MIAMI — Greetings from south Florida, where you can apparently get sunburn on a cloudy day and where last night’s low dropped all the way down to 81 degrees. Good thing I don’t mind the heat!
Jimmy Streich: I used to be a big fan of win-loss record for a pitcher, but then you look at a guy like Nolan Ryan who finished with more losses than wins in several years, but is one of the all-time greats. What is your least-favorite sport/position for the W-L stat: MLB pitcher, NHL goalie, NFL quarterback?
MG: Glad you asked this one because I’ve thought about it quite a bit.
I don’t really like any of them, since wins and losses are ultimately team accomplishments. But if I had to pick one that I disliked the most, it would be MLB pitcher.
You alluded to how a Hall of Famer like Ryan could have his true performance discounted by his ‘record,’ and that was back when starters pitched much deeper into games. Especially now, with relievers handling more of the workload than ever, judging pitchers by wins and losses is a major analytical mistake. (Although you will notice that I have kept win-loss record in our Pirates game previews. I can compromise in some cases.)
As for the other position-sport tandems you mentioned, I think goalies and quarterbacks are close in terms of where wins and losses are more relevant. Since goalie is a naturally passive position — he can only react to the play — and quarterbacks are king in today’s game, I’d say win-loss record is best used in football.
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Rico: The Pirates are dead last in the majors in stolen bases allowed, and it seems like they haven’t gunned down a runner for a good while now. You got to see five last night, four by Dee Gordon alone. What insight can you provide about this problem? Is it mostly on the pitchers and what, if anything, is the team doing to address this?
MG: Yeah, let’s talk some baseball, since I’m down here and all. Gordon’s presence in Tuesday’s game was huge, to the point that I had to double-check to make sure he played Monday. (He did, going 0 for 4.)
Clint Hurdle has repeatedly deflected blame away from his catchers, putting the onus on the pitchers to make life more difficult for potential base-stealers. He reiterated that stance at the start of this video from last night:
Jared Hughes, whom Gordon victimized for two steals in the sixth, had more to say on the topic. Glad you brought it up, because it didn’t make the recap.
“Controlling the running game includes varying your holds, pickoffs, just mixing it up and keeping them guessing,” he said.
You’ll hear similar things from other pitchers, although Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart will usually tell you they can always improve on their end.
____________________
Unipress: With the change of the extra point and what looks to be more teams attempting the two-point conversion, will we be seeing a new position open up? And by that I mean will we see teams trying to pick up a back-up quarterback specifically to go out there and convert the two-point conversion.
MG: Hmmm … this sounds like it might be a Mike Vick question. I heard that might have been big news in Pittsburgh yesterday, so why not?
I like your line of thinking here. I think a dual-threat quarterback, like Vick, would be especially difficult to neutralize in a goal-line situation, which is essentially what a two-point conversion attempt is. I don’t know if we’ll see a new position open up, but it stands to reason that talent evaluators would place more emphasis on two-point aptitude if their teams are going to go for the conversion more often.
Of course, whether notoriously risk-averse NFL coaches start being more two-point happy has yet to be seen. From what we’ve witnessed in the preseason, they might be, but it’s just exhibition play. As for the Steelers, it can’t hurt to have someone like Vick available for just this situation, even if they still have Ben Roethlisberger on hand for more traditional two-point plays.
Could Mike Vick join this huddle for two-point plays this season? — GETTY
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Radio Wave: Matt, you are big on analytics. It is a big subject in pro sports. Is it getting a lot of use by the colleges?
MG: Guilty as charged, Radio Wave.
As you say, pro sports teams and leagues have definitely begun to ride the wave of information increasingly at their disposal. As more data becomes available at the college level, I expect to see it more common there, too. The pressure and desire to win is universal, especially in the high-stakes worlds of NCAA football and men’s basketball.
On that subject, websites like Ken Pomeroy‘s incredibly detailed hoops site KenPom.com have been tracking college sports for public consumption for years now. But, as always, what we know on the outside is usually quite different from what is going on behind closed doors.
I can speak from experience on this, as the Robert Morris men’s hockey team I’ve worked with was generous enough to share its strategic analysis with the Pittsburgh Hockey Analytics Workshop last fall at Carnegie Mellon. RMU video coordinator Kody Van Rentergem went over how he and the coaches broke down the footage to determine why a certain defensive approach didn’t work during the 2012-13 season.
