A big day and a return of something special

So now the agents are fully in the fray as the NBA lockout reaches its most critical day yet and all I can say to that is:

Good grief.

If you’ve read all the stuff from yesterday – there’s a good recap here – a handful of high-powered agents are insinuating themselves into the lockout by suggesting players reject any deal that calls for any reduction in the percentage of basketball related income they get (it’s at 57 per cent now, owners originally proposed 46 and I think a 50-50 split might get it done) and the agents are still calling for decertification of the union and the wretched legal battle that will bring on.

Me?

I think they should go away.

I think the players are fully capable of making a decision for themselves – and there will be a full vote on whatever deal the negotiating teams come up with – and if there is a more transparent conflict of interest with agents to stand to make all their money off whatever new contracts their clients sign, I can’t think of what it is.

And for a guy who generally sided with the players in this dispute because they are giving back and giving back and seemingly getting nothing in return, it’s kind of distasteful to think they’d not be able to come to their own conclusions on what, or what doesn’t, constitute a deal they live with.

I’ve long thought that basketball agents have held far too much sway in the way the game is operated, either through engineering trades for their clients with complicit general managers or complaining behind the scenes about how their clients are being used by any specific coach/team/organization.

I understand that they can be used as resources, to give advice, help with contract negotiations and things like that, but at the same time, that should only be when they’re asked by players, not as a pre-emptive strike like this seems to be.

I can only imagine how Billy Hunter and Derek Fisher feel, being so undermined by men whose primary interest is making money off their clients.

Could be a wild day in New York today and I have a feeling we’ll know by this evening what the prognosis is for the rest of the exhibition games and the planned start of the season.

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What’s this????

Yes, we are in uncharted territory here.

And there would appear to be more to come.

Stay tuned.

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So, I’m watching the ball game last night and one thing come quickly to mind:

How, um, chunky is C.C. Sabathia?

Wow.

Yes, I know baseball players – some of them, at least – are far from svelte or athletic or in anything remotely close to top physical condition but, my Lord.

He’s huge.

That’s a caboose that more shelf than anything else and the size of his legs is, well, quite something.

Anyway, I guess it proves that girth and bulk count for something the game because he’s been good for a very long time.

But, man.

That’s a large fellow and I’m wondering if his late-season swoon – his numbers in the last five or six weeks are quite pedestrian – doesn’t have something to do with his physical condition.

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One of the all-time great “sing at the top of your lungs while driving” songs and it’s been 31 41 (you know me and math) years since Janis Joplin died.

Just our usual musical interlude.

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I’m guessing my Yankees-Tampa ALCS is close to dead, isn’t it?

And what’s going on in the baseball playoffs hammers home one point we’ve made here often:

Home field advantage in baseball counts less than in any other sport, I think.

Probably has to do with how much pitching controls the post-season and good pitching travels anywhere so we’ve seen in the Tampa series, the first two games of the Yankees-Tigers series and in the Phillies-Cards thing that home field doesn’t mean an awful lot.

If I had to rank the major pro sports and the impact that playing home has, it’d probably go this way:

Basketball

Maybe it’s the rims, maybe it’s the momentum a team gets from the crowd, maybe it’s something entirely different but there probably isn’t any question that it’s the most pronounced advantage of the major North American pro sports.

Football

It’s probably got as much to do with weather – or the lack of weather for teams built to play in domes – but home teams do seem to have a bit of an edge, don’t they?

Hockey

I guess it’s the standard size of the playing surface, and the fact in-game momentum or “runs” don’t play as big a part in the outcome as they do in, say, the basketball but it strikes me that a lot of road hockey teams win.

Baseball

Pitching. Pitching. Pitching.

Now, it might be a bit different for games that go extra innings but that’s not all that a common occurrence.

You concur?

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Hey!

Pucks start Thursday here and for some reason known only to the Tall Foreheads who plan these things, they’re conscripting me to be part of some IGBT.

Just wanted to let you know so you can plan your week, it out to be a hoot.

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Okay, off the Mother Ship to see what other fun things we can change around here.

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Comments

[Peter in Italy]

Thanks for reminding us about Janis Joplin. It's actually 41 years since she died but her legend lives on. My 20-year-old daughter is a big fan!

[john]

Hey Doug, having never sat in any kind of bargaining session, what do they possibly have to talk about for 7 hours a day? Day in and day out, big groups, little groups... do they really talk to each other or do they just stare at each other for hours on end trying to impose their will like a Jedi Knight till someone realizes that its time for lunch?

There is so much talk about the two sides talking, but really what is there to say? Everyone knows the issue and until one side breaks from their stance there's not much to say is there?

[Christine]

Since the HOTH are out to lunch, why not try to sneak in some OUA basketball coverage?

