NBA Finals Tape Delay

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Now that the NBA Finals are over, we can all go back to normal sleep patterns since we won't have any more 9pm week night start times for games.

While some of us may think those were late starts and the league needs to move those times up even more, the NBA actually did us (and themselves) a favor by starting them that early. Do you remember watching the incredible performance of Magic Johnson in the sixth game of the 1980 Finals?

Although the Lakers enjoyed a 3-2 lead in the NBA finals, they were headed for the home court of the Philadelphia 76ers without their dominating center, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who was staying home because of a badly sprained ankle.

Johnson had symbolically sat in the seat normally reserved for Abdul-Jabbar and he planned to take Kareem's place on the court as well, playing center for at least part of the game.

Johnson, a 20-year-old rookie at the time, wound up playing all five positions at various points in the game, scoring 42 points, making all 14 of his free throws, getting 15 rebounds and handing out seven assists as he led the Lakers to a 123-107 victory and the NBA title.

But very few fans actually saw it. The Spectrum was filled with 18,726 people but the television audience was scarce as the 11:30pm start time for the tape delayed broadcast discouraged many viewers. What, 11:30pm start time, on tape? That is right, the NBA was televising the weeknight Finals games on tape delay following the local news!

Before the Internet and social media, real time scores were not as available. The NBA offices would beg local television affiliates not to reveal the score of the game that was actually played earlier.

Sadly, the games could not compete against the likes of "Dallas" and other programs during sweeps periods. CBS executives did not want the low rated league messing up their important ratings and even assumed they were going to get blown out in the ratings anyway by NBC's Johnny Carson, then the undisputed king of late-night television.

In order to have as many weekend games as possible, which were televised live in the sports filled afternoon, the NBA had the Finals games played on back to back days, Saturday and Sunday. Even with Larry Bird and Magic Johnson beginning their storied rivalry, the NBA was relegated to second class TV status. CBS aired tape delayed NBA games up through 1986 before finally breaking through from being a poor cousin to baseball and football.

So be thankful, and rested, that every amazing performance or exciting game seen this past year was live....and a little earlier.

All this because I know more about nothing...

Research Indicates Tiger is Back!!!

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

2012 has been the year in golf so far for everyone to be asking if Tiger Woods is back. He tied for second in March at the Honda Classic finishing with a fourth round 62. In late March, he won the Arnold Palmer Invitational looking as if he was ready for the Masters. He imploded at Augusta, finishing tied for 40th.

Woods followed that up by missing the cut at the Wells Fargo and tying for 40th again at the Players Championship. Then in his final tune up before the U.S. Open, he wins the Memorial and ties Jack Nicklaus for Tour wins.

So which is it? Are his new swing elements still too inconsistent to produce results? Or is everything in place and he is on the verge of running off on another streak of greatness in his attempt to pass Nicklaus in Majors wins?

Based on two interesting books regarding tour players and their swing tempos, Tour Tempo and Tour Tempo 2, it appears as if Tiger has locked down his new swing components and is ready to roar.

According to the book, and recent research on Woods' swing, he is mostly "sevens" and "two to one" on his putts, perfect numbers for him to achieve great things. Let me explain this crazy golf jargon.

The books explain that virtually all tour players, no matter how fast or slow their swings, have the same full-swing tempo -- their backswings take three times as long as their downswings. Consistency in tempo is the key and in 2000, Tiger Woods had the best tempo because it never varied. Recently, with new coaches, different swing techniques, injuries, and possibly personal issues, he has had one of the worst tempos in golf. His swing times have been all over the board and wildly erratic.

The measurements are based on video of each golfer's swing and the numbers come from the amount of frames of video for each section of the swing. Woods was a robotic 24/8 for his peak years which means the swing consumes 24 frames of video from takeaway to the top, and then 8 frames of video back down to striking the ball. The desired number for ultimate results is a 3 to 1 ratio for any tour player. Research shows Woods hitting wayward shots at the Masters this year with many swings of 24/6 and 20/8.

