Archive for the 'Delicate Geniuses' Category

Nov 17

Faced With Increasing Scrutiny, Rich-Rod Throws Michigan Players Under the Bus

College Football, Delicate Geniuses, Rich Old White People tyduffy 85 Comments »

Some college coaches lead by example.  They take responsibility.  They soothe the hysterical.  They show a blend of tact and vision that exudes confidence.  Rich Rodriguez is not one of them.

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Nov 12

Detroit Tigers Are Shopping Granderson to Pay For Dombrowski’s Follies

Baseball, Delicate Geniuses, Frauds tyduffy 44 Comments »

First of two posts on Curtis Granderson. One from the Detroit POV; the other from the Yankees’ POV.

Baseball teams are businesses.  Unstable revenue streams cannot support massive expenditure indefinitely.  The Tigers’ bubble was bound to blow at some moment.  With the team now shopping Curtis Granderson, that moment has come.

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Nov 11

Because We Haven’t Reached Our Cleveland Bashing Quota For Today

Baseball, Delicate Geniuses, NBA tyduffy 636 Comments »

img00073-20091110-1956One of our readers sent us this photo of Indians’ GM Mark Shapiro and Cavs GM Danny Ferry fraternizing at a Bruce Springsteen concert.  Struck by such a collision of astute minds, we must ask, which is more brutal.  Paying $20 million to see Kerry Wood stroll out of the bullpen in the 9th or paying $20 million to watch Shaq defend a Pick and Roll?

Answer: Growing Up a Sports Fan in Cleveland

Nov 03

Michigan Fans Are Antsy, But Calls To Fire Rodriguez are Premature

College Football, Delicate Geniuses tyduffy 125 Comments »

Michigan was routed 38-13 last weekend, by an Illinois team with a 1-6 record.  The catastrophic loss dropped the Wolverines to 1-4 in the Big Ten.  Michigan went five weeks in October without defeating a Division 1 opponent.  What was an apparent leap forward has become further disappointment.

Alumni are understandably antsy.  Rich Rodriguez does deserve blame, but calling for his ouster is premature.  It would be more detrimental at this juncture.

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Oct 12

Michigan Football: Open to Interpretation

College Football, Delicate Geniuses, Video tyduffy 76 Comments »

Michigan lost 30-28 on Saturday to Iowa.  The Wolverines should be proud of their effort.  Iowa was artificially ranked #12 so winning would have been “an upset.”  Conversely, Michigan outplayed Iowa and should be horrified that five turnovers and atrocious third-down conversions wasted that effort.  As with everything this Michigan season, there are two ways of viewing it.

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Sep 03

U.S. Soccer: Endemic Delusions That Perpetuate Mediocrity

Delicate Geniuses, Soccer tyduffy 66 Comments »

We documented U.S. soccer’s hostility toward a critical journalist. We mentioned their campaign of misinformation.  This matters because most in the United States are not well grounded in soccer. They’re undiscerning about information. This results in delusions that ramp up hype and subsequent revenue, but eliminate accountability. Read the rest of this entry »

Aug 03

College Football Previews: Will Rich Rod Turn Things Around in Year Two at Michigan?

College Football, Delicate Geniuses tyduffy 132 Comments »

richrod_2Michigan brought in Rich Rod’s smarm and spread offense last season, leading them to a 3-9 record.  It was Michigan’s first losing season since the pre-Schembechler era, and their first time missing a bowl game since the Big Ten allowed teams to attend bowls other than the Rose Bowl in 1976.  If you judge football conferences by frivolous things, such as winning bowl games or competitiveness, the Big Ten has declined.  But, given the revenue figures, a number of you still think the Big Ten and Michigan are important.  So, we ask, how will year two of the Rich Rod regime turn out?

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Jul 30

Did Brian Sabean Really Just Trade a Top Pitching Prospect For Freddy Sanchez?

Baseball, Delicate Geniuses tyduffy 59 Comments »

brian-sabeanThe San Francisco Giants traded Tim Alderson, one of their top pitching prospects, for Freddy Sanchez.  This move begs one question: how is Brian Sabean still general managing a major league baseball team?

Here was Sabean’s comment on the trade.

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Jul 27

Billy Beane’s Bandwagon is Diminishing

Baseball, Delicate Geniuses tyduffy 15 Comments »

In October 2006, Billy Beane’s Oakland Athletics won the first playoff series of his tenure.  Jim Caple wrote, “Amid our ‘You’re Exactly as Smart as This Year’s Winning Precentage’ sports culture, here’s a general manager who annually – and deservedly so – sits atop baseball’s Mensa list: Oakland’s Billy Beane.”

Last Friday, with the A’s mired in a third-straight losing season, Rob Neyer wrote this about Beane’s trade of Matt Holliday.

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