This type of thing, with video exploration yielding data, is a hybrid of coaching and analytics. It’s quite common at the college level, no matter the sport.
(Look for our NCAA coverage to begin next weekend with the start of college football season. We’ll have full reports — pre- and postgame — from the Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia openers.)
____________________
Kliuch: Gajtka is a Polish name, isn’t it? That with Dejan, and you have an Eastern European theme going here a little bit! With Josh, Neal and Anna having nothing to do with Eastern Europe (do they?) your team represents true Pittsburgh diversity!
MG: Closing with a fun one today. Gajtka is indeed Polish, as is the mom’s side of my family, too (Lisiecki). Strangely enough, Google Translate thinks it’s Slovenian, but as far as we can tell, we have no background there.
I can’t speak to the heritage of the rest of the group, outside of Dejan’s Serbian descent, as you alluded to. I’m third-generation American, so I try to keep references to the old country alive whenever I can. You’re right, though, some of the names on the site do have that traditional Pittsburgh ring to it. That being said, I doubt the name had anything to do with DK bringing me aboard!
This is a good opportunity to get the pronunciation of my name out there: GITE-ka. Predictably, it’s given some people trouble since I joined. Maybe a minor thing, but I know it always helps me when I can pronounce someone’s name, even if it’s just in my head.
The "old country" part made me laugh. My uncle always says "In the old country, it was the same damn way". He was born and raised in PA and lives less than a mile from his first home lol
I think everyone is overvaluing the running QB in goal line. The Packers showed exactly how you want to do it, spread with the threat of the pass and create mismatches inside.
Vick and a spread formation doesn't pull any more out of the box, and with a less accurate passer the defense is going to bite on the run first, then pass, because leaving a slightly larger window for Vick to hit a receiver is fine. That same window vs. Rogers or Ben is a TD.
So give me the QB who can find the open guy and hit them quick, while clearingbout space for the run game over a QB who limits the threat of a pass and lets the defense key on him.
Tom Brady, Aaron Rogers and Ben are going to have several plays they can waltz untouched into the end zone, because the defense is covering the weapons they have.
Do you honestly think Ben would let himself be taken out of the game for a 2 point conversion? I don't think Tomlin would take his 2 time super bowl winning QB out on a play that can decide points anyway. Ben should never come off the field as long as he is healthy. But, in Philly, I could see Tebow being that specialist and bring back the jump pass.
It's a possibility...maybe run the play with Vick and Ben to induce confusion.
trgagen
8-27-2015, 12:26 pm
Like Matt said. I'm sure Ben will still be on the field *if* they decide to do it. Also, we've heard how much Ben hated the Wildcat, so I'm guessing it will never happen.
August 26, 2015
Five Qs at 5: Steals, college stats, going for 2
30by Matt Gajtka • Five Qs at 5 • Pirates, Steelers
MIAMI — Greetings from south Florida, where you can apparently get sunburn on a cloudy day and where last night’s low dropped all the way down to 81 degrees. Good thing I don’t mind the heat!
Jimmy Streich: I used to be a big fan of win-loss record for a pitcher, but then you look at a guy like Nolan Ryan who finished with more losses than wins in several years, but is one of the all-time greats. What is your least-favorite sport/position for the W-L stat: MLB pitcher, NHL goalie, NFL quarterback?
MG: Glad you asked this one because I’ve thought about it quite a bit.
I don’t really like any of them, since wins and losses are ultimately team accomplishments. But if I had to pick one that I disliked the most, it would be MLB pitcher.
You alluded to how a Hall of Famer like Ryan could have his true performance discounted by his ‘record,’ and that was back when starters pitched much deeper into games. Especially now, with relievers handling more of the workload than ever, judging pitchers by wins and losses is a major analytical mistake. (Although you will notice that I have kept win-loss record in our Pirates game previews. I can compromise in some cases.)
As for the other position-sport tandems you mentioned, I think goalies and quarterbacks are close in terms of where wins and losses are more relevant. Since goalie is a naturally passive position — he can only react to the play — and quarterbacks are king in today’s game, I’d say win-loss record is best used in football.
____________________
Rico: The Pirates are dead last in the majors in stolen bases allowed, and it seems like they haven’t gunned down a runner for a good while now. You got to see five last night, four by Dee Gordon alone. What insight can you provide about this problem? Is it mostly on the pitchers and what, if anything, is the team doing to address this?
