Sportswire Clip of the Day 7-31

On the Sportswire today, Bryan seemed to be really hungry throughout the show, as he constantly talked about beef. He had a major BEEF about what was being played on NBC last night because it was surely not a sport nor an Olympic event of any kind. Listen in to the new segment that may be implemented to the Sportswire soon, as well! Tune into the Sportswire every weekday from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org! And listen wherever you are with the Tune-In Radio App!
Follow the guys on Twitter: @BryanGallucci, @Isacc_Feldman, and @David_ODog

In Defense Of The 49ers

by Jason Comack

It seems weird that an upstart team, with a very popular head coach, who by Vegas lines is a Super Bowl favorite would need defending. However, that is the case with the 49ers when it comes to the statistically community.

Football Outsiders has done wonderful research on the game of football and their conclusions and opinions are often very accurate. One of their big predictions for the upcoming season is that the 49ers will have between 7 and 8 wins. There's several very valid points that led them to that conclusion.

1. Regression towards the mean and the plexiglass principle. Every team is dragged towards .500 every year, also teams that take a big leap tend to drop off the next year.
2. Offense is more consistent then defense and defense is more consistent then special teams.
3. Teams that took a giant leap in DVOA (Football Outsiders main all encompassing stat) as the 49ers did fell by nearly 2.3 wins the next year.
4. The 49ers were one of the healthiest teams on defense the past two seasons. Injuries regress to the mean.

Bill Barnwell, formerly of Football Outsiders now of Grantland.com, also alluded to the 49ers inevitable demise:

“The Niners improved by a full seven wins last year, going from 6-10 in 2010 to 13-3 during their huge season last year. Ten other teams have made a seven-win leap since the advent of the 16-game season in 1978. They each declined during the subsequent season, winning an average of 4.7 games less than they had during the previous year. Gulp.”

Barnwell also compares the 2012 Niners to least years Buccaneers:

“I didn't know that the team would quit on their young coach, but I did see a team that had improved by seven wins from the previous season against an extremely easy schedule and doubted that they would be able to maintain their gains. Oh, um, you should probably clean that vomit off the floor, Niners fans.”

All of the above are fair criticisms of the 49ers however, there are plenty of reasons why they can buck these trends.

Coaching:

It's inane to compare Harbaugh to Raheem Morris. Morris was a young head coach, who was very inexperienced. Harbaugh on the other hand paid his dues as an assistant coach for many years and presided over a very successful Stanford program. There's no metric that we can use to assign wins and losses to a head coach. However, we’ve seen coaches can definitely have significant negative value ( Mike Singletary) and significant positive value (Bill Bellicheck.) Harbaugh alone may be able to mask many of the 49ers deficiencies

Roster Talent:

Speaking of poor head coaches look at the Niners leaders after Steve Marrucci: Dennis Erickson, Mike Nolan, Mike Singletary.

One of Football Outsiders theories is that since the Niners had such a drastic year to year improvement it can't be sustained. But, what if the roster talent was there all along but it was the coaching staff that held them back.

Injuries:

The lack of injuries is a fair point but it also ignores the fact that the Niners have a very deep roster. When Patrick Willis went out Larry Grant filled in and didn't miss a beat. Aldon Smith who only played in certain packages last year is starting (pushing Parys Harrelson to the bench.) Back up defensive lineman DeMarcus Dobbs and Ricky Jean-Francois looked promising in limited action last year. Chris Culliver could easily fill a starting role should either Terrell Brown or Carlos Rogers get hurt. It's safe to assume more injuries, but assuming the 49ers don't have capable backups is a silly one.

Offense:

Alex Smith only threw 5 interceptions last season. There's no chance he'll be able to keep his interception rate as low as it was last year. However, there's plenty of reason to think the 49ers offense will be better as a unit. By Pro Football Focus's grading system Chilo Richal and Adam Snyder, the combo of right guards started last year, were horrendous. Replacing them this year is Alex Boone, a converted tackle. Boone is an unknown commodity but he did well in limited action as a tackle. It also wouldn't take much to improve upon the production they got last season. The 49ers also signed guard Leonard Davis this off-season to compete with him. Davis has bounced around the league the last few years but by all accounts he's healthy, motivated and in shape this season.

