Why Tiger's Consecutive Rounds Streak Might Be Better Than Joe DiMaggio's
Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak in 1941 is regarded by many as the greatest individual feat in all of sport. Volumes have been written about its unreachable heights, its once-in-a-lifetime happenstance. It is considered the ne plus ultra of stats.
As a passionate fan of golf and analytics, I was struck by the paucity of documented records and streaks in golf, especially compared with other sports. Thanks to the PGA Tour's wealth of scoring data, which dates back to 1983, I was able to do some digging—a lot of digging.
As records go, golf's longest beat-the-field streak may not sound as sexy as the Yankee Clipper's historic achievement, but it's almost certainly as astonishing in its dimension—maybe more so. A beat-the-field streak is the number of consecutive rounds in which a player's score is better than the average score of the field for that round. For example, if a player shoots 69 when the field average is 70.8, the player has "beaten the field." A Tour player stringing together a long run of fine rounds would be a great measure of dominance and consistency.
From August 1999 through November 2000, Woods beat the field's average score in an astounding 89 consecutive PGA Tour tournament rounds. That is roughly three times the length of the streak posted by his nearest competitor. (Only official PGA Tour stroke-play events are counted for this streak, so the WGC-Match Play, for example, is not included.)
Why is a beat-the-field streak significant? First and foremost, it identifies consistent good play—above-average performance in round after round, tournament after tournament. The two most similar streaks are consecutive sub-par rounds and consecutive cuts made, but they don't remotely stack up. Consecutive sub-par rounds uses the inferior benchmark of par, which is not a reliable measuring stick.
As stunning as his 89-round streak was, had Woods scored just one shot better in the second round of the 1999 WGC-NEC Invitational, his beat-the-field achievement would have lasted 112 rounds, starting from the fourth round of the Byron Nelson in May 1999. (I only count stroke-play events for the streak, so this ignores, for example, the Sprint International tournament, which used Stableford scoring.) Die-hard baseball fans might know that after DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak ended on July 17, 1941—he went O-for-3, with two hard ground-outs to third base—he proceeded to hit safely in his next 16 games, so Joltin' Joe was just one hit short of a 73-game streak.
Imagine that. With a bounce here or a birdie there, these feats of excellence and consistency might have been even more epic.
(Golf.com)
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Playoff Beards Should Be The Least Of Your Concerns, Mr. Lazarus
NBC Sports head: NHL players should shave playoff beards
Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports, says NHL players should shave their traditional playoff beards to help fans recognize them more easily.
“The players won't like this, but I wish they all would stop growing beards in the postseason,” Lazarus told the Chicago Tribune. “Let's get their faces out there. Let's talk about how young and attractive they are. What model citizens they are. (Hockey players) truly are one of a kind among professional athletes. I know it's a tradition and superstition, but I think (the beards do) hurt recognition. They have a great opportunity with more endorsements. Or simply more recognition with fans saying, 'That guy looks like the kid next store [sic],' which many of these guys do. I think that would be a nice thing.”
The tradition began with the New York Islanders dynasty of the 1980’s and was eventually adopted by the rest of the NHL.
(NHL.com)
Mark Lazarus, the chairman of NBC Sports, says NHL players should shave their traditional playoff beards to help fans recognize them more easily.
“The players won't like this, but I wish they all would stop growing beards in the postseason,” Lazarus told the Chicago Tribune. “Let's get their faces out there. Let's talk about how young and attractive they are. What model citizens they are. (Hockey players) truly are one of a kind among professional athletes. I know it's a tradition and superstition, but I think (the beards do) hurt recognition. They have a great opportunity with more endorsements. Or simply more recognition with fans saying, 'That guy looks like the kid next store [sic],' which many of these guys do. I think that would be a nice thing.”
The tradition began with the New York Islanders dynasty of the 1980’s and was eventually adopted by the rest of the NHL.
(NHL.com)
Boudreau Gets To Lead Another Season
Ducks retain coach Boudreau, fire assistant Lauer
ANAHEIM -- The Anaheim Ducks announced Tuesday they will retain coach Bruce Boudreau but assistant coach Brad Lauer will not return next season.
It was the only staff change made by Anaheim general manager Bob Murray, who earlier this month was non-committal about the return of Boudreau before he completed his evaluation of players and staff.
"We’ve spent the last week evaluating everything from top to bottom, including all player and staff performance," Murray said in a statement. "This process is something I believe is essential each and every year, no matter the results of the season. We’ve decided to refocus and change the responsibilities of one of the assistant coach positions. We want to thank Brad Lauer for his hard work and dedication, and we wish him the best of luck in the future."
