAC has on my house funded the entire event, with money left over for hookers and blow.
posted by smithnyiu at 03:23 PM on January 06, 2010
I love the fact that the GMAC Bowl is held in Mobile, Alabama, a cool looking town I keep meaning to stop in on the route from Jacksonville to Dallas. It's just the date that slays me.
You just dropped way down on my list. Way, way down. Below lbb.
As long as I can hang with LBB, I'm cool with that.
posted by rcade at 03:33 PM on January 06, 2010
Shameless plug: Don't forget to make your picks in Sportfilters own NFL Playoff Pick 'em.
posted by apoch at 03:59 PM on January 06, 2010
I love the fact that the GMAC Bowl is held in Mobile, Alabama, a cool looking town I keep meaning to stop in on the route from Jacksonville to Dallas. It's just the date that slays me.
I'd have loved to go down there for the game tonight. It's just the 16 hour drive that slays me.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 04:06 PM on January 06, 2010
in the Laughably Scheduled Bowl.
ITYM the Toilet Bowl... as in the bowl equivalent of a toilet break before the season ender.
posted by etagloh at 05:58 PM on January 06, 2010
As long as I can hang with LBB, I'm cool with that.
No argument here. It was a friendly jab.
posted by smithnyiu at 06:24 PM on January 06, 2010
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the best team ever in college football history: your world champions: Central Michigan University.
I told you that the Nerds from Troy, NY had no chance against the maroon and gold juggernaut.
posted by NoMich at 11:12 PM on January 06, 2010
Never a doubt, NoMich, never a doubt.
Entertaining game, well, the 2nd half and overtime, anyway.
posted by tommybiden at 11:19 PM on January 06, 2010
Josh Cribbs has been tweeting all day about how he thinks he's done in Cleveland. And he's quite sad about it.
posted by boredom_08 at 12:01 AM on January 07, 2010
Great game. Central's defense didn't make it easy on them, but Brown and LeFevour pulled it out.
It's a shame Indiana backed out of the game next year, we barely get enough home games as is, and half of them are on weekday nights in November.
posted by Ying Yang Mafia at 12:34 AM on January 07, 2010
Yep, pretty entertaining. LeFevour looked like he was there to assemble a highlight reel for the NFL on a day when he'd have something of a spotlight on him, and you have to think that a few GMs might be tempted: good field awareness, poise in the pocket, decent running ability for that level of play, makes smart decisions when plays break down. He's the kind of QB you'd expect to fit in well with an existing pass-friendly system, and possibly serve as a decent backup. Mel Kiper has liked him (perhaps a bit excessively) as a draft prospect for a while.
posted by etagloh at 12:45 AM on January 07, 2010
Nice game. I thought that Troy was going to pull it out, but LeFevour threw the ball on that final fourth quarter drive like the outcome was never in doubt. He looks like a good third- or fourth-round pick in the NFL draft.
posted by rcade at 08:00 AM on January 07, 2010
I stayed up LONG past my bedtime to watch the game and I am paying for it now. Don't laugh, I have to get up at 4 am if I am to get to work on time. But it was worth it, an awesome second half.
posted by yzelda4045 at 08:04 AM on January 07, 2010
Joe Posnanski has, what I thought to be, an interesting post about the futility of stats. How, as we all know, they can be made to say anything you want. I thought it was most interesting in light of Randy Johnson retiring and the posts in that thread about how he should get 95%+ of the ballots when he comes up, because those (HoF voting %) stats are also in this blog post.