Odds and Sods

Not to poop on everyone’s parade, but Superman did not dunk.

Dwight Howard riled up the crowd.  He ripped off his jersey to reveal the Superman shirt, he wore the cape and he built the momentum.  But, he never dunked the ball.

He clearly mistimes his jump, leaving him unable to reach the basket and forcing him to throw it at the net.  He made no contact with the rim.  This would be akin to Michael Jordan leaping from the free throw line only to the finger-roll the ball into the basket.  It is 5′7″ Spud Webb attempting the 360 only to slam the ball straight into the rim.

He showed incredible athleticism by merely being able to reach the ball and somehow get it into the basket.  It was great theatrics.  It was exciting.  But, it was not a dunk.

Here is a stellar specimen of journalism provided by the New York Post.

How’s this for junk science - even with three Gold Gloves, Yankees captain Derek Jeter has been labeled the worst fielding shortstop in baseball.

What do those eggheads know anyway? With their fancy book learning! Jeter has been anointed by the most objective analysis available, the opinions of baseball beat writers. This statistical study was purely a smear campaign intended to “label” Jeter as something he is not.

But the numbers prove it, researchers at the University of Pennsylvania said yesterday at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, in (of course) Boston.

Yes, of course the researchers at the University of Pennsylvania altered the results of their study because of the city at which they would be presenting the results.

Using a complex statistical method, researchers concluded that Alex Rodriguez was one of the best shortstops in the game when he played for the Texas Rangers.

“Complex” means that you didn’t bother to read it. Even by your everyman standards of gold gloves, his two gold gloves during that period (2002,2003) at Shortstop would have proven that. It was also the general consensus when he was traded to the Yankees.

Obviously, we need an expert to analyze this study. Take it away “Yankees fan Mike.”

“I don’t know what they’re smoking down at Penn,” said Yankees fan Mike.

Birch 32. “That’s preposterous. I completely disagree. Jeter’s a clutch player.”

2007 ALDS

Alex Rodriguez: .820 OPS

Derek Jeter: .352 OPS

“It’s ridiculous,” said fan Jay Ricker. “Jeter is all-around awesome. He’s better than A-Rod any day. Character has a lot to do with it. He’s out there for his teammates.”

Career Stats

Alex Rodriguez: .967 OPS, 518 HR

Derek Jeter: .851 OPS, 195 HR

Their last season fielding together at SS was 2003. Among Major League Shorstops, Jeter was third from bottom in fielding percentage and dead last by a large margin in both range factor and zone rating. Rodriguez was 1st in fielding percentage, and 9th in zone rating and range factor.

In fact, in most seasons Jeter has ranked last or next to last in both zone rating and range factor.

But, as Yankee fan Brittnay Thompson, 32, said, “It’s about who’s good in May and who’s good in October.”

2007 May Stats

Alex Rodriguez: .235 BA 5 HR 11RBI .782 OPS (by far worst month of the season)

Derek Jeter: .342 BA 1HR 20RBI .912 OPS (by far best month of the season)

2007 September Stats

Alex Rodriguez: .362 10 HR 31 RBI 1.193 OPS

Derek Jeter: .311 3HR 14 RBI .858 OPS

Congratulations to Marlins fans, all seven of them.

The pathetically payrolled franchise was openly shopping itself to potential suitors who might actually care, but the team struck a last second deal to stay in Miami, according to the Sun-Sentinel.  The councils for the City of Miami and Miami-Dade County are expected to meet on Thursday to finalize the deal.

The preliminary indications are that the City will contribute $360 million, from mainly tourist taxes, as well as a $50 million bond payment that taxpayers approved in 2004 to renovate the Orange Bowl.

The Marlins would then contribute an additional $155 million to finish the project, probably taken from the money they have been stealing from baseball’s revenue sharing system the past few years.

The team would move from Dolphin Stadium to the new venue upon its completion in April 2011.

The deal affords the Marlins the opportunity, that they didn’t take initially, to forge a connection with the city of Miami.  Hopefully, they will have the sense to appeal to the Cuban community by providing a Spanish-friendly environment and low ticket prices.

However, something in this reeks of Bud Selig ramming another ill thought out stadium plan down unsuspecting taxpayers’ throats.

If winning two World Series titles can’t garner support for the team in that city, it’s hard to see how a retractable roof and a re-branding can really help.

They were surprise shocks felt around the world, or so much of the media would have you believe. Vultures scrupulously circled a cavernous Anfield as the Scouse nation struggled to surmount the sickly hangover of a late Liverpool crumble. Ferguson’s men shattered Arsenal’s fragile psyche, leaving them fighting to keep the fabric of the fantastic season from unfurling after their demonstrative drubbing. The Earth’s axis shifted slightly.

The FA Cup may have regained a bit of its magic, but like the Afghan government, it proves powerless and impotent outside of its meager radius. Punters can revel in the romance of a Havant and Waterlooville taking an Anfield lead, but the mighty stones comprising the football fortress remain motionless. Only the Big Four win and, for them, the trophy is merely blusterous window-dressing, bailing out the manager after an aborted title campaign.

One never wants to lose 4-0 or to a Championship side, but neither Liverpool nor Arsenal should be devastated by their defeats.

Liverpool have a pragmatic path put in front of them. They need to finish fourth in the league to retain their Champions’ League place. Another extended European adventure, would add some flourish to a forgettable year, but it pales compared to the primary goal. The FA Cup for the Reds was at best an amicable nuisance. Even if they had won the competition, their summer solution would still likely be a roster overhauled at the prodding of a new puppet-master. A win or loss against Barnsley fails to affect Liverpool’s bumbling malaise. The song remains the same for Rafa regardless. If anything, the lightened load of fixtures will allow him to rest weary legs.

There is the not so subtle embarassment of losing to the lumbering lower leaguers at home. However, how many times will Liverpool have the advantage in corners (15-3), shots (33-11) and shots on target (20-7) without winning? The loss looks ludicrous, but in the long-term it will matter little.

Similarly for Arsenal, the apparent FA Cup tragedy proves quite trivial. The Gunners still sit five points atop the table. Should they focus forward rather than down, rivalry will not ring relevant. Even another Old Trafford tumble would prove a mere hiccup on their track toward victory, provided they perpetuate their pace. A League Title would be tremendous. An extended European run would make fans ecstatic. An FA Cup would be a crappy consolation prize.

Realistically, their emaciated squad can only handle one competition effectively, or perhaps skate on the edge to manage two. The FA Cup would have drained rest and resources from the far more important challenges in the Premier League and in Europe. A 4-0 defeat to a rival never leaves a settled stomach, but it could quite conceivably win them the title. The effect on morale will probably resemble that after the Tottenham debacle, minimal.

The FA Cup provides compelling copy for media outlets, but when the “magic” and the “romance” reduce to real world concerns the results are hardly tangible. They swaddle Saturday as important, but really who could care less?