In the NFC Championship game Delanie Walker played the role of WR showcasing the dismal amount of the depth the 49ers had at the position. This off-season the Niners added Randy Moss, Mario Manningham and first round pick A.J. Jenkins. They also re-signed Ted Ginn. This means that Kyle Williams, who started in the NFC championship game is now on the roster bubble.

At running back the Niners added an explosive element to a slow offense with rookie LaMichael James. James, along with last years impressive rookie Kendall Hunter, will add a different dimension to the offense.

Training Camp:

For the first team in nearly a decade the 49ers have the same playbook from one year to the next. You can't put a tangible value on how important that continuity is but the best teams in the NFL (Giants, Eagles, Pats, Steelers, Ravens) don't overhaul the playbook every single year.

We also don't know what the tangible value of the 49ers having a full training camp will be. Remember what made last year all the more impressive is that Harbaugh did all this in the lockout shortened season.

Yes there will be injuries, and yes Alex Smith will probably throw a whole lot more interceptions. However, it's foolish to punish these Niners because of the incompetent coaches of the past decade. It's doubtful they'll win 13 games, but, they still play in the NFC West and 10 wins should earn them a division crown.

Like what you see? Follow Jason on Twitter @WCWPJason.  Jason also makes cameos on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.org 

BONUS Sportswire Clips of the Day! 7-30-12

In a BONUS edition of the Clip of the Day from the Sportswire, Bryan is trying to convince David that he used be an amazing gymast! David does not believe a word of this, and he is in awe of what the girls from last night did in gymnastics! Absolute AWE!


In the final clip from a jam-packed Olympic Sportswire, Bryan and David discussed the unique segment NBC did for USA gymnast Ali Raisman...the camera was frozen on her parents for 40 seconds and the reactions were priceless!



Be sure to tune into the Sportswire every weekday from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org! And follow us on the Tune-In Radio App! Bryan and David return tomorrow on the Sportswire, along with Isacc Feldman!

#LETSGOOOOOOOO

Sportswire Clip of the Day 7-30

In today's Olympic-special edition of the Sportswire, Bryan and David discussed everything that was taking place in London. Among other things, Bryan brought up how some of the matches are on tape-delay because there is a time difference....and Bryan had a brain fart when trying to do his math calculations....



In the next clip, Bryan still claims he used to be involved in gymnastics when he was a child. But in this clip, David wonders how you support your favorite swimmer, because you can't purchase a Phelps or Lochte jersey, right???!



Tune into the Sportswire weekdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org!
Follow Bryan on Twitter: @BryanGallucci
And follow David: @David_ODog

Seth's Question 7-26

On the Sportswire today, Seth Rosenthal from Postingandtoasting.com made his usual Thursday, 6:30 appearance. He posed his question which asked if Bryan and David had to play a board game that their life depended on what would they play????

 

Listen to the Sportswire every weekday from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org! Catch the Sportswire wherever you are with the Tune-In Radio App!

 Follow the guys on Twitter: @BryanGallucci & @David_ODog Also, give Seth Rosenthal a follow for all your Knicks info: @Seth_Rosenthal

Clip Of The Day 7/24/12

On today's edition of the Sportswire David, Bryan and Isacc were talking a lot of baseball and the Yankees new Gold Glove Outfielder, Ichiro Suzuki. The Yankees' lineup last night was a star-studded one, and David had an interesting statistic he threw out to the crew...he asked how many Gold Gloves and All-Star game appearances the nine hitters had recorded throughout the duration of their careers. The responses given by Bryan and Isacc were...interesting...to say the least!

 

 After talking about Frank Francisco, and K-Rod possibly coming back to the Mets, a weird thought popped into David's mind about what the gang had just been talking about...

   

Follow the guys on Twitter:

 @David_ODog
 @BryanGallucci
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 Tune into the Sportswire every week night from 6-7pm only on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org

Sportswire Clip of the Day 7-23

In today's edition of the Sportswire, Bryan made his return to the show and talked about his experiences while visiting Washington D.C. and Boston. During this clip, you will get to hear how fast Bryan's fastball was clocked at when he threw some pitches in Beantown. I'd like everyone to keep this link in mind after you hear the BLAZING speed of his pitch...
http://www.efastball.com/baseball/pitching/grips/average-pitching-speed-by-age-group/



Hey, at least he's consistent!