When Tiger pulls the ball over two fairways and sends balls into the rough, those are usually results of a fast downswing, a 6 on the video frame meter. He doesn’t seem to handle the faster downswing well. Yesterday, at the Open, he measured much better and much more consistently. Thursday he hit an iron approach to six feet on the fourth hole. That swing was measured at 22/7. His tee shots Friday, the ones that split the fairway, were 20/7. All those 7-frame downswings are a really good sign for Woods. Tiger needs to maintain the 3 to 1 ratio and slow the downswing slightly.

Now green side strokes and putts are desired to come in at a 2 to 1 ratio. So far, through two rounds, he has showed 14/7 and 16/8 on all his chips and putts. The great green side shot he made at the Memorial was measured at 21/10, almost perfect on the scale and absolutely perfect in the results!

Basically, these numbers suggest that Woods has practiced his new moves and achieved comfort with them. They have become second nature so he is, once again, able to make an athletic swing at the ball without thinking. Just a reflexive move that is allowing him to hit the ball straight, or curve it at will.

All these numbers make Tiger the favorite to win this weekend at Olympic, but as any golfer knows, there is a mental aspect to the game as well. So while he is the favorite to win his 15th Major, and a favorite to win anywhere he plays this year, keeping that consistency will determine if Tiger is back.

This analysis and application is interesting and telling, but a back nine on any given Sunday is always the true measurement.

All this because I know more about nothing...

 

Are the Gray Dreadlocks Done?

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

With two months of the baseball season gone, some teams are already starting to consider if they will be buyers or sellers at the trade deadline. Other teams are analyzing their own systems to find replacements for injuries and see if there are any untapped sluggers or arms hiding in the minor leagues.

The Oakland Athletics are dead last in the American League in runs scored, in hits, in RBIs, in batting average, in on-base percentage, in slugging, and in OPS. The A's "offense" is in the market and anxiously looking for any of these hidden talents.

They could definitely use a jolt of offense, a kick in the power department to awaken the lineup and maybe even draw some additional fans. So the services of a slugger, a potential Hall of Fame hitter, and a personality would seem to be a good fit in Oakland. Yet the A's don't even need to go shopping or look beyond their own state for such a player.

Possibly the greatest right handed hitter of this generation, Manny Ramirez sits on a minor league bench, in a Sacramento River Cats uniform, a AAA team in the A's system, and is not able to contribute anything to the big league club.

Based on the creativeness and insight of General Manager Billy Beane along with his willingness to make unusual moves, no action regarding calling up Ramirez may indicate that this is truly the end of the slugger's career.

It was a no risk, very low cost gamble to sign Manny and bring him to spring training. By signing Ramirez, who had not played in a year and a half based on his retirement after five games last April, and having the suspension for 50 games this season create a "built in" extended spring training, it seemed a perfect opportunity to recall him to the A's after his suspension ended May 30, when he also turned 40 years old.

I suspect Beane and manager Bob Melvin are not even considering promoting Ramirez to the big club at this time.  It has been reported he has a hamstring injury which has prevented him from even playing a full game in the past week. But at last check, he was hitting .243 for the River Cats and did not have any extra base hits. Hardly numbers and production that an American League designated hitter or left fielder would need to possess.

Manny is clearly not Manny or capable of being Manny anymore. There is no pressure on the situation as the A's do not have a chance to compete at this point in the American League West. But for all of Manny's quirks and eccentricities, I can't imagine he will languish very long in the minor leagues without realizing the skills are gone.

It would have been nice to see Ramirez catch lightning in a bottle one more time, thrill us for a spell and attempt to erase a little bit of the way he exited last time. Manny stated his goal was to return to the major leagues and grab a bit of redemption along with reshaping the end to his career.

Having followed him closely since the Indians drafted him in 1991, he was pure power and bat speed right from the start. He was a force in his first full year, hitting .308 with 31 HR's and 107 RBI's, long before any rumors or visible signs of PED's. He was a talent and a joy to watch as he would provide displays of hitting not seen in years along with enough moments of "Manny being Manny" to keep us entertained.

We followed him through Boston, LA and Chicago and even hoped for his initial redemption to happen in Tampa Bay.  But now time has brought Manny Ramirez to Oakland and when a player of this magnitude, having Hall of Fame numbers, sets the path for a comeback, we get caught up in the memories and hope for a thrilling ride off into the sunset.

Baseball is brutal, hard and humbling. The skills and talent required escape most of us our entire life, so reality and age definitely have an advantage over those attempting to resurrect those talents at such an advanced age.

