Category Archives: Sports

STEROIDS COME TO COMPETITIVE BRIDGE.

Posted on March 2, 2019 by Philip

STEROIDS COME TO COMPETITIVE BRIDGE. Nick called my attention to this article on the deadspin website by Dvora Meyers (February 28, 2019). The article reports that: “The World Bridge Federation announced today that Geir Helgemo, the world’s top-ranked bridge player, … Continue reading →

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LIGHTSABER DUELING IS NOW AN OFFICIAL SPORT IN FRANCE.

Posted on February 21, 2019 by Philip

LIGHT SABER DUELING IS NOW AN OFFICIAL SPORT IN FRANCE. I am evidently fascinated by novel sports. I have posted a number of times about them. In this article on the IGN website, Colin Stevens reports that the French Fencing … Continue reading →

Posted in Sports | 3 Comments

BOCCE AND BASEBALL—FATHER AND SONS.

Posted on January 24, 2019 by Philip

BOCCE AND BASEBALL—FATHER AND SONS. Hall of Famer Joe DiMaggio had two brothers who also had distinguished careers in major league baseball—-Dom and Vince. It was said that their father regretted that they had not taken up a real sport, … Continue reading →

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THE SPORT OF TEJO, WHERE SCORING IS DONE WITH GUNPOWDER.

Posted on January 22, 2019 by Philip

THE SPORT OF TEJO, WHERE SCORING IS DONE WITH GUNPOWDER. John Otis had an article in the Wall Street Journal (December 5, 2018) about tejo, which the article says is the “Colombian national sport”. (The Colombian Congress in 2000 gave … Continue reading →

Posted in History, Sports | 1 Comment

AN ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH A FIVE MAN INFIELD.

Posted on January 10, 2019 by Philip

AN ACTUAL EXPERIENCE WITH A FIVE MAN INFIELD. Tracy Ringolsby tells a story in the current Baseball America (January 11-February 5, 2019) about a time when Gene Mauch ( a very underrated manager) used a five man defense in the … Continue reading →

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ONE OF BILLY MARTIN’S RULES FOR MANAGING.

Posted on January 9, 2019 by Philip

ONE OF BILLY MARTIN’S RULES FOR MANAGING. Lindbergh and Miller cite one study of team chemistry by an assistant professor of group dynamics at the University of Santa Clara which found that for good team chemistry you have to avoid … Continue reading →

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“FEEL” FOR THE UNWRITTEN RULES (COMMENT).

Posted on January 8, 2019 by Philip

“FEEL” FOR THE UNWRITTEN RULES (COMMENT). Annalisa commented here that she was taken aback that reporters would lose access to players if they wrote about team chemistry issues. She posed the hypothetical: “What if “the team chemistry has anything to … Continue reading →

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EVERYBODY IN THE INFIELD (REVISITED).

Posted on January 7, 2019 by Philip

EVERYBODY IN THE INFIELD (REVISITED). The five man infield reminds of the time when we suggested to a friend who was coaching a team of little kids at a summer camp (think Bad News Bears) that he put all his … Continue reading →

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THE FIVE MAN INFIELD.

Posted on January 6, 2019 by Philip

THE FIVE MAN INFIELD. Lindbergh and Miller write early in the book about their desire to experiment with a five man infield and two man outfield. They tried it finally in a series of games against the best hitter in … Continue reading →

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RANDOMIZING PITCH SEQUENCES.

Posted on January 5, 2019 by Philip

RANDOMIZING PITCH SEQUENCES. One experiment that Lindbergh and Miller had envisioned trying was to use a random number device to determine the sequence of pitches that their pitcher would throw. They would do so by determining beforehand what percentage of … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Football, Sports | 1 Comment