Let’s play the free association game - what do you think of when I say Kent State? Unfortunately, most people think of the infamous May 4th shootings. But, did you know that the Golden Flash men’s basketball team just landed a national ranking in both the AP and coaches’ polls? That’s right - KSU B-ball just won its 20th game of the season for the 10th year in a row! They’re currently leading the MAC conference - if all goes well they’ll find themselves in the NCAA tournament and in the heat of March madness!!!

GO FLASHES!!! 

AP, basketball, Kent, Kent State, KSU, massacre, May 4, shootings

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Dale Earnhardt, Sr. (April 29, 1951 - February 18, 2001). Yes, those dates are correct. “The Intimidator” crashed and died 7 years ago today on the last lap of the Daytona 500. Due in large part to the large fan-base of Earnhardt, his death triggered a very intensive focus on safety in NASCAR racing. Since this dedicated effort toward safety, drivers are now protected with mandatory HANS devices (head-and-neck restraints), SAFER barriers on oval tracks, new rules/regulations for safety belts, escape systems, and even a newly designed Car of Tomorrow. My guess is that our Blogging friend Kristine can appreciate this intense focus on safety. Though it is of course very sad that it took a tragedy to stimulate these efforts

A driver who developed an incredible fan base, even before the widespread marketing of NASCAR, The Intimidator will always be remembered as one of (if not the) greatest drivers in history.

As I’m writing this post, I’m wondering if the world of hunting has much to learn from NASCAR with respect to safety. Safety is always preached, but is it always practiced? I know that I sometimes let safety practices slide by in the heat of the moment, though I’m sure I wouldn’t if a tragedy hit home. Maybe remembering The Intimidator will remind us all to be safe when we’re driving and/or hunting…

Dale Earnhardt, hunting, NASCAR, racing, safety, The Intimidator

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Sports are great - the emotion, the passion, the heat of the moment, blood, sweat, tears. The list goes on and on, and this list of great things about sports includes STATISTICS!!!

I’ve been called a stat’s nerd, and I take that as an absolute compliment! While my major concentration for my graduate degree is child psychology, I’m also working toward a minor concentration in quantitative methods (i.e., statistics).  I was drawn to statistics for 2 reasons: 1- most people are afraid of statistics, so I figured if I developed stats skills I could market myself, and 2- when used appropriately, they can reveal so much about our world that we might never realize.

Such is the case in the wide world of sports. And no, I’m not talking about ERA, number of Home Runs, or the overly-glorified quarterback rating (those are cool too). So what am I talking about? I’m talking about statisticians who crunch numbers in so many ways shapes, and forms that it makes even my head hurt to consider their genious! And if you think this is all just fun and games in an attempt to wow an audience, think again…

2 cases in point:

1.  Is there really such thing as a “Zone”? While I have referred to what many refer to as the ‘zone’ in several of my writings, there is good reason to believe that the ‘zone’ doesn’t really exist! Statisticians have run the numbers, and they have found some amazing things that speak out against a zone. For example, a basketball player’s probability of making a shot after he/she just made one doesn’t increase. Another example comes from baseball - according to The Baseball Prospectus, the really isn’t much to ‘clutch hitting’. In reality, players who hit in ‘clutch’ situations are no more or less likely to hit in the ‘clutch’ the next time around, or over the length of their entire careers.
2. Is Roger Clemens Screwed?I recently wrote a post about the decline of sports heroes in modern sports as more and more athletes are resorting to performance enhancing supplements. If you’re following sports at all, then you know Roger Clemens is on the hot seat following his name being mentioned in the Mitchell Report. Now, I’m not saying Roger is guilty, but there was a very interesting article published in the New York Times that suggests that there were “external factors” that likely enhanced his performance. Some professors from University of Pennsylvania crunched some numbers of pitchers who have lasted as long as Roger Clemens, and their conclusion was that Roger defied all odds in terms of his increasing abilities over such a long period of time. Of course, stats alone can’t prove anyone innocent or guilty - but it makes for a great bar discussion nonetheless!

Wow, all of this stats talk gets me excited for fantasy baseball season…just a few months away (and the magazines are already hitting the shelves!).

baseball, New York Times, Roger Clemens, sports, statistics, The Zone, truth, Zone

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What a game last night! Despite my previous indifference regarding the outcome of the Super Bowl, I must say I was quite impressed with the show last night.

What I wasn’t impressed with, however, was the commercials (with the exception of the Budweiser Clydesdale spoof of Rocky). Therefore, I wanted to honor one of the absolute best Super Bowl commercials of all time. I’m sure you’ll remember it…and enjoy!

Disclaimer: All of us at deerPhD.com encourage you to drink responsibly and legally. We also encourage you to enjoy the commercial!

