Opinion Commentary & Media IX

[ChopChopDigDig]

What’s good about this year is I’m watching a lot of the footy shows again. What’s bad is some of them still suck.

I don’t bother with that trash, all the north stuff is just posted here by GR anyway ( god bless GR )

 

[GoNorth]

Can i get a non-facebook translation? My computer identified facebook as a security threat and blocks me from opening it.

Here you go, I typed it up for you:

J.G. - 'I love watching North, their midfield - O'Sullivan, Sheezel and Wardlaw. Them three were in there and there was Rowell, Anderson and Miller so it was like the youth vs the old boys and the youth stood up. Wardlaw was crazy, O'Sullivan is going to be an absolute star. And they, Gold Coast, just stopped, sort of went into their shell a bit. North started to get a bit more aggressive through the corridor. Caleb Daniel, Parker kicks inside and they sort of just made it up and it worked from there but it was good to see because they needed a bit of reward for effort, I think.

**The other guy (sorry, I'm not sure who he is) - 'Gold Coast, it was 105 to 105. Gold Coast won the clearance. Wardlaw's defensive effort to get back and outnumber and then rip the ball through the middle, out the back and score'.

J.G. - 'Yeah, he's a crazy person to watch. He just... (**the other guy - 'My favourite player in the league') Yeah, I don't know, he just like does some stuff that not many others can'.

**The other guy - 'So he's actually lightning quick which for an inside mid, you don't associate him with being super fast because he's so hard at it but apparently, he's lightning fast'.

J.G. - 'Nah, he looks quick (**the other guy - 'chase down tackles, you know the one - he closes the gap') Mate, just gets it. He's an unbelievable athlete. Like I said, those North boys, Sheezel, O'Sullivan, him, they're going to take North to places. I reckon they'll be top 8 for the next ten years after this year'.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Gerard and others in the AFL media are comprised because they can’t afford to stay too far away from AFL narratives, and can’t make it confusing for the average joe football follower,

which is why we’re seeing better analysis from independent nerds online.

It's why I love MLB commentary.
They're all pretty independent, and they talk absolute shit about the umpires, decisions, and the issues in MLB. And they're allowed to do it.

 

[Devington]

It's why I love MLB commentary.
They're all pretty independent, and they talk absolute shit about the umpires, decisions, and the issues in MLB. And they're allowed to do it.

God I wish our journalists and broadcasters could speak about the umpiring and administration without fear.

 

[Ether]

Here you go, I typed it up for you:

J.G. - 'I love watching North, their midfield - O'Sullivan, Sheezel and Wardlaw. Them three were in there and there was Rowell, Anderson and Miller so it was like the youth vs the old boys and the youth stood up. Wardlaw was crazy, O'Sullivan is going to be an absolute star. And they, Gold Coast, just stopped, sort of went into their shell a bit. North started to get a bit more aggressive through the corridor. Caleb Daniel, Parker kicks inside and they sort of just made it up and it worked from there but it was good to see because they needed a bit of reward for effort, I think.

**The other guy (sorry, I'm not sure who he is) - 'Gold Coast, it was 105 to 105. Gold Coast won the clearance. Wardlaw's defensive effort to get back and outnumber and then rip the ball through the middle, out the back and score'.

J.G. - 'Yeah, he's a crazy person to watch. He just... (**the other guy - 'My favourite player in the league') Yeah, I don't know, he just like does some stuff that not many others can'.

**The other guy - 'So he's actually lightning quick which for an inside mid, you don't associate him with being super fast because he's so hard at it but apparently, he's lightning fast'.

J.G. - 'Nah, he looks quick (**the other guy - 'chase down tackles, you know the one - he closes the gap') Mate, just gets it. He's an unbelievable athlete. Like I said, those North boys, Sheezel, O'Sullivan, him, they're going to take North to places. I reckon they'll be top 8 for the next ten years after this year'.

The other guy is some dude called Tom Mitchell - I think he used to play..?

 

[DarkPhoenix]

God I wish our journalists and broadcasters could speak about the umpiring and administration without fear.

