The Time Has Come

With much regret, DWYD Sports will no longer be in service. However, you can catch the same blogging fun by your favorite bloggers at www.hashtagworld.blogspot.com. We write about the same stuff, but it's not limited to sports. You'll see things on TV shows, movies, sports, video games, our daily lives, fashion, music, NASA, and whatever else we feel like writing about. The material should come easier and we'll hopefully even get more than a post a day. You can even post! Seriously, go check it out.

http://www.hashtagworld.blogspot.com

Thanks for reading!
-M, C, B, S, C

Springtime for Hitters: 9 Questions for the 2012 Baseball Season

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By: Scott Polacek
It is time for pitchers and catchers to report to spring training. There may not be a better sentence in all of sports. In fact, it is the sports fan’s version of Punxsutawney Phil – the lovable groundhog who signals to the nation that spring is right around the corner (and someone we here at DWYD are all too familiar with).

In honor of the official start of sport’s spring, here are nine storylines to keep an eye out for during spring training and the upcoming season. Of course, I could have been conventional and done ten, but think of it as a storyline for each position on the baseball diamond (actually I was too lazy to do ten. Don’t tell anyone).

Know Your NBA D-League: The Canton Charge(!)

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By Mike Hanus:

Averaging 41 points, nine rebounds, six assists and 3.5 steals in his last two games, Manny Harris of the Canton Charge was named NBA D-League Performer of the Week. Having starred for the Michigan Wolverines, Harris went undrafted before being signed by the Cleveland Cavaliers last year. He spent most of his time on the bench before being waived this year, where he was signed by the D-League Canton Charge, to recover from his freezer burn (!?!?) injury. He promptly helped the Charge, who went 7-3 in their last ten games…and then Harris was called up by the Cavs on a 10-day contract, and the Charge are back to start.

Such is the life of a team in the NBA D-League, which sits in the back seat and works with the injured stars, developing talent and seasonal journeymen the NBA hopes to develop or doesn’t want in the first place. This is the first of a regular series of articles that helps you get to know your local NBA D-League team. We’ll cover some of their notable stories, give a breakdown of the roster and the upcoming calendar, and what you ought to expect when it comes to the D-League.

WWE Sabermetrics: Racial Inequality at the Royal Rumble

by Chris Marshall:

I planned to write this article about a month ago; the Royal Rumble¹ was just about to take place, so it actually made sense to do it back then. Of course, if you want to make God laugh, tell Him your plans. I kept pushing it off because it seemed like a lot of work for such little reward. After doing the data analysis, however, I think I might have found something interesting.

The original idea was to treat the Rumble as if it were an actual athletic competition and perform a statistical analysis² in much the same way as I would for a legitimate sport. For example, how much does starting position affect a wrestler's finishing position? Does the number of opponents eliminated by a wrestler have any bearing on how far they make it?

The first draft of this article addresses these issues, and it will eventually become another part of my Royal Rumble Sabermetrics series, but I decided that they could wait. At first I had no demographic variables, so I added two: race and age³. In order to make it possible to run a t-test, I dichotomized the racial variable into white and non-white. I ended up creating a second racial variable, black and non-black, for reasons I will explain later. Anyway, the results were a little troubling.

On the Shoulders of Giants: How Eli Manning Cemented his Legacy as the Best Manning

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By Carlos Cruz:
Peyton Manning is the best regular season quarterback in the history of the NFL. He has received numerous accolades that serve as a confirmation of this statement. Examination of Peyton Manning’s resume includes three MVP awards, 11 Pro Bowl appearances, five first team all-pro selections (cue Booker T), and a classic sketch on Saturday Night Live. Numbers that are certainly impressive on the surface, but unfortunately the NFL season is broken up into two unique components: regular season and postseason.

To say that Peyton Manning underperforms in the playoffs would be the equivalent of saying LeBron James might have some fourth quarter woes. In fact, the existence of both players proves that the history books need to be revised. Both players are imbued with Harry Houdini’s DNA (who was childless) due to their absolutely amazing ability to disappear when it matters. However, the purpose of this blog is not to completely rip the elder Manning (I could do that for about 5,000 words) but rather to focus on the accomplishments of the younger Manning.  So, what in the world has Eli Manning done in his career to be considered the best Manning? Well, that’s the 100 dollar question (coincidentally the average graduate school budget).

Sports and Musical Icons: Comparing the Greatest

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By Scott Polacek:
It seems like I’m always thinking about sports. Whether I’m in class (rest assured, teachers don’t read sports blogs), out to dinner, or just hanging out, there’s a fairly decent chance sports is going to cross my mind at one point or another. I will not apologize for this. As Lady Gaga would say, I was born this way.

Which gets me to my point (wait, Lady Gaga got me to my point? Maybe I should have come up with a different point). I was watching the Grammys last week, or, as my sports brain would see it, music’s answer to the Super Bowl. At some point during the show I decided that I wanted to compare some of the stars in the music world to those in the sports world. I was so excited about this idea that I got around to it a week later.