Tune into the Sportswire weekdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org! And follow us all the time with the Tune-In Radio App! Follow the fellas on Twitter: @BryanGallucci and @David_ODog.  Also, Joe Szadok, former host of the Sportswire called in today to give his thoughts on the breaking news of Ichiro getting traded to the Yankees! Follow him as well: @CorporalJoe.

Seth Asks a Question 7/19/12

A staple of every Thursday edition of the Sportswire, "Seth Asks a Question," had David and Jason answering what their favorite animated Disney movie was. Seth also asked what the guys thought Matt Soldano would have chosen for favorite Disney movie. Hear what the guys said below...



Tune into the Sportswire every weeknight 6-7pm only on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org!

Follow the guys on Twitter:

@David_ODog

@WCWPjason

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@MattSoldano531

An Ode To Linsanity

 by Jason Comack

As a sports city, New York is a city of champions and unlimited payrolls. Despite that New York fans have always gravitated towards the scrappy underdog. Knicks fan ate up John Starks, Anthony Mason and Charles Oakley. They hustled for every loose ball, scrapped for every rebound and weren't afraid to punch you in the face if you got out of line.

Linsanity hit on several notes of that formula. He was the ultimate underdog. A player who no one wanted, who was waived several times in his career. The Knicks picked him up just to be the last guy on their bench. When Lin finally did get the call to start it was out of desperation. The Knicks were floundering and needed, something...anything to get them going.

In sports we've reached a point with information saturation that we can accurately create expectations for player performance and they're usually spot on. When someone like Josh Hamilton, Victor Cruz or Jeremy Lin comes along it captures our imaginations so much. The unexpected is more fun then the expected.

It's painful to see Lin go because it removes that feeling of unexpectedness. That Lin could drop 38 on the Lakers in prime time, could hit the game winning shot in Toronto or, be run off the court battered and bruised in Miami. That's what made Linsanity so fun.

Reality is a lot less fun. The reality with this Knicks squad is they'll stumble to 44 or so wins, playing largely slow paced uninteresting basketball. The sadder part is you can just cut and paste that sentence for the next three years. There's no opportunity for the Knicks to get better. They’ve used the amnesty clause, they're capped out and under the new CBA rules, as a tax paying team, they won't be able to execute sign and trades. No one on the roster outside of Iman Shumpert is going to improve over the next three years. No one on the roster besides Iman Shumpert is even likely to be on the team in 2015.

So you can make all the lame excuses you want to rationalize James Dolan's decision to let Lin leave. You can blame the tax, until you realize that the combination of Camby, Kidd, Felton will make a similar amount to what Jeremy Lin would have made in 2014. It isn't about the tax or Lin's value both on and off the court.

Dolan felt slighted by Lin. When Lin got his original offer sheet the Knicks were through the moon. A reasonable three year deal, with a team option to boot. It wasn't till Morey and Lin renegotiated the deal, to include the poison pill in year three, that Dolan reacted like a jilted lover. That's what this was about. That Lin reached a deal, and then changed it to maximize his value.

It makes one question if Dolan understands the concept of contract negotiations, or the basic concept of leverage.

I'm reminded of Vince McMahon when I think of James Dolan. Someone with nearly unlimited financial resources who can't seem to maximize the value of their product.

Almost a year ago CM Punk sat at the top of a WWE entrance ramp and delivered a promo about the WWE that could equally apply to MSG.

The reason I’m leaving is you people. Because after I’m gone, you’re still going to pour money into this company. I’m just a spoke on the wheel. The wheel is going to keep turning and I understand that. Vince McMahon is going to make money despite himself. He’s a millionaire who should be a billionaire. You know why he’s not a billionaire? Because he surrounds himself with glad-handed, non-nonsensical, douche-bag, yes men, like John Laurinaitis, who’s going to tell him everything he wants to hear, and I’d like to think that maybe this company will better after Vince McMahon is dead. But the fact is, it’s going to be taken over by his idiotic daughter and his doofus son-in-law and the rest of his stupid family.