Can you imagine if they criticised umpires as openly as this in the AFL?
There would be firings.

 

[Rod Stroker]

Can you imagine if they criticised umpires as openly as this in the AFL?
There would be firings.

why do they even need the umpire to make those decisions? they have the tech right there in front of them to tell them if the pitches are strikes/balls or not, and it would be correct close to 100% of the time.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

why do they even need the umpire to make those decisions? they have the tech right there in front of them to tell them if the pitches are strikes/balls or not, and it would be correct close to 100% of the time.

They don't want to fully automate the role and result in loss of jobs and elimination of key baseball skills (such as catcher framing), as well as concerns around accuracy of tracking and removing individual strike zones based on stance etc. As well as not wanting to completely remove the human element.

This year they actually brought in something called ABS (Automated Ball-Strike System) which is used similar to a review in cricket.
Each team gets 2 reviews - retained when successful, lost when unsuccessful.

If the umpire calls a strike which the batter disagrees with they immediately tap the top of their helmet indicating a challenge, it's quickly run through ABS and either upheld or overturned.

If the umpire calls a ball, the catcher (usually) OR the pitcher can challenge by tapping the top of their head. Again review happens. There have been issues with the rule as the challenge must be made immediately after the umpires call, meaning even a delay of a second can result in a challenge being denied - or if the umps not looking they have refused to do a review the catcher clearly asked for.

Overall it works pretty well though. Personally I'd hate to see a fully automated strike zone, not every umps as bad as Angel Hernandez.

A pretty good example of how ABS is used by both batter and catcher:

 

[RooInNorthLondon]

Meanwhile the AFL tech gives you picture quality for reviews that resembles a hard-used VHS tape playing on an old school tube TV.

 

[Rod Stroker]

They don't want to fully automate the role and result in loss of jobs and elimination of key baseball skills (such as catcher framing), as well as concerns around accuracy of tracking and removing individual strike zones based on stance etc. As well as not wanting to completely remove the human element.

they wouldn't need to eliminate the umpire. Like in tennis, they now use hawk eye tech for line calls, lets, etc, to remove the human error from those calls, but they still have the central chair umpire.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

Meanwhile the AFL tech gives you picture quality for reviews that resembles a hard-used VHS tape playing on an old school tube TV.

AFL would never spend the money on 16 hawk eye cameras per ground.
To be fair the MLB is rolling in a lot more cash, but the AFL wouldn't even do it if they could.

 

[Twinkletoes]

Not bad mate. Carey 1, Ablett Snr 2, struggle after that and didn't see Lethal play.

I didn’t watch lethal play either, but there’s no denying his numbers. ive spoken to blokes that did and they pretty much all say that he didn’t stand out watching from the stands, but then they’d look at the game afterwards and he’d have like 5+ goals who knows how many possessions.

I think it’s just because he wasn’t flashy. Just a proper footballer for the time, a filthy, ruthless player.

Lethal was a bloody gun. Dirty as can be but a gun footballer. Tough as a mofo and nigh on impossible to stop when he was “on”. Think Toby Greene at his best on steroids. Plus he was a winner. I couldn’t stand him as a bloke but there was no denying his brilliance.

 

[Val Keating]

It's why I love MLB commentary.
They're all pretty independent, and they talk absolute shit about the umpires, decisions, and the issues in MLB. And they're allowed to do it.

Interesting. I’ve never watched a baseball game in my life even though I played when I was a kid.

 

[Loose_Cannon]

AFL would never spend the money on 16 hawk eye cameras per ground.
To be fair the MLB is rolling in a lot more cash, but the AFL wouldn't even do it if they could.

MLB is so much bigger. You've got two teams in the Yankees and Dodgers that EACH bring in roughly the same amount of revenue as the entire AFL. They both bring in about $700M USD which is just shy of $1BN AUD, and the AFL turns over $1.2BN AUD.

And then you've got 28 other teams on top of those two. Each team has their own media and broadcast, so two sets of cameras at all non-nationally televised games, with teams now also branching out to their own broadcast networks.