Budweiser, commercials, frogs, Super Bowl, YouTube

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I don’t know about all of you - but I hate this time of year with respect to sports. Hunting season is coming to an end (I know Arthur struggles with this as well), football season is almost over, and I can’t stand all of the basketball hype. I’m a football/baseball kind of guy. However, with that said, we do have the biggest game on earth coming up this weekend - maybe you heard of it! If you haven’t CLICK HERE!

Here’s my take on the SuperBowl - I wish it would end in a tie! Here’s why:

• Everyone’s sick of the Patriots: I’m tired of the “Patriots are the best ever” suggestions. Everyone knows that the late 70’s Pittsburgh Steelers were the best team ever (Okay - I’m very biased here…and I’ll admit a little jealous!)

• Cheaters do win: Anyone else upset that the whole SpyGate thing went away too quickly?
• Not an Eli fan: I always viewed Eli Manning as a wanna-be Peyton — and then he refused to sign to the team that drafted him. With that being the case, I always loved it that the Chargers were better than the Giants — until now. But, I guess it’s for the good of the game that the Manning era continues…
• Oh Plaxico: I didn’t like Burress when he was in Pittsburgh - and now that he’s not I don’t like him even more. Bad attitude, selfish, but good!

Wow, I have a bad attitude today! That being said, I do think it will be a great game. The current spread is New England by 12. If I were a betting man, I’d take the Giants and the points…though part of me does think that the Brady foot injury is a mind-game.

What about you — what’s your pick?

Burress, Eli Manning, NFL, Plaxico, Super Bowl, Superbowl, Tom Brady

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The following is part of a weekly sports column here at deerPhD.com: It’s Sportsday!

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Unapologetic Until Proven Guilty

It seems that the often quoted phrase, “Innocent until proven guilty” has evolved into “Unapologetic until proven guilty”. Never has this suggestion been more apparent than with the growth of allegations (which more often than not evolve into prosecutions) of athletes using banned substances to enhance their performance (i.e., cheating).

Case In Point: Marion Jones

If you haven’t kept up with this case, this article has a quick overview of what went down. What upsets me as a sports fan (including a great fan of Track & Field), even more than the fact that she cheated, was how she continually denied the allegations. It was not until the evidence mounted against her proved her guilty that she admitted use and announced her retirement. Even so, Jones continues to fight in an attempt to decrease her sentence, despite the fact that she lied for years.

We see this same thing with athletes in all corners of the sports world. Of course, if the accused individual is in fact innocent, then I can only expect them to be shouting from the rooftops until the case is settled. However, I find it absolutely disgusting that these role models lie repeatedly and are only apologetic after they are found guilty.

Since I mentioned role models, here’s another rant: I really wish the athletes who cheat would own up to it. In my mind, the best role models aren’t those who have a perfect track record (no pun intended). To expect our children (or any athlete for that matter) to be perfect would be completely unreasonable. However, I will absolutely expect my children to own up to their faults, accept responsibility, and change their future ways. I really wish I had support from our most prized athletes in this regard. I think I can say with complete honesty that I would continue to chear for an athlete who admits to cheating, serves their punishment, and them comes back in a fair manner…and I think this would be a very positive message for our nation’s (and our world’s) youth.

Any thoughts/comments/criticisms?

athletics, BALCO, Marion Jones, Monday, performance enhancement, sports, steroids

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The blogging world has grown tremendously over the past few years. Now many headlines are featured on blogs first - before they hit other media outlets. Take, Donavan McNabb for example. He recently made a blog posting at yardbarker.com in which he declared his desire for more ‘weapons’ on his team. Check out the full story at ESPN.

blogging, blogs, Donovan McNabb, ESPN, sports, Yardbarker

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The following post is part of a weekly column here at deerPhD.com on athletics.

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Maybe I’m a bit of an idealist, but when I think of sports in America, my mental images are exclusively positive. I think of the World Series, or watching my Pittsburgh Pirates as a kid, or the USA performing in the Olympics. As a child, I collected baseball cards because I looked up to the players - I wanted to do what they do and be like them.

However, as of late, I’m starting to wonder what’s up with sports in America. It seems that athlete after athlete has an accolade stripped away or finds an asterix next to his or her name because of alleged use of banned substances (i.e., cheating). I’m left wondering, how could this be? Are American sports merely a reflection of American culture?

I need only 2 points:

• Finances first, common second. Salaries are through the roof, owners seem to rule the world, and a hot dog costs more than $5 at a game.
• Anything to win. Apparently, even cheating.

If these points exemplify sports in our culture, we need to remember that each of us, as individuals, may be the culprits. What do we glorify? What do we ask ‘them’ to give us?

Do you think the same thing is happening with the industrialization of hunting?

America, Culture, hunting, sports

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