May 2013
1 post
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A new one up at ESPN Playbook:
Music has been...
April 2013
3 posts
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“It’s not hard to look at this precise tracking of physical data and...”
– How the NBA can optimize players’ output - ESPN Playbook
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Can facial structure indicate power hitting?
Baseball insiders may need to expand their reading list to keep up with the game’s latest developments. Tucked into the latest edition of Biology Letters, among articles on emperor penguin surface temperatures and predator-prey size relationship, is a study that suggests that the shape of your face may indicate whether you’d make a good power hitter.
My debut over at ESPN Playbook
March 2013
3 posts
WatchHere’s the video we shot for Spike TV’s “Playbook 360” feature at South by Southwest, talking with host Dhani Jones about our panel on big data and basketball.
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A recording of our SXSW panel. Here’s the...
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Basketball’s ‘Hidden’ Positions Get an Update
Here’s the recap of the panel I did with Muthu Alagappan about basketball’s hidden positions at South by Southwest.
February 2013
3 posts
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Biggest Ever NBA Data Trove Will Settle Your Next...
Say you’re Miami Heat coach Erik Spoelstra. You’re on the road, in the last five minutes of a close game, facing a key decision: Who do you want shooting the ball? Conventional wisdom says get the ball to LeBron James. But data gleaned from a trove released online by the NBA shows that Chris Bosh is a better bet.
“The old sports cliche “keep your eye on the ball” is getting a modern twist by...”
– SmartBall Keeps an Eye Inside the Ball (Wired Playbook)
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“The magic behind Madden’s detailed predictions lies in the extensive numerical...”
– Madden 13 Super Bowl Sim Puts the Ravens on Top (Wired Playbook)
January 2013
2 posts
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“Along with being a haven for breaking news, celebrity updates, and bad jokes,...”
December 2012
1 post
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“A college pitcher with a knack for numbers and his statistics-loving coach have...”
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November 2012
1 post
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The Decades That Invented the Future
Over at Wired, we’re taking a look at the decades that invented the future: the 12 most innovative people, places and things of the past 12 decades. I was honored to write the introduction to the series, along with the first few entries for the Sports category: the invention of the forward pass, golf hitting it big in the US, and for the Roaring Twenties, Babe Ruth. Here’s a sample of...
October 2012
1 post
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September 2012
2 posts
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“The widely held and devoutly believed idea that a big play can change the...”
– Post-Interception ‘Momentum’ Is a Myth, Researchers Say
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“Just around the corner from the post office and the florist in London’s...”
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August 2012
7 posts
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“Fans describe track cycling as the best of a six-hour road race boiled down to a...”
– Sarah Hammer on Track Cycling
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“People have called Holley Mangold “Big Girl” most of her life. She heard it...”
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An Olympic Weightlifter on Football, Breaking Windows and the Perfect Lift
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“As badminton star Tony Gunawan whips his arm through a shot, his Yonex Voltric...”
– Elite Badminton Racquets Employ High-Tech Materials, Sonic Warfare
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“If you had to guess what sport Alexander Massialas excels in, you might say...”
– Alexander Massialas on Why a Fencer’s Body Is Lopsided
July 2012
6 posts
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“Olympic fencing mixes the ancient and the modern, combining rules laid down more...”
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For Olympic Fencers, Only Steel Is Real
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“It would be easy to think Tony Azevedo lives a charmed life. The captain of the...”
– Tony Azevedo, U.S. Water Polo’s ‘Savior’
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“After running the show as a solo sailor, Anna Tunnicliffe has taken on a pair of...”
– Watch Olympic Sailor Anna Tunnicliffe Take to the Waves
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“Howard Bach wants you to know something about badminton: It’s not a sissy sport....”
– Olympic Badminton Players ‘Don’t Drink Beer and Cook Out’
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“Creating an accurate model of wind and wave behavior has long challenged sailors...”
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Conditions Simulator Gives Sailors a Competitive Edge
June 2012
2 posts
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“Billions of pounds have been spent building state-of-the-art arenas to showcase...”
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Olympic Venues Stress Practicality, Adaptability, Recyclability
May 2012
2 posts
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“If that artwork that you’re creating communicates that there’s a life, a...”
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Animated Graphic Novel Goes to Bottom of the Ninth
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“One of the world’s leading rugby teams is about to learn whether the sport, once...”
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Big Blue Could Help Keep British Rugby Stars Healthy
April 2012
3 posts
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“Even if no one is going to refer to Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks as one...”
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Analytics Reveal 13 New Basketball Positions
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“Innovation in athletic shoes historically has focused on improving materials and...”
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The Shoe of Tomorrow Knows How Hard You Hustle
March 2012
4 posts
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“Sarah Reinertsen didn’t start running until after she lost her left leg above...”
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New Prosthetic Foot Delivers a Vastly More Natural Stride
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“I play my best when I’m not
thinking. I’ll score a goal, but I won’t
remember...”
– Brek Shea, from The Horse’s Mouth: Becoming a Pro Soccer Player
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February 2012
1 post
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Super Bowl sets Twitter records →
I did a quick recap of how the Super Bowl did on Twitter for the Wired.com Playbook blog. The closing moments of the game and the Madonna halftime show were the first two US-based events to crack the 10,000 tweet-per-second mark.
December 2011
1 post
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Neurotraining Helps Turbo-Charge Football Offenses →
There was so much interesting stuff that wouldn’t fit into this post I did for Wired.com’s Playbook blog about how teams are using brain training to help with reaction time and decision making. One of the best quotes came from clinical sports psychologist Dr. John Sullivan, who described a quarterback’s pre-snap calculations this way:
If you had to really break down what they...
November 2011
1 post
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August 2011
1 post
June 2011
2 posts
Rick Barnes and the Nagging Question →
I crawl inside the head of Texas basketball coach Rick Barnes and try to figure out what’s more important: winning NCAA tournament games or developing NBA talent.
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Garrett Gilbert's Confidence →
I’ve been writing a few things for the Longhorn sports blog Barking Carnival. Today’s post is about whether the coaching staff’s concern over quarterback Garrett Gilbert’s confidence is causing more harm than good.
May 2011
2 posts
3 tags
December 2010
1 post
WatchMy review of Pony Excess, the excellent documentary about the rise and fall of SMU football. It premieres on ESPN tomorrow night after the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