The strike zone is a much easier thing to target compared to the goals at an AFL venue. I sure we could get someone to do the maths, but the sheer size of the scoring zone for AFL makes this a daunting task.

This is why when people talk about the AFL being a professional sports league I always think "Well, sure. Everyone involved is getting paid, so that's technically true." But there's a huge gap between what we do here and what other leagues around the world do.

 

[hilly]

Interesting. I’ve never watched a baseball game in my life even though I played when I was a kid.

Same until recently - shot clock for pitching big improvement.

 

[DarkPhoenix]

MLB is so much bigger. You've got two teams in the Yankees and Dodgers that EACH bring in roughly the same amount of revenue as the entire AFL. They both bring in about $700M USD which is just shy of $1BN AUD, and the AFL turns over $1.2BN AUD.

And then you've got 28 other teams on top of those two. Each team has their own media and broadcast, so two sets of cameras at all non-nationally televised games, with teams now also branching out to their own broadcast networks.

The strike zone is a much easier thing to target compared to the goals at an AFL venue. I sure we could get someone to do the maths, but the sheer size of the scoring zone for AFL makes this a daunting task.

This is why when people talk about the AFL being a professional sports league I always think "Well, sure. Everyone involved is getting paid, so that's technically true." But there's a huge gap between what we do here and what other leagues around the world do.

All great points, but my comment was largely a criticism of the AFL and their reluctance to actually improve the game. Hawkeye would be pointless in AFL anyway. Was basically saying if Hawkeye WOULD help the AFL, and they had the ability to buy that many cameras, they wouldn't, because they don't actually care about making the game better, they just want to maximise their profit.

 

[big_e]

MLB is so much bigger. You've got two teams in the Yankees and Dodgers that EACH bring in roughly the same amount of revenue as the entire AFL. They both bring in about $700M USD which is just shy of $1BN AUD, and the AFL turns over $1.2BN AUD.

And then you've got 28 other teams on top of those two. Each team has their own media and broadcast, so two sets of cameras at all non-nationally televised games, with teams now also branching out to their own broadcast networks.

The strike zone is a much easier thing to target compared to the goals at an AFL venue. I sure we could get someone to do the maths, but the sheer size of the scoring zone for AFL makes this a daunting task.

This is why when people talk about the AFL being a professional sports league I always think "Well, sure. Everyone involved is getting paid, so that's technically true." But there's a huge gap between what we do here and what other leagues around the world do.

Not sure the strike zone is easier than the AFL goals:

"The official strike zone is the area over home plate from the midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants -- when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball -- and a point just below the kneecap. In order to get a strike call, part of the ball must cross over part of home plate while in the aforementioned area."

I mean, they can manage VAR for offside calls in soccer, too.

AFL should at least be seen to give it a try.

 

[Northball]

Meh.

Agreed.

Great player, no doubt. I don’t think he’d fit the culture the club has built, and especially don’t think he’d make a good role model for our young blokes

 

[koshari]

I don’t bother with that trash, all the north stuff is just posted here by GR anyway ( god bless GR )

Same

Nostrils speaks more sense than most of em.

 

[Passmore]

Agreed.

Great player, no doubt. I don’t think he’d fit the culture the club has built, and especially don’t think he’d make a good role model for our young blokes

Decent player. Couldn't give a shit about his opinion of us.

 

[koshari]

Lethal was a bloody gun. Dirty as can be but a gun footballer. Tough as a mofo and nigh on impossible to stop when he was “on”. Think Toby Greene at his best on steroids. Plus he was a winner. I couldn’t stand him as a bloke but there was no denying his brilliance.

Know kelvin personally and him and his son david are ripping blokes. Never met lethal however.

 

[Loose_Cannon]

Not sure the strike zone is easier than the AFL goals:

"The official strike zone is the area over home plate from the midpoint between a batter's shoulders and the top of the uniform pants -- when the batter is in his stance and prepared to swing at a pitched ball -- and a point just below the kneecap. In order to get a strike call, part of the ball must cross over part of home plate while in the aforementioned area."

I mean, they can manage VAR for offside calls in soccer, too.

AFL should at least be seen to give it a try.

