tats Page 3 - Sports News, Headlines & Highlights
How Statistically Unlikely Was The Patriots Comeback? (Spoiler: Very)
How unlikely was Tom Brady's game-winning pass to Kenbrell Thompkins? Unlikely enough to make this Win Probability chart for the Saints look like it got stabbed in the heart with a spear. ...
The Liter Bowl: The First NCAA Football Game To Use The Metric System
On September 17, 1977, Carleton College and St. Olaf College played the Liter Bowl, the first NCAA-sanctioned game to use metric measurements, and probably the dorkiest piece of football ever put together....
When Should Dallas Have Allowed Denver To Score A Touchdown?
Once Demaryius Thomas crossed the line to gain at the Dallas 14 yard line with 1:50 to play, the Dallas defense should have intentionally allowed the TD. With 2 timeouts and 1:40+ to play, they would have had a better chance of winning than allowing Denver to choke the life out of them and kick an e...
Infographics: Every NFL Offense's Production, Visualized By Position
Instinctively, you know every team has strengths and weaknesses. You see it in the box scores and the advanced metrics, but when the teams line up, a shitty running back doesn't look impossibly different from Adrian Peterson. So, here's a visual aid. Every NFL offense, visualized by how each of the ...
How To Pitch A Perfect Ninth In A One-Run Game And Not Get A Save
In the same game that brought you this bibelot, Mariano Rivera entered the ninth inning with the Yankees up one run. He retired the Orioles 1-2-3. He did not get the save—but he did get a win. Huh?...
Kill #killthewin: The Fight Over Stats In Baseball Has Gotten Stupid
Television is the worst. Look at what's happened to the MLB Network's house numbers guy, Brian Kenny, who's spent the season preaching to the choir by beating horses to death right in front of them. It's fucking awful....
Yesterday's White Sox-Mariners Game Was Historically Crazy
We alerted you to the wackiness that was going on in the White Sox-Mariners game last night, but we feel it's necessary to mention it again today, because it really was one of the craziest games history. How crazy was it? Let's count the ways:...
Mariners Manager Says Sabermetrics Made Dustin Ackley Suck
The Seattle Mariners optioned once-promising second baseman Dustin Ackley to Triple A yesterday because Ackley has been having a miserable season at the plate. But what's to blame for Ackley's .205 average and .266 on-base percentage? Mariners coach Eric Wedge has a theory, and it has to do with all...
This Wonderful Graphic Proves That In The NHL, Puck Possession Is All
The hockey internet is fawning over this graphic from Chris Boyle at Canadiens blog Eyes on the Prize, and it's easy to see why. The chart takes a second to understand, but when you do, it's hard to come away thinking there's any stat more telling than Fenwick....
Wanna Know What Happens In A March Madness Game Slightly Before It Airs On TV? Use This Password
Sure, it's the most boring way to watch the year's most exciting sporting event. But it might help you win money from dopes at the bar....
Finally, An Advanced Stat To Measure Hockey Fighters
The statistical revolution has officially arrived, upside your head....
Finally, Someone Has Created Dynamic NBA Box Scores
This is for all the basketbloggers out there: you will never need another box score again....
Four Things You Can Learn About The NBA By Skimming Sloan Sports Analytics Conference Research Papers
The Sloan Sports Analytics Conference is under way in Boston and, though we sent no intrepid reporters to Dorkapalooza this year, the conference happily made its research paper finalists publicly available on its website. Let's blearily page through and see if we can't learn a few things. (We're foc...
The 15 Or So Most Watchable Teams In College Basketball: An Occasional Ranking
A weekly (or so) ranking of college basketball teams on the basis of watchability and with very little regard to how good they might be. ...
Score One For The Stat Nerds: Milwaukee Bucks Press Release Cites J.J. Redick's PER
The only trade of note to take place on the NBA's trade deadline day was the one that sent shooting guard J.J. Redick from the Orlando Magic to the Milwaukee Bucks. As is standard practice, the Bucks put out a triumphant, post-trade press release that includes all kinds of boring statistics and PR-...
God Bless The Brooklyn Nets' PR Staff
Numbers are all the rage in sports today. Basketball's no exception. Every well-intentioned team has snapped up a stathead or several and stuck 'em in the front office. But we assume they don't fraternize too much with the public relations types. If they did, we wouldn't get nuggets like this....
What Was The Best Super Bowl Ever? Ranking All 47 Games According To Watchability
Sunday's Super Bowl was undoubtedly awesome. Big comeback. Dramatic finish. Weird NFL rules. Beyoncé. The question on everyone's mind: Was it the best Super Bowl ever? ...
The 15 Or So Most Watchable Teams In College Basketball: An Occasional Ranking
A weekly (or so) ranking of college basketball teams on the basis of watchability and with very little regard to how good they might be. ...
The Ravens Won The "Fuck" Bowl, Too: An Analysis Of Twitter Profanity During The Super Bowl
Twitter reports that the Super Bowl generated 24 million tweets last night. Most of them were terrible, so I just looked at the ones that said "fuck." ...