It’s all in the Numbers – Sports Thoughts for May 21, 2010

It’s all in the Numbers – Sports Thoughts for May 21, 2010


I love numbers. It’s one of the reasons I became attracted to chemistry and physics. Can’t help it… I’m very quantitatively oriented in many respects. I love the significance of numbers, data, statistics, and trends. For today’s blog posting, I share the following numbers –

ZERO
And I offer you not just any zeroes. Zeroes can be very telling and fascinating. The first zero to discuss is the number of runs Washington Nationals bonus baby pitcher Stephen Strasburg has allowed in slightly over 18 innings since being promoted from AA to AAA. We all know Mr. Strasburg’s going to join the Nationals sometime next month and bring the buzz surrounding his rise to the majors to a crescendo. But the real buzz we might be talking about all summer could very well be the number of scoreless innings and domination Strasburg demonstrated en route to the majors.

The second zero to discuss relates to the Philadelphia Flyers. In case you haven’t noticed, the Stanley Cup playoffs are still going on, and the Flyers have become a very intriguing story. First, they were down 3 games to none in the eastern conference semifinals against the Boston Bruins. The Flyers came back to force a game 7. Then the Flyers fell behind 3-0 in the first period of game 7. No problem. The Flyers came back and won 4-3 to eliminate the stunned Bruins and move into the conference finals against everyone’s dragon slayers, the Montreal Canadiens. So, the Flyers were not only up 2 games to none, they outscored the Canadiens 9-0 so far. Dare I ask, can the Flyers not only sweep Montreal, but shut them out for all four games as well? Would this be unprecedented?

For the record, the most shutouts by one team over another in the current 7-game format occurred during the 2003 western conference finals. The Anaheim Ducks swept the Minnesota Wild in four games by a composite score of 9-1, three wins via shutout. No team has won all four games of a series via shutout.

We can forget the Flyers shutting out the Canadiens on the scoreboard and the series. Montreal won game 3, 5-1. Believe it or not, the Flyers and Canadiens are only three short of the most shutouts by two teams during a playoff series. In 1945 and 1950, Toronto and Detroit both combined for 5 shutouts (3 for the Maple Leafs, 2 for the Red Wings). Toronto won the seven-game series in 1945; Detroit won the seven-game series in 1950.

TWO
This is the number of hip surgeries wide receiver Brandon Marshall has undergone in the last two off-seasons. However, his recent procedure on his right hip has come as a big surprise to his new team, the Miami Dolphins. Am I the only one who wonders if the Dolphins’ front office losing its “A” game when it comes to personnel planning lately? First you have the general manager discussing parental occupations with prospective draft picks, then Miami trades with Denver for a headache who not only forces a new 5-year contract, but fails to see a hip situation during a pre-trade physical exam?

Speaking of another two, in the same city, it took two whole days for Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez to formally apologize to his teammates and manager Freddie Gonzalez. What did Ramirez need to apologize for? Well, besides sloppy and lazy play a couple of nights ago, he mouthed off about his manager after being reprimanded and benched for his play. Was Gonzalez wrong for “embarrassing” his shortstop’s pride? NO! Gil Hodges once walked out to the outfield in 1969 and pulled Cleon Jones from a game for loafing. Billy Martin almost came to blows in a Fenway dugout with Reggie Jackson in 1977 after replacing him at the end of an inning for lazy outfield play.

Ramirez WAS wrong for committing a complete breach of protocol by stating this about his manager: He’s never played a game in the majors. As if this automatically makes Ramirez an authority on baseball credibility. Nonsense! Ramirez committed the same cardinal sin that another Marlin committed in 2003 when he didn’t respect the authority of then-manager John Boles. The only solution to that player revolt was to fire Boles and replace him with Jack McKeon who led them to the world championship. Now let me make this perfectly clear… Freddie Gonzalez is a very capable manager and seems to have the Marlins performing well so far through his tenure. It would be the biggest mistake for the Marlins to fire Gonzalez because one of his star players needs a serious attitude adjustment and has needed one for approximately three seasons.

Speaking of the Marlins, I must respectfully disagree with ESPN Radio’s Colin Cowherd who contends that the Marlins won 2 world series in 15 years with homegrown talent they then traded away. The reality is that the Marlins won only ONE world series with homegrown talent, in 2003. The 1997 championship team was a collection of highly-paid veteran mercenaries via trades or free agency. Al Leiter, Kevin Brown, Gary Sheffield, Ivan Rodriguez, and the rest of the crew were hardly fruits from their minor leagues. Once Wayne Huizenga won his trophy he started dismantling his roster in a fire sale that would’ve made Charley Finley blush. The 1998 Marlins lost 105 games.

FOUR
This happens to be a very critical and quirky number for the Oakland A’s. At the moment, the A’s record is 20-22 but check this out… in games the A’s score 4 runs or more, they’re 19-1. In games they score 3 runs or less, they’re 1-21. Could any team be that bipolar with regards to their offensive output?

Speaking of another four, these are the number of years Floyd Landis wasted everyone’s time with his defense and challenge against testing positive for steroids after the 2006 Tour de France. This person, his whole story, and everything he postured make me reach for the barf bag. And for all the yes he does, no I don’t nonsense between Landis and Lance Armstrong? You’re BOTH guilty and I’m sick of hearing as many denials as we got from the Nixon administration during Watergate. If you need to protest so much in the media about your integrity, chances are you don’t have much to begin with… and this comes from a fellow cancer survivor, so take that!

SEVEN
That’s how many games the Kansas City Royals have played since replacing Trey Hillman with Ned Yost as manager. The Royals’ record is 5-2 since the change. What does this tell us? Most likely nothing. Have teams gotten hot after a managerial change? Sure. The 1978 Yankees came storming back from 14 games behind Boston to win the AL East, AL pennant, and world series after Bob Lemon replaced Billy Martin. The 2003 Florida Marlins won the world series after replacing John Boles with Jack McKeon. The 2007 Colorado Rockies won the 2009 wild card after replacing Clint Hurdle with Jim Tracy.