Maybe things will be better after Dolan is gone. Unfortunately for the Knicks fans that isn't going to be anytime soon.

Like what you see? Follow Jason on Twitter @WCWPJason.  Jason also makes cameos on the Sportswire from 6-7 on 88.1 FM and WCWPSports.org

Clip Of The Day 7/17/12

On today's edition of the Sportswire Christian and David discussed a lot of Jeremy Lin, and a lot of basketball, but at one point we were treated by our very own David Otero's singing voice. Hear his rendition of NSYNC's "Tearing Up My Heart" and "It's Gonna Be Me" down below...



Tune into the Sportswire weekdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org!
And follow the guys on Twitter:
@CA_NYHockey and  @David_ODog

Sportswire Clip of the Day 7-16-12

On today's edition of the Sportswire, Isacc Feldman (making his Sportswire debut!!!) and David talked about the developing LINteresting no-LIN situation that the Knicks are facing regarding Mr. Jeremy Lin's offer sheet from the Houston Rockets. Isacc and David mention the problems with the two new additions to the point guard crew: Jason Kidd and Raymond Felton. Also wondered about during this segment, is what Lin does late at night...

 

In the second clip, David got a jolt of excitement when reading R.A. Dickey's latest statistics...WHAT'S HAPPENING METS FANS?!?!?!

 

Be sure to tune into the Sportswire weekdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org! You can download the Tune-In Radio App so you can listen to us wherever you go! Also, follow David on Twitter: @David_ODog. And don't worry, Isacc is getting a Twitter...very, very shortly!

Seth Asks a Question 7-12-12

On today's edition of "Seth Asks a Question," Seth Rosenthal from Postingandtoasting.com, posed his weekly question to Bryan and David. Today, Seth wondered what food/drink you would fill an Olympic-sized swimming pool with...and Bryan had actually previously thought about this question!

 

 Tune into the Sportswire every weeknight from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org! Seth Rosenthal joins the crew every Thursday at 6:30 analyzing the New York Knicks and the NBA! Also, be sure to follow Seth on Twitter: Seth_Rosenthal

Clip Of The Day 7/12/2012

Today on the Sportswire David and Bryan talked about Dwight Howard aka "Dwight-Mare" and how his indecision has been affecting not only the Brooklyn Nets but a few other teams. Bryan seemed too familiar with the fickleness...

 

Tune into the Sportswire every weeknight from 6-7pm only 88.1 FM and wcwp.org!

Follow the guys on Twitter
@BryanGallucci
@David_ODog

Clip of the Day from 7-11-12

On yesterday's edition of the Sportswire, Jason and David were discussing the busy offseason thus far for the New York Knicks. The team has already added veterans Marcus Camby and Jason Kidd, as well as resigned shooting guard J.R. Smith and three point specialist Steve Novak. In addition, Glen Grunwald and Co. are expected to match the offer sheet put out by the Houston Rockets for the LINcredible Jeremy Lin. BUT, the guys were talking about an under-the-radar acquisition that was made when New York signed 35 year-old Pablo Prigioni, a point guard from Argentina. David read the BOLD quote that was made by Prigioni's agent, and he read it......in spanish!

 

 Tune into the Sportswire every weekday from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org! Also, you can download the Tune-In Radio App on your smartphone and listen to us wherever you go! Be sure to listen in on tonight's show as Seth Rosenthal from postingandtoasting.com has his weekly Thursday, 6:30 slot to talk Knicks and everything NBA! And follow the fellas on Twitter: @WCWPJason and @David_ODog

Clip Of The Day 7/10/12

In today's show Bryan and David talked about some long balls and the Home Run Derby. David talked about Prince Fielder's great hair and Bryan mentioned Fielder's two sons (or one daughter). Hear the rant below...

   

And then we later found out...



 Tune into the Sportswire on weekdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and wcwp.org!
 Also, follow the guys on Twitter:  @BryanGallucci and David_ODog

What Year is This?!

Jason Kidd. Marcus Camby.