Ramirez has obviously seen a decrease in his talents and age is a number he cannot change so if he cannot find a spot on the Oakland A's, then his career must really be over.

I will always remember watching Ramirez and will miss Manny just being a happy, dangerous and feared hitter.

All this because I know more about nothing...

"Happy" Anniversary 10 Cent Beer Night!

Throwing you a bender because I just thought you should know...

Would you head for the ball park to see a game if the nightly promotion was 10 cent beers? Would you stuff your pockets with change and even hoist a few during a pre-game tail gate party?

The 1974 Cleveland Indians were an assembly of highly forgettable talent that were stumbling through another losing season and playing in a cavernous, depressing stadium. The Tribe's poor attendance and pathetic performance for the previous six seasons had the franchise bleeding money and looking at more financial losses. Executive vice president Ted Bonda gathered team employees looking for ideas to increase attendance. One suggestion presented was copying the Texas Rangers, who had recently hosted a successful "10-Cent Beer Night."

Much more than a mid season game was involved for both teams as there had been a bench clearing brawl in a previous Indians/Rangers game one week earlier in Texas, during a ten cent beer night held on May 29, 1974.

In Texas, the trouble had started in the bottom of the fourth inning and escalated into a full donnybrook in the 8th inning. As Indians players and coaches returned to the dugout, they were struck by food and beer hurled by fans. However, that game was not suspended or forfeited, no players from either team were ejected, and the Rangers won 3-0.

Six days later, Cleveland's hosted their own Ten Cent Beer Night promotion and 25,134 "fans" entered Municipal Stadium for the game. The past season's average attendance had been under 8,000 so this was the increase Indians' execs were looking to generate.

The Rangers jumped out to a 5-1 lead while the beers flowed. At this point, the Indians were unable to match the demand for beer at concession stands. They decided to allow fans to line up behind the outfield fences and have their cups filled directly from Stroh's company trucks.

All the usual shenanigans of the 1970's took place throughout the game as a woman ran out to the Indians' on-deck circle and flashed her breasts and a naked man streaked to second base as Tom Grieve hit his second home run of the game. A father and son pair (nothing I recall ever doing with my father) ran into the outfield and mooned the fans in the bleachers one inning later. More and more people ran onto the field as the game wore on.

In the bottom of the ninth, the Indians managed to rally and tie the game. The winning run was on second base.  At this point, a fan ran onto the field and attempted to steal Texas outfielder Jeff Burroughs' cap. In starting after the fan, Burroughs tripped over his own feet. The slope of the diamond made it impossible for Rangers' manager Billy Martin to see below the level of an outfielder's knees from his position in the dugout. He did not hesitate after Burroughs fell from view. "Let's go get 'em, boys," he said, arming himself with a fungo bat and sprinting toward right-center field. The Rangers, understandably inspired, followed him.

Unfortunately, the Rangers were met by a mob carrying items that far outweighed any Louisville Slugger. People wielding chains, knives and clubs created from pieces of stadium seats greeted the players. The 25 Texas players found themselves surrounded by angry drunks, and more were coming over the wall onto the field. The Texas Rangers had been ambushed.

Now Ken Aspromonte, the Indians' manager, realized the Rangers were in serious trouble. He ordered his players to grab bats and help the Rangers, attacking the team's own fans in the process.

In an attempt to soothe the crowd and tame the riot, the organist then played "Take Me Out to the Ballgame."

The bases were pulled up and stolen and many rioters threw a vast assortment of items which included rocks, batteries from radios, bottles, hot dogs and steel folding chairs. Based on this, umpire Nestor Chylak, realizing that order would not be restored, forfeited the game to Texas.

NBC newscaster Tim Russert, then a student at Cleveland-Marshall College of Law, attended the game and recalled, "I went with $2 in my pocket, you do the math." According to reports, over 60,000 cups of beer were sold and there is still a debate about whether they were 8, 10 or 12 ounce cups.

Incredibly, the Indians held their next Ten Cent Beer Night promotion the following month, July 18, and based on increased police security, the game and promotion went off without a hitch!

To this day, I scour eBay daily for those missing bases...

All this because I know more about nothing...