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View Full Version : Rare for me, but... on a somewhat serious note...



the_ouskull
3/5/2010, 03:31 PM
This is the kind of read that I really dig. It also happens to relate to both sports and life, two of my favorite things, with reading being another one. I'm sharing it with you guys here. Feel free to discuss it, etc.. if you'd like, but really, I'm just posting something that I think is a pretty good read, and goes a little way towards helping describe the way I try to see the world in front of me.

Enjoy or hate. Whatev. :D

http://espn.go.com/blog/truehoop/post/_/id/13963/life-on-paper

the_ouskull

NormanPride
3/5/2010, 03:48 PM
That WAS a good read. I do crap like this all the time, as well. It's part of being a nerd.

And that's actually why I say that elite-level athletes are some of the biggest nerds around. I mean, what other type of person tracks calories (HP) with fiendish precision, lifts weights in certain orders and weight progressions in order to get the most gain (min/max leveling), scouts opponents' tendencies and probabilities and practices their counter strategies so diligently (grinding)? NERDS.

:D

starrca23
3/5/2010, 03:55 PM
Interesting. Oddly enough with the amount of travel and all in compassing nature of the game (by that I mean that each player has to have a similar skill set...passing, dribbling, running, shooting) basketball is the sport I think revolves around stats the least. Intrapersonal skills are just as important. Bill Simmons new book discusses this fact at length. Good read.

the_ouskull
3/5/2010, 04:28 PM
I bought it the day it came out, and had it read by the end of the week, sir.

(I was subbing that week. I got a lot of reading done watching kids watch movies, do worksheets, etc...)

the_ouskull

the_ouskull
3/5/2010, 04:31 PM
That WAS a good read. I do crap like this all the time, as well. It's part of being a nerd.

And that's actually why I say that elite-level athletes are some of the biggest nerds around. I mean, what other type of person tracks calories (HP) with fiendish precision, lifts weights in certain orders and weight progressions in order to get the most gain (min/max leveling), scouts opponents' tendencies and probabilities and practices their counter strategies so diligently (grinding)? NERDS.

Of course, the realist in me says, "No. Athletes have all of that done FOR them. Very few professional athletes don't have a trainer, or nutritionist, etc... Those that don't usually don't 'cause they either don't understand the benefits of one, or they aren't good enough to be able to afford one. Some athletes. Total nerds. But not like that..."

And yes, I have entire conversations like that with myself all of the time. Once again... Nerd. Lol.

the_ouskull

NormanPride
3/5/2010, 04:44 PM
Hmm... that's a good point. Though I would bet that at the Olympic level they all have an understanding of what they need to do. You can't have a trainer with you 100% of the time, and they learn to live their lives for one thing. That's quintessential nerd, to me.

I agree though, that your average NFL defensive tackle is not nerdy. Shaq is also not a nerd. Steve Nash? Nerd. :D

the_ouskull
3/5/2010, 08:28 PM
At the Olympic level, yes, absolutely. Pretty much most "non-professional" sports athletes... Lance Armstrong, etc... (although not Landis)

Steve Nash a nerd?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxZkaEge0R8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gp4Np_0zcw4

Nooooo... Not Steve Nash.

the_ouskull

tommieharris91
3/6/2010, 08:52 PM
I'm a stathead too, although I'm usually uninterested in the NBA. A revolution in statistics is occurring in baseball, too. I enjoy looking at more advanced stats in MLB, such as OPS, EqA, and WHIP. I'm happy to see things like this, and I'm thrilled to see that there are other people who think like I do about sports and life.

the_ouskull
3/6/2010, 10:49 PM
VORP is another good baseball stat that geeks are trying to translate to basketball. Win Score is pretty close to it...

the_ouskull

westbrooke
3/7/2010, 10:10 AM
Thanks for posting this! There's a logic puzzle inside the valuation of stats like this that I find fascinating. I once had a roommate who would create his own stats that he thought were more meaningful than the simpler ones usually tossed out by the talking heads. I thought he was crazy at the time, but now I wish I paid more attention...