MG: Yeah, let’s talk some baseball, since I’m down here and all. Gordon’s presence in Tuesday’s game was huge, to the point that I had to double-check to make sure he played Monday. (He did, going 0 for 4.)
Clint Hurdle has repeatedly deflected blame away from his catchers, putting the onus on the pitchers to make life more difficult for potential base-stealers. He reiterated that stance at the start of this video from last night:
Jared Hughes, whom Gordon victimized for two steals in the sixth, had more to say on the topic. Glad you brought it up, because it didn’t make the recap.
“Controlling the running game includes varying your holds, pickoffs, just mixing it up and keeping them guessing,” he said.
You’ll hear similar things from other pitchers, although Francisco Cervelli and Chris Stewart will usually tell you they can always improve on their end.
____________________
Unipress: With the change of the extra point and what looks to be more teams attempting the two-point conversion, will we be seeing a new position open up? And by that I mean will we see teams trying to pick up a back-up quarterback specifically to go out there and convert the two-point conversion.
MG: Hmmm … this sounds like it might be a Mike Vick question. I heard that might have been big news in Pittsburgh yesterday, so why not?
I like your line of thinking here. I think a dual-threat quarterback, like Vick, would be especially difficult to neutralize in a goal-line situation, which is essentially what a two-point conversion attempt is. I don’t know if we’ll see a new position open up, but it stands to reason that talent evaluators would place more emphasis on two-point aptitude if their teams are going to go for the conversion more often.
Of course, whether notoriously risk-averse NFL coaches start being more two-point happy has yet to be seen. From what we’ve witnessed in the preseason, they might be, but it’s just exhibition play. As for the Steelers, it can’t hurt to have someone like Vick available for just this situation, even if they still have Ben Roethlisberger on hand for more traditional two-point plays.
Could Mike Vick join this huddle for two-point plays this season? — GETTY
____________________
Radio Wave: Matt, you are big on analytics. It is a big subject in pro sports. Is it getting a lot of use by the colleges?
MG: Guilty as charged, Radio Wave.
As you say, pro sports teams and leagues have definitely begun to ride the wave of information increasingly at their disposal. As more data becomes available at the college level, I expect to see it more common there, too. The pressure and desire to win is universal, especially in the high-stakes worlds of NCAA football and men’s basketball.
On that subject, websites like Ken Pomeroy‘s incredibly detailed hoops site KenPom.com have been tracking college sports for public consumption for years now. But, as always, what we know on the outside is usually quite different from what is going on behind closed doors.
I can speak from experience on this, as the Robert Morris men’s hockey team I’ve worked with was generous enough to share its strategic analysis with the Pittsburgh Hockey Analytics Workshop last fall at Carnegie Mellon. RMU video coordinator Kody Van Rentergem went over how he and the coaches broke down the footage to determine why a certain defensive approach didn’t work during the 2012-13 season.
This type of thing, with video exploration yielding data, is a hybrid of coaching and analytics. It’s quite common at the college level, no matter the sport.
(Look for our NCAA coverage to begin next weekend with the start of college football season. We’ll have full reports — pre- and postgame — from the Pitt, Penn State and West Virginia openers.)
____________________
Kliuch: Gajtka is a Polish name, isn’t it? That with Dejan, and you have an Eastern European theme going here a little bit! With Josh, Neal and Anna having nothing to do with Eastern Europe (do they?) your team represents true Pittsburgh diversity!
MG: Closing with a fun one today. Gajtka is indeed Polish, as is the mom’s side of my family, too (Lisiecki). Strangely enough, Google Translate thinks it’s Slovenian, but as far as we can tell, we have no background there.
I can’t speak to the heritage of the rest of the group, outside of Dejan’s Serbian descent, as you alluded to. I’m third-generation American, so I try to keep references to the old country alive whenever I can. You’re right, though, some of the names on the site do have that traditional Pittsburgh ring to it. That being said, I doubt the name had anything to do with DK bringing me aboard!
This is a good opportunity to get the pronunciation of my name out there: GITE-ka. Predictably, it’s given some people trouble since I joined. Maybe a minor thing, but I know it always helps me when I can pronounce someone’s name, even if it’s just in my head.