Come on Doug, it will be a win-win-win situation. You will still be able to: 1. cover basketball, 2. you can always travel home to Hazelville after a game, and 3. you get to profile/give exposure to various Men's and Women's teams to your readers

What would the Mother Ship say?

Blogger's note: I think the'd be okay with that. It's in the plans

[D-Mac Ottawa]

Morning, Doug,
Regarding yesterday's CBA powwow, Stern has this to say: "... we had a good meeting today defining the issues and the positions and we’ll see how that works"... Huh?! So what the hell has anyone been doing since July, if they're just now getting around to "defining the issues and the positions"?! I mean, isn't that like the preamble to the intro to the starting point? Wouldn't it take, what, maybe 15 minutes, not three months, to arrive at that monumental point in the "discussion"?
Man, and you think you have knuckleheadism issues with your IGBTs sometimes... Doug, don't you think this whole CBA circus could have been handled back in the dog days of summer with about four days' diligent work by a professional panel of labour mediators? You mentioned something last week about the NLRB – how does that work, when would they come into play, and why don't they just go there in the first place and save themselves a lot of embarrassment? Cheers.

Blogger's note: You most certainly would think so, no? But people never seem to act with any sense of urgency without a tight deadline.

[Tim]

I'd like to second Christine's comment and the plan to cover OUA basketball. Looking forward to it!

[Mike D.]

Just so we use our time wisely......if one were to submit a video-recorded question about a topic that had been discussed previously (say, what happens to the 2012 draft if the season is cancelled), would one's question be ignored or would the Irregulars be treated to a Grunt TV response in which the host turns interesting colours and frequently suppresses profanity?

Blogger's note: Dare ya to try

[Mike K]

Doug,
WIth respect to home court advantage, have you taken into account the rule differences in hockey when it comes to face-offs and line changes? To me, this explicit advantage should put hockey atop the list.
Maybe you did consider this, and it doesn't affect your answer.

Blogger's note: Doesn't change answer

[Brad]

Football home field advantage #2: crowd noise, esp. in indoor arenas. They can make it very difficult for opposing QBs to do 'hard counts', and esp. to change the play call at the line; then, they quieten down for their own team's offensive series.

[Lorie]

Morning, Doug!
I'm a tad confused about all this new stuff. Especially the mail stuff. Do you now only respond to our questions via Grunt TV? Or do we now have to videotape our questions? And then you videotape your response? Does your videotape respond to ours while we're all watching it? Am I overthinking this?. And since we're all about updating and uploading, why don't we rename your "Mailbag" to something more jazzy and respresentative of what (apparently!) interests Irregulars (and with apologies to Steven Soderbergh): "Sexts, Laffs and Videotape". And regarding Christine's comment about OUA coverage, did you know that in university basketball, the mens and womens teams frequently travel together and play their opponent on the same day? So, if you were to report on one days games, you could cover 4 teams! How efficient is that? Ummmm...so did Those With Enormous Foreheads nix the freebies and giveaways? (No word on the Grunt Gucci footwear line yet? My questions would be much more elegantly delivered in a pair of Guccis.)
Janis. Always loved this one best when she sang it acapella.
http://youtu.be/C-GFqhCq2HA

Blogger's note: Mail will be a mix; one or two videos, tops, plus the same old fare

[sam]

Who will be the first irregular to submit a video?

Pitchers with Bulk - CC Sabathia:
Jesse Litsch I think, uses the same food consumption regime.....
Reminds me of John Kruk when asked about his athletic appearance. "I'm not an Athelete", he says, "I'm a ball player"

[doug]

in regards to home court advantage...when I played football, baseball, basketball and hockey until i was 17 or so...b-ball was the one that bothered me the most on the road...and it is the rims but also the backdrop especially in university,high school ball....as some courts had the walls right there, others the baskets were hanging in the middle of nowhere it seemed, some had glass backboards, others didn't...and the rims were unreal in their differences...in fact in baseball I loved playing in tournaments around Ontario, as some of those home run fences, backdrops etc. were fun...football once your on the field it was all the same....and hockey was the same...in the pros I would definitely say B-ball as well...as different courts cause the ball to react differently when you dribble, dead spots, then rims, and backdrops, plus travel and legs are tired, first thing to effect a a shot is tired legs...so i concur with your list 100% and also with your views on the agents, it's hard enough to get 2 sides to agree never mind 3...there still so far apart any enthusiasm or hope I had I think is evaporating quickly...I am thru with hockey, getting tired of football and baseball will be gone soon, guess it might be a winter of watching movies and sitcoms...as Breaking Bad only has one episode left, Boardwalk Empire just started up but it has a short season..I need my b-ball fix, and to support anything NCAA to me goes against all my values...see where a Ohio State player was suspended yesterday for taking $60, are you kidding me, start paying these kids, it's a farce, coaches schools make millions, players can't even accept $60 ...greed is running rampant throughout society it seems, thank good for the old tunes like Janis, perks up the day...