Well, for the ABS system they've opted for a 2D box, rather than the 3D shape, so it's similar to the plane of the AFL goals, only a lot smaller and doesn't go to inifinity in the air. It's also based on measuring the players, which turns out a lot of them lied about their heights prior to this year, and many of them shrunk this year because being shorter makes the zone smaller. You also know where the ball is going to go: into or around that box. With the AFL, you have to not only track the goals but also where the ball was kicked from, in case of a touch.

The AFL is limited by their revenue. Every MLB stadium is fitted out with this tech, often already driven by the home broadcasters. Imagine if you could convince Channel 7 to fit out Bunbury or Mars stadium with enough camera tech to track the ball crossing the goals? Can't even get 7 to shell out to broadcast all the games.

 

[King Corey]

This article is from the June 21 issue of The Herald Sun Digital Edition. To subscribe, visit http://www.heraldsun.com.au/.






MID-SEASON REPORT CARD

ANALYSIS BY HARRISON REID

LADDER POSITION: 8TH PREDICTED FINISH: 9TH

RALPHY SAYS

It was said the Kangaroos couldn’t afford to bottom-out . Brad Scott’s side has chosen not to, relying on star turns from the older brigade, a new-look midfield, elite talls and Ben Brown’s ability as an old-fashioned spearhead to remain competitive. Critics say it masks a soft underbelly — a lack of depth and the need to add more elite kids — yet the ride has been wild. At 7-5 , the challengers for their position will come hard. But if they can stay relatively injury-free , a finals berth for a team tipped to be bottom-four might be Scott’s greatest coaching achievement.”

GOOD STAT BAD STAT

Rank fourth for average points Rank 17th for centre clearance conceded, third for contested differential and 15th for points footy and have applied the differential from centre second most pressure of any bounces. side in the competition.

TRADEWINDS

After so many SLOANE too old for the swings and misses in Roos? Against all odds recent off-seasons , they have proven they’re they have the most salary worthy of being a cap space of any club in destination club with the competition. Very finals possibly on their interested in JORDAN DE horizon. The futures of GOEY but could make a veterans SCOTT THOMPSON play for ANDREW GAFF if De and JARRAD WAITE will be Goey re-signs with considered in coming Collingwood. Is RORY weeks.

DEBUTANTS

LUKE DAVIES-UNIACKE broke into the senior team to start the season after being drafted with pick four in last year’s draft but has since been on the fringe. PAUL AHERN’s (pictured) form after finally overcoming multiple knee reconstructions has North recruiters feeling pretty good about themselves after they stole him from the Giants for pick 69, while TOM MURPHY has also found his way into the seniors twice.

B&F Smoothmoving SHAUN HIGGINS (pictured) might be on his way to a first All-Australian selection as well as back-to-back Barker Medals if he retains his electric form. BEN JACOBS’ growing list of scalps has confirmed his status as the game’s best tagger and he is valued highly internally so will be snapping at Higgins’ heels. Coleman Medal leader BEN BROWN’s 35 goals automatically inject his name into calculations, and BEN CUNNINGTON seldom plays a poor game.


Copyright © 2018 The Herald Sun

How was this masterpiece almost 10 years ago?

Some quality discourse that followed.

I still wistfully ponder Jordan de Horizon from time to time marklovesbeer.

 

[berniemccarthy]

Lethal was a bloody gun. Dirty as can be but a gun footballer. Tough as a mofo and nigh on impossible to stop when he was “on”. Think Toby Greene at his best on steroids. Plus he was a winner. I couldn’t stand him as a bloke but there was no denying his brilliance.

How many times did you think he had had an average game a find out after that he had kicked 5 or 6. Was dynamite around goals and whacking blokes in the clinches.

 

[Samsquanch]

Lethal was a bloody gun. Dirty as can be but a gun footballer. Tough as a mofo and nigh on impossible to stop when he was “on”. Think Toby Greene at his best on steroids. Plus he was a winner. I couldn’t stand him as a bloke but there was no denying his brilliance.

Can take the boy out of Chelsea but you can’t take Chelsea out of the dirty bugger.