(NHL.com)
ANAHEIM -- The Anaheim Ducks announced Tuesday they will retain coach Bruce Boudreau but assistant coach Brad Lauer will not return next season.
It was the only staff change made by Anaheim general manager Bob Murray, who earlier this month was non-committal about the return of Boudreau before he completed his evaluation of players and staff.
"We’ve spent the last week evaluating everything from top to bottom, including all player and staff performance," Murray said in a statement. "This process is something I believe is essential each and every year, no matter the results of the season. We’ve decided to refocus and change the responsibilities of one of the assistant coach positions. We want to thank Brad Lauer for his hard work and dedication, and we wish him the best of luck in the future."
(NHL.com)
My Go To Fried Chicken Source Scored Well In This Survey
Close Finish for First in Fast Food Fried Chicken Taste Test
Ranking: 1st - Popeye’s
Review: I would be lying if I told you this was an easy decision. Popeye’s and Church’s were like two heavyweight fighters trading blows in the 12th round of a world championship bout. What earned Popeye’s the victory, was the overall excellence of its chicken, which had every quality I was looking for in a great leg and breast, and the fact that there was little to complain about. Popeye’s chicken was cooked to perfection, offering a hot, juicy center as well as a flaky, crispy outer coating that provided contrasting textures that easily made up for the lack of flavor when compared to KFC’s and Kennedy’s skin. That said, if Popeye’s manufactured fried chicken skin crisps like potato chips, I’d be the happiest —and heaviest — man on Earth. Chicken aside, the only part of my meal that may have been better was the biscuit, which was superior to all other bread offerings. Popeye’s biscuit was flaky, soft, warm and moist in the center, and on top of it all, topped with a light coat of butter. If I had to give one gripe about my meal, it would be that the side dishes were a bit disappointing, with the macaroni and cheese resembling what you would find in a T.V. dinner, and the mashed potatoes sporting a Cajun gravy, featuring various spices and flecks of red beans that gave it a flavor that I wasn’t quite looking for. Despite those minor qualms, at the end of the day, that the sides were fine, just not up to the same level as KFC or Church’s. Ultimately, this was a taste test for fried chicken, and Popeye’s offered a product that was crisp, fresh and juicy, three of the most important components of a great piece of meat, giving it the edge over the rest of its competition and allowing it to claim the title of Yahoo Food’s fried chicken king.
Complete list (Yahoo.com)
Ranking: 1st - Popeye’s
Review: I would be lying if I told you this was an easy decision. Popeye’s and Church’s were like two heavyweight fighters trading blows in the 12th round of a world championship bout. What earned Popeye’s the victory, was the overall excellence of its chicken, which had every quality I was looking for in a great leg and breast, and the fact that there was little to complain about. Popeye’s chicken was cooked to perfection, offering a hot, juicy center as well as a flaky, crispy outer coating that provided contrasting textures that easily made up for the lack of flavor when compared to KFC’s and Kennedy’s skin. That said, if Popeye’s manufactured fried chicken skin crisps like potato chips, I’d be the happiest —and heaviest — man on Earth. Chicken aside, the only part of my meal that may have been better was the biscuit, which was superior to all other bread offerings. Popeye’s biscuit was flaky, soft, warm and moist in the center, and on top of it all, topped with a light coat of butter. If I had to give one gripe about my meal, it would be that the side dishes were a bit disappointing, with the macaroni and cheese resembling what you would find in a T.V. dinner, and the mashed potatoes sporting a Cajun gravy, featuring various spices and flecks of red beans that gave it a flavor that I wasn’t quite looking for. Despite those minor qualms, at the end of the day, that the sides were fine, just not up to the same level as KFC or Church’s. Ultimately, this was a taste test for fried chicken, and Popeye’s offered a product that was crisp, fresh and juicy, three of the most important components of a great piece of meat, giving it the edge over the rest of its competition and allowing it to claim the title of Yahoo Food’s fried chicken king.
Complete list (Yahoo.com)
I'll Take These
Here Are Ten Of The Best Exotic Cars On eBay For Less Than $50,000
3. 1998 Acura NSX-T
8. 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
Complete list (Jalopnik.com)
3. 1998 Acura NSX-T
8. 2005 Mercedes-Benz SL65 AMG
Complete list (Jalopnik.com)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)