Then again, the 2008 Mets fired Willie Randolph and got instantly hot under Jerry Manuel. Unfortunately, Jerry’s Mets proved to be just as capable of collapsing in September 2008 as Willie’s Mets were in September 2007.

Last week I wrote how lousy the Royals were and provided what I considered enough data to support the fact that they stink. At no time did I advocate firing Hillman as manager or replacing him with Yost. I simply looked at pathetic won-loss records at home, away, and within the AL Central to counter those who whine how the Royals’ string of failure was related to the Yankees and their $200 million-plus payroll. Will Yost make a difference in the long run? Time will tell, but I’m highly skeptical. Just as we know “stupid is as stupid does” in the world of Forest Gump, it’s pretty safe to say that “stinky is as stinky plays”. The sad fact is that the Royals simply don’t have the caliber of players yet to be genuinely competitive in the AL Central, much less against the best of the AL (i.e., Tampa Bay and the Yankees). Firing Hillman is the baseball equivalent of mercy killing, putting a manager out of his misery. The Royals were going nowhere under Hillman and probably won’t go further under Yost. But let’s face it, when you’re 12-23 after your first 35 games, that’s not gonna cut it. In fact, playing less than .333 baseball ain’t gonna cut it no matter how much of the season you’ve played. Want to know how bad the Royals really are? Just look at their ace, Zack Greinke, his won-loss record, and ERA. When you’re ace has only won once so far and his ERA is barely 2.00, you know your batters really need to load up on the spinach or something.

TWENTY-THREE
This is the number of active professional athletes from golf, the NFL, and MLB Canadian doctor Tony Galea has allegedly treated in the US without a medical license. And the number is growing. As is always the case, ESPN and the New York Daily News once again give us excellent and thorough coverage on the never-ending scourge of performance enhancing drug use in sports.

TWENTY-SIX
This is how old Adam “Pacman” Jones is. The newest Cincinnati Bengal informs the media that he’s “changed his lifestyle and reordered his priorities” as he attempts to salvage what’s left of his NFL career. Ha ha ha ha ha… no, seriously.

THRITY-SEVEN
This is the “ripe” old age former New Orleans Saint and San Diego Charger Norman Hand was when he died earlier this week, apparently of a heart attack. Perhaps the time has come for MLB and the NFL to stop all the posturing about collective bargaining agreements and PEDS and organize a serious summit between commissioners, union leaders, current and former players, and physicians, and once and for all, get a handle on and make a genuine and committed statement against the careless, make that STUPID, use of steroids, recreational narcotics, and all medications. Furthermore, the time has come for both leagues to start taking serious action towards the preservation of health, be it for current and former players. Too much money is invested in these sports to see player after player poison their bodies and die young.

Oh, and memo to former Raider, Eagle, and Bronco Bill Romanowski – PLEASE SHUT UP! As someone who’s had my share of health difficulties the past 15 years, I completely understand your perspective about alternative means of health care, but that doesn’t mean we should forego the slogging rules and regulations set forth by the FDA and other federal or international agencies. There’s a reason why Dr. Galea lacks licensure in the United States, and there’s a reason why one needs a license to practice medicine in a country other than that of their residence or citizenship. What Dr. Galea has done is neither cutting edge nor legal. If you’re going to endorse alternative medical paradigms, at least support those that are legal and following the laws of the land.

FORTY
That’s Gayle Sayers’ old number with the Chicago Bears. The former hall of fame running back had more than a few pointed comments to make about the state of the Bears headed into the 2010 season, especially if they plan to carry their 2010 season well into January 2011.

FIFTY-FOUR
That’s Brian Urlacher’s number, he the middle linebacker of the bears, he of two sub-par, injury-plagued seasons after the Bears lost the super bowl in Miami. Urlacher made it very clear through the media how unappreciative he was at Sayers’ remarks.

FIFTY-ONE
That’s the number of former hall of fame Bears linebacker Dick Butkus. His response to Urlacher? SHUT UP. Amen! I agree with Butkus 100%. Urlacher needs to take more heed to what Bear legends have to say, especially those who gave their blood and bones to a team that never enjoyed a trip to the super bowl. Mr. Urlacher, you have no idea how privileged you are to play for a franchise as storied as yours, not to mention how lucky you are to enjoy postseason competition in a Bears uniform. Don’t take it for granted.

TWENTY-FIVE
That was the percentage of chances the New Jersey Nets had to win the NBA Lottery the other evening. A lot of good that did them, as they ended up with the third pick in the upcoming NBA draft. The Washington Wizards, owners of the fifth-worst 2009-2010 record, won the lottery.

Why exactly do we call it a “Lottery”?! Correct me if I’m wrong, but if you or I won the lottery we’d receive a cash payout. In the NBA Lottery, teams somehow earn the honor of paying out money to some kid between the ages of 19 and 22, who may either turn out to be another Patrick Ewing or another Kwame Brown.

EIGHTY
In case you haven’t noticed, this is how many inches tall new Nets owner Mikhail Prokhorov is. That’s 6-feet 8-inches tall. I know he has $13.6 billion dollars in net worth, but he may need to suit up himself and help pull the Nets out of the toilet if he can’t draft or sign high-profile players. Hey, I’m just saying… a 6-8 owner may still have a decent jump shot.

Oh, and in case it is true the Nets will change their name when they cross the Hudson and East Rivers to their future Brooklyn home, let me be the first to offer their new moniker:
The Brooklyn Borscht.

Hey, it’s very Russian…
Dosvedanya!