As a forewarning, I know very little about music. Again, since I am always thinking about sports, there isn’t much room left in my brain for these trivial things. Seeing as how I really don’t have much more than a basic collection of musical knowledge, I am clearly the perfect person to write a blog post centered on musical stars and their sports counterparts. Here we go.

Why You Should Be Watching Hockey Right Now

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By Bobby Lull:
For years I have made the argument that hockey is the only sport that cannot merit criticism. Football has too little action per game, too many commercials, and the insomnia elixirs that are Jim Nantz and Joe Buck. Baseball has too many games, too slow a pace, and yes, Joe Buck. Basketball has too many fouls, Duke, and yes, Jim Nantz. While soccer has no weaknesses in my biased mind, I’m not foolish enough to attempt to assert its superiority in the land where American Battleball (i.e. football) reigns supreme to the beautiful game. 

Yet what’s hockey’s great weakness? Too much fighting? These are sports, the evolutionary descendants of gladiator games. Competition, physical superiority, and displays of dominance are in their DNA; fighting is right there alongside those. Outside of too much fighting, some say they cannot follow the puck on television. This was a reasonable complaint maybe five years ago, but now HDTVs have saturated the market, and almost all sports fans have access to them. 

With a large HDTV, following the puck is no worse than following a baseball or tennis ball. With these excuses deemed invalid, perhaps you simply don’t understand the game. After a few games, hockey becomes no more complex than football. So I encourage you to watch a few games, read up on the sport a little, and delve in to the wonderful experience that is being a hockey fan in 2012. These are exciting times to be a hockey fan. Just consider the following points:

Tennis Does Not Have a Steroid Problem

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by Chris Marshall:

I recently caught wind of a blog that is dedicated solely to the cause of “exposing” the use of performance enhancing drugs and blood doping in the tennis world. The appropriately named Tennis Has a Steroid Problem has been on a three-year crusade to demonstrate that there is a widespread problem that plagues professional tennis.

The slight problem, though, is that they have no proof. I admittedly have read only a handful of the 1,000+ posts on the site, but at first blush, it seems like a tinfoil-hat outfit. Since 2008, a very small number of tennis players have been found guilty of doping violations, and it is true that most of them are low-ranked players. THASP argues that this is a whitewash, a way for the International Tennis Federation to point to the fact that their tests are indeed effective at exposing evildoers within the pro ranks.

I Have Doubt! John Wall, Please Forgive Me

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By: Mike Hanus
I am insane for Linsanity. I am rootin’ for Rubio. I am crazy about Kyrie and kooky for Kemba. Each time I watch one of these guys play, I go nuts. I’ve supported rookie point guards from day one. Watching them is so much fun! That’s my thing; that’s what makes me love basketball. I am the number one fan for cheering these rookies on – guys who waltz into the NBA and make it look like they’ve been dishing the rock and dropping dimes for decades.  I even love their adorable bonehead turnovers. I mean, there’s bound to be growing pains; it’s their first year in the NBA! But look at that pass – it’s only their first year in the NBA! I can’t look at any of these guys and not think wow, in five years, these guys are going to be All-Stars.

I am not jumpin’ for John. I am not wacky for Wall (and these are the last alliterations), and it scares me.

Getting Caught Up: The Current Top 11 and the State of the Union for College Basketball Right Now

By Scott Polacek:

The Super Bowl is officially over America. Somehow, we are supposed to survive the monotony of our daily lives for the next seven to eight months without football waiting for us on the weekends. I guess we could spend more times with our wives, girlfriends, families, friends, neighbors, or whatever other people I am leaving out, but I have a better suggestion.

Become consumed by college basketball (I would say pro basketball, but I prefer my athletes to actually try their hardest before the playoffs – silly me).

Sure, it’s never going to replace the thrill of watching your favorite teams on Sunday or singing your school’s fight song on Saturday, but it beats being an actual productive person who lives up to his or her responsibilities. It also beats sitting at your computer screen and constantly pressing the refresh button on the Eagles or Cowboys message boards, anxiously awaiting VickFan36’s 140 character take on the upcoming NFL Combine.

There may even be some things you like.

Does Eli Manning Belong in the Hall of Fame?

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[Ed: This is the first guest post on Do What You Do Sports. We are always interested in posting new content, so if there's anything you'd like to contribute, just drop us a line.]


by Aaron Poole:

First off, let me say that having a discussion about whether or not Eli Manning belongs in the Hall of Fame halfway through his career is absurd. It takes a lifetime of achievement to get into the Hall of Fame. With that being said, I’ll lay out why I think it’s inept to believe Eli isn’t a Hall of Fame quarterback at this point in his career.