[Michel G]

The strange thing Sam, is that Jesse Litsch is arguably the best fielding pitcher on the Jays staff. Go figure.

[Cragganmore]

Hi Doug,

You are spot on with basketball at the top of your list regarding the greatest home advantage in the big four North American sports. The home and away records of most teams speak for themselves. I would like to pass on another thought on why we see such an advantage, and that is, that very tall people do not always enjoy air travel on regular airlines. I recognise that most are probably flying first class, where there is more leg room, but even first class has limits to how far you can stretch out. I have a 6'6" friend who travels by air frequently on business, and it takes him most of the next day to work out the kinks from being cramped in an airline seat.

Great blog. Love it.

Cheers!

[doug]

that's a good point by @michel G...as I think endurance and stamina as Doug pointed out is affected by weight...but you can't confuse weight and athleticism, i had a close buddy playing baseball all thru my 20's and 30's and he was overweight by a great deal and had the classic beer gut...but man he was light on his feet and could move, like i mean move, and had the softest hands,he amazed us all...but his recovery time after one of those first to third or home sprints was well until he had his first beer and a nap...at least 24 hours...

[Phil]

Hi Doug,

After reading today's post, I checked the home advantage for the major sports for their most recent completed regular seasons. You were almost right on, although baseball was actually slightly higher than hockey:

Home team winning percentages (last complete season):
NBA .602
NFL .559
MLB .526
NHL .519

Not sure how much they vary from year to year, or how much different playoffs are from regular season, but it's pretty clear that the NBA has by far the largest home court advantage.

[Boko]

First of all, although the stats do probably indicate that there is a home advantage for each major sport, (an analysis is possible, but I work nights) as a player of both football & basketball, I do remember that one is concentrating so hard on what's going on in the game that one doesn't even hear the fans. It's more likely a source of pride to defend it, making it a self-fulfilling prophecy, than it is a matter of fans swaying the players ...

Concentrate on the sidelines, if what's going on on (don't get to do that very often) ice is boring you.

[Lorie]

@doug:
If I might recommend getting your basketball "fix" at local high schools, colleges or universities: the product is different for sure; but the passion for the game we love is still very much there. That's what I plan on doing. And hopefully the NBA lockout will facilitate the NBL finding its audience more quickly for those of us fortunate enough to be living in cities with a franchise!

[Boko]

FYI, "Courneya and Carron (1992) synthesize the findings on the major team sports and report historical home winning percentages of:
53.5% for baseball,
57.3% for football,
61.1% for ice hockey,
64.4% for basketball, and
69.9% for soccer."
as per Trandel & Maxcy (2009).

[Tim H.]

Re: Home court advantage in the NBA - would shooting background have anything to do with it, or are the NBA players immune to that (unlike Junior High School players)?

Blogger's note: It's got a small part to do with it

[Steph]

If the talks go well, or don't I think the worst thing the league could contemplate is a compressed schedule. And that's what ESPN is reporting as something that's on the table. Squeezing more games into fewer days would be terrible from a fans perspective. More back to backs with built in excuses for playing pourly.
..
Please Doug tell me it ain't so.

[Dennis]

Doug,

A small observation I'd like to share. When creating a video it's best to have the camera level with your forehead. If the camera is too low it seems as though you are talking down to your viewers and the viewers are looking up and into your nose.

[doug]

@Lori i agree entirely and I have been against this whole "it's the NBA or nothing" mentality...there is plenty of b-ball to go around..I still play a little industrial league ball and am thinking of doing some coaching this year again as I coached a women's team in London for a few years and thoroughly enjoyed it....but what I was thinking of, was those cold December,January nights, plopping myself down in a chair with a cold brewski and watching the Raps or whoever else is on....oh well time to catch up on reading, or watch some movies...but I agree wholeheartedly...or if Hudak wins this election then I think B.C. might be-a-calling, as even thinking of that triumvirate that would exist with the 3 amigos makes my head feel like exploding now....then the golf course would be-a-calling...

[Derek]

Hey Doug, I think for home court, you are forgetting that in baseball, the home team gets last at bat, which is a pretty big advantage.

[Celtics]

if Hudak wins this election then I think B.C. might be-a-calling, as even thinking of that triumvirate that would exist with the 3 amigos makes my head feel like exploding now....then the golf course would be-a-calling...Concentrate on the sidelines, if what's going on on (don't get to do that very often) ice is boring you.

[Art H]

Doug! CIS Women's basketball preseason tournament at Ryerson weekend after Thanksgiving! Fairly certain you (sadly!) would get an exclusive ifg you covered it!