Let me guess who’s next. Antonio McDyess! OK, so the Knicks aren’t looking at him, but it would only follow the pattern of the Knicks signing former drafted number two overall picks this offseason. Jason Kidd was the second overall pick in 1994 by the Dallas Mavericks out of the University of California, while Marcus Camby from UMass was drafted number two by the Toronto Raptors in 1996.

Well hey, maybe it’s every two years starting from 1994 where the Knicks take second overall picks! Let’s look at 1998: Bibby, Mike. Oh God.

While some people do not like the fact that the Knicks are getting older this offseason, I think both of these deals make the Knicks more of a legitimate contender. Look back to last season as everyone on the Knicks at some point or another went down due to injury.

Let’s start with the point guard situation from last year. It went something like this: Toney Douglas starting and handing it off to Melo. Then Iman Shumpert pretended to be a point guard…and that didn’t work very well either. LINSANITY!!!!!!! LINSANITY!!!!! LINSANITY!!!!! After the LINcredible and LINternational sensation went down to injury, Mike Bibby and Baron Davis tried to recapture their skills from the early 2000’s…and that REALLY didn’t work well.

That’s what makes signing Jason Kidd to the mini mid-level exception so important. Although Kidd is 39 years old, he is arguably one of the best pure passers in the history of the game. He is a defender that you can rely on. He can rebound the ball and can nail a three-ball when he’s left open. But most importantly, he can mentor Jeremy Lin and demand respect from the rest of the team.

Moving over to the bigmen. When Tyson Chandler was out, there was not a presence like his to replace him. You can ask anybody: I am a HUGE Jared Jeffries fan, but the 38-year-old Camby is a whole lot better than JJ. There are reports that Jeffries would like to come back to New York for the veteran’s minimum, and I hope he does. The thing is he would definitely have a reduced role because Camby is a player that has always been a tough force inside the paint, both on defense and rebounding the basketball. And for his entire career, Camby has averaged nearly a double-double (9.7 ppg and 9.9 rpg). By the way, the last time the Knicks won a playoff series was when Camby was in a Knicks uniform (back from 1998-2002)!

If you are a Knicks fan, you already have a better team this year than last. Depth is always key to playoff teams. And last year, the Knicks didn’t have that. By signing Kidd and Camby, it provides the Knicks with great leadership, experience, and depth.

I just wonder how old the Knicks backup shooting guard is going to be!

 -David Otero

Tune into the Sportswire on weekdays from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org, and follow David on Twitter @David_ODog.

Clip of the Day- 7-9-12

On today's edition of the Sportswire, Bryan and David discussed the participants of the Homerun Derby, and Blue Jays outfielder Jose Bautista was brought up. Bryan mentioned his nickname, "Joey Bats," to which David was reminded of an excellent burrito joint. David also told his story about Chipper Jones coming up clutch in the sixth inning for all the hungry fans at the Braves game he attended...

 

In the next clip, Bryan brought up the captain of the National League in the Homerun Derby: Dodgers' outfielder Matt Kemp. The slugger is one of the best hitters in the game, but Bryan and David each had a BIG problem with him showing his face at the contest!

 

Tune into the Sportswire every weekday from 6-7 pm on 88.1 FM and WCWP.org! Also, you can download the Tune-In Radio App on your smartphone and listen to us wherever you go! And follow the fellas on Twitter: @BryanGallucci and @David_ODog

Clip Of The Day 7/5/12

Today on the Sportswire Matt, Jason, and Bryan discussed various Knicks topics regarding the offseason, such as the Jason Kidd signing where our very own Seth Rosenthal from Poastingandtoasting.com weighed in...

 

 Follow the guys @ Twitter

 @MattSoldano531
 @BryanGallucci
 @WCWPJason

Clip Of The Day 7/3/12

Today on the Sportswire Bryan and Christian talked about vacation time and the NL Homerun Derby candidates. Christian didn't feel Carlos Beltran is worthy of Matt Kemp's selection. Bryan stressed that Beltran has 20 homeruns on the season. Bryan's vacation time was also brought into question.

 

Follow the guys @Twitter @BryanGallucci @CA_NYHockey