The biggest reason why he is currently a potential Hall of Fame QB is obvious: he has won two Super Bowls against one of the most successful teams of the past decade (more of a testament to the Giants’ defense than Eli, though). Regardless of his shortcomings, winning two Super Bowls is no easy feat. 

However, two Super Bowl wins aren’t a guarantee for the Hall of Fame. Jim Plunkett has two wins but is not in the Hall of Fame. Kurt Warner and Brett Favre only have one Super Bowl win with two and one losses, respectively, and someone would get hit in the head for suggesting they won’t be in the Hall of Fame one day. Hell, Fran Tarkenton is a Hall of Famer with three Super Bowl losses, and Jim Kelly with four Super Bowl losses. Obviously, Super Bowl wins and appearances alone are only a part of the puzzle for a Hall of Fame nomination.

Rating Headlines: The Giants/Patriots Super Bowl!

By: Mike Hanus

Really, what were the odds Oakland didn't make the Super Bowl this year? They were pretty much a lock. I guess crazier things have happened.

Anyway, this is the start of a semi-regular column about sports websites and their headlines. Starting today, I'll be posting one of these within a week of the aftermath of a huge sporting event (tennis Grand Slams, the Super Bowl, the World Cup Finals, etc). The goal here is to criticize really highly paid website editors for not making their headline really exciting or using pun abilities to their fullest extent. Headlines are important! They're exciting, and they pull readers in, and they offer a chance for an editor to do some really cool creative wordplay. There really is nothing better than a sweet headline pun.

As such, there will be a very rigorously tested and objective scoring system. Headlines can earn up to 5 points in each of the following categories:

Originality (how many other people are doing this?)

Pun-tastic (Is there a pun? Is it great?)

Epic (Does the headline sum up how awesome whatever the event was?)

So let's start slow. We'll take Sports Illustrated for Kids.

Re: Chris Paul is the Best Basketball Player in the NBA (No, Really) - Really?

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[Ed: This is in response to This post]

By Bobby Lull:

Chris Paul is an excellent basketball player. One of the best. But “the best”? I (and most, if not all sensible NBA fans) beg to differ. He’s an excellent player who can control a game and is certainly leading the Clippers to new heights. His presence on the Clippers will be an absolute boon to the development of Blake Griffin, and the potential for a truly captivating Lakers/Clippers rivalry is definitely exciting. 

He is the best point guard in the NBA, despite Derrick Rose’s immense skill set. But there’s another player in the league, one whom you are slightly too hasty to dismiss, who deserves the crown of “best.” “LeBron can’t control a game the way Paul does”? Come on, man! Let me steer your attention to something that happened before you began diligently watching the NBA, before this alleged era of Chris Paul and “Lob City” (a phrase whose sudden and violent death I fully support, by the way) came upon us:

The Tennis Futures Market: Australian Open Men's Recap

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by Chris Marshall:

For American tennis fans, the Australian Open often becomes the forgotten Grand Slam event. It is four months removed in either direction from any other major, and the time difference between the eastern United States and Melbourne, Australia, makes it difficult to watch for all but the most dedicated and deranged fans. Luckily I fall into that category.

Despite the lackluster response it gets from casual fans, though, the tournament sets the basic narrative for the entire season. On the men's side, it feels like more of the same. The Big 3.5 of Novak Djokovic, Rafael Nadal, Roger Federer, and Andy Murray will continue to dominate every tournament. Anybody who saw the last three matches will realize there is nothing bad about this development; rarely will you ever see such sustained excellence as was on display in the semis and the final.

For a few fleeting moments it seemed like Murray might break through and win his match against Djokovic, but Nole just has an extra gear that he can kick into when the match is on the line. At last year's U.S. Open he hit an incredible, go-for-broke return winner when down match point against Federer. In the semi against Murray this year, he bounced back from blowing a fifth set lead, and in the final against Nadal, he climbed back from a break down in the fifth. This ability is almost more damaging to an opponent's psyche than blowing them out, because with Djokovic, even if you are in the match, you still feel like there's no way you can beat him.

2012 National Signing Day

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by Scott Polacek:

Most of the time our society would probably frown upon a day that is basically dedicated to full grown adults fawning over and watching each and every move of a group of 17 to 18 year old kids. Most of the time our society would probably frown upon the idea of a day that is predicated on representatives of institutes of higher learning traveling around the nation in private jets with the sole purpose of begging high school students to follow them back to campus and play sports for their school.

Of course, national signing day is not most of the time. Not even close.

Every February, national signing day rolls around and, just like clockwork, the rabid fan bases of America’s powerhouse college football programs make it through another day of work by dreaming about their schools’ future stars taking the field and bringing ol’ State U back to glory. This year is no different.

There are a number of intriguing story lines surrounding national signing day 2012 but, as always, it all boils down to the overall class rankings (disclaimer: nobody takes the recruiting rankings at ESPN seriously – except, of course, the worldwide leader itself - so neither will I). As of signing day afternoon, the top ten classes according to Scout.com are as follows: