TrueBlueGED
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Posts posted by TrueBlueGED
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No! It's not a "crappy argument" at all. It's puzzling, incomplete, somewhat arcane, but not "crappy". We don't really need to flesh out the hot chocolate analogy, do we? You understand that Y absolutely has a value in the equation: increased hot chocolate sales + Y = lower crime. We can use some reason to determine what Y may be, or propose hypotheses, or continue to collect data until Y finally reveals itself. Many popular theories start this way, you know.
And when that Y (socioeconomic status) is added in, the hot chocolate relationship loses all significance. Conclusion: the hot chocolate never had anything to do with the crime rates.
It would be easy to say "hey look a former player has nothing good to say about Ruff!" And then you realize that said former player was benched for a month, and suddenly there's a much better explanation for why he doesn't like Ruff, as opposed to using it as evidence that Ruff is a bad coach.
It's a crappy argument.
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It's a very small piece of a much larger puzzle that, when put together, looks like several seasons in a row of mediocrity.
It's very odd to know what something looks like in its complete form, but not know what it is made of. At some point, someone decided it was better to use the things we already know to help determine the world is round, rather than guess and hope that it was flat.
Buffalo can help solve crime in the inner city by opening corner hot chocolate stands. There is a statistically significant relationship between hot chocolate sales and crime: there's less crime in areas where hot chocolate sales are higher. So clearly, one part of the puzzle to solve inner city crime, is sell more hot chocolate.
That's a pretty crappy argument, right?
Gragnani got benched for long stretches, and didn't like the coach that benched him. That doesn't say Ruff sucks....it says athletes don't like getting benched. Ruff may be the worst coach in the history of the NHL, but Gragnani disliking him is NOT why.
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Are we really using Marc-Andre Gragnani's opinion against Ruff now? The kid was awful, was benched for being awful, and he's supposed to be glowing about the guy who benched him? This is the same guy, who shortly after the Lucic incident, was asked about the lack of hitting. What does he say? "I don't know, I'd rather score some more goals." Not exactly the most media savvy.
And that's even beside the point. I'm sure he's the only player in the history of sports who didn't get along with his coach. In fact, Ruff is the only coach who ever has players who don't like him. It's never happened before, or anywhere else.
There are plenty of good reasons to dislike Ruff without pulling out complete BS. He's bad at putting/keeping lines together, he has too short of a rope with young players and too long of a rope with veterans, his coaches a style you dislike, he's bad at goalie rotations. Pick something. But christ, using a former player (who sucked) and was benched, saying he didn't get along with the coach who benched him as criticism? :wallbash:
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Kassian didn't eat wings? The one single thing that our city is indisputably the best at, and he doesn't want it? Screw him!
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No, because every power forward type has failed miserably under Ruff. Dumont if you want to call him one, was fine. He started elsewhere and did even better once leaving Buffalo.
Pyatt, Torres, Bernier, Stafford, Gaustad..........
And we've already been told the Sabres were shopping him for months, and from some of the "most faithful" that Kassian just doesn't have it in him or fancies himself not a tough guy.
This is the first guy with big-league potential to "not meet his concept", yet is young enough to go elsewhere and forget Buffalo ever happened. I'm sure in 2015 when he has 28 goals and 120 PIM, everyone will have excuses. I'm saying right now if he fails, it isn't on Ruff. He only had the blood supply to his nads choked off for 2 years. Mild atrophy.....not Lindy Testicular Necrosis.
We're never going to agree on the rest...but for the love of whatever it is you love, can you please please please PLEASE stop mentioning Bernier? He was terrible before he got here, he was terrible here, and he was terrible upon leaving. Complete scrub. That is all.
Heard an interview on 1040 out of Vancouver today and he called the sabres underachievers. Can't really say he's wrong and it was my feeling he was talking about the organization and not the players. He also said in response to the question as to why he turned down the offer to fight against the coyotes tough guy that he isn't going to waste his time fighting a guy that plays 4 minutes a game and that the canucks have given him the go ahead to fight if its from a big hit or whatever but they want him to concentrate on playing hockey. Sounded like they feel like he does and that they want him to be an all around player and not just a goon. Can't blame him for that too.
In other words, they want him doing exactly what the Sabres did, yet get ripped for on practically a minutely basis?
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It's far more likely he is just repeating what he has been told by Sabre coaches since he turned pro. Hopefully the Canucks coaches can undo what the Sabres have done.
So basically, if he fails, it was Ruff who ruined him. And if he succeeds, it's because Vigneault salvaged him from Ruff's near-ruining. :rolleyes:
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http://thehockeywriters.com/james-neal-fast-start/
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/hockey/the-moneypuck-revolution/article2178766/page1/
The first link has the blurb about Neal in particular (look just below the video box for it). Pretty much says the stats were used in conjunction with a lot of video work to determine the best shot locations. To me, this is the exact way in which the advanced metrics should be used--in combination with other things.
The second link has some more stuff on the statistics revolution. The second page even goes on to say that any analytics department would have advised against Philly signing Bryzgalov to his contract. Makes sense, seeing as what Mike Smith has done in the Phoenix system.
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It was from a thread on another forum. I'm at the gym at the moment, but I'll dig up the link when I get home.
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Advanced stats certainly work the best in baseball because it is a far more individual sport than others. That said, I think they can be an important tool in other sports as long as the analysis is not based entirely on them. Burke is also an idiot when he says it never won a championship, since the Red Sox used them, Blackhawks and Penguins use them, and more. Interesting anecdote, Pittsburgh has used advanced metrics to tell James Neal where to shoot the puck from.
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I'm with GoDD and d4rk on coffee....can't have just 1 cup. I generally make a half pot in the morning to get through the day, then have another half pot at night. I understand the merits of a Keurig, but it's definitely not for me.
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It's remarkable that Getzlaf's scoring touch hasn't returned during this late season surge by the Ducks. He was pretty visible last night but I'd have thought his goalscoring would have be a big part of Anaheim's run.
Goal scoring is super low at this point, but he has been dishing a lot of assists. Really though, the Ducks have gone on their run for the same reason the Sabres actually look like a competitive hockey team: goaltending. Hiller started playing the way he is capable of playing, and they suddenly become a good team again. Funny how that works.
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I also said earlier I would take Lucic over any #1 center in the league. Someone brought up Stamkos and it made me think. I would still take Lucic over Stamkos. Lucic is such an NHL oddity, there are far fewer Lucic 's in the NHL then there are #1 centers.
There are fewer Lucic's than #1 centers. But the natural extension of that is more teams win the Stanley Cup without Lucic than win without a #1 center. Having a #1 center increases your chances of a Cup more than having Lucic.
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I'm glad Kassian declined the fight. I don't think the toughness Vancouver was after was a guy to fight another team's goon for no real reason.
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Furthermore, as far as Ruff "hating toughness"--- an impotent man doesn't hate ###### his wife... he might just need his heart medication more than Viagra.
:clapping: :lol:
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And fans sometimes wonder why coaches/players do nothing but give cliche after cliche after cliche. Heaven forbid they be honest, and have interesting things to say, then they have the media/fans jumping down their throat. Ruff is honest about some reasons Kassian was parted with, Miller is honest about his feelings regarding the Gaustad trade....and they get micro-analyzed and criticized for what they said. I'd stick to the cliches too.
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i agree with almost all of this, but has anybody ever thought that the lack of toughness/grit is a huge contributor to the reason the sabres don't score?
when was the last time you saw any of the top 6 taking huge hits to make a play? i couldn't tell you the last time i seen it. i do see alot of bending over and reaching with the stick or peeling of the puck because a checker is coming in hot and heavy and ultimately the sabre player loses the puck.
i fear now teams will have their way with buffalo, the next boston game is going to be ugly i predict. what is going to stop team from being like that towards them? buffalo has no answer for that.
It may have been in another thread, but it was pointed out that the bid bad Boston Bruins are 25th in the league in hits. They're 3rd in the league in goals. The Rangers are among the league leaders in hits, they're 12th in the league in goals. Detroit is probably near the bottom in hits, they're 5th in goals. I really think there's a minimal connection, at best, between hits and goal scoring.
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gaustad can hardly skate, ruff might have salvaged his career
He certainly made him a bunch of money. If Gaustad were just a slow, plodding 4th line bully, he wouldn't be getting anywhere near 5 years $15 million this year (not sure he'll get exactly that, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got over $2.5 for 4). I could deal with some thinking I was ruined if it made me a few million ;)
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I would say putting him on a line with a guy with 178 hits in 63 games is the exact right thing to do with Kassian. If Kassian is going to make his mark in the NHL it has to start with his physical game. I think that is the part Lindy could never figure out.
Maybe you're right. I just think the kid needs to learn how to play at the professional level, not get 10 minutes per game on the 4th line. Even before the trade I wanted him down in Rochester getting 18 minutes on the top line, maybe making a playoff run in the AHL. Playing on that line might help bring out his physicality consistently, but I don't see it doing much for the rest of his game.
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Not "implying" I'm saying it. The Kassian pick was so far outside the box for Status Quo that they had no idea what to do with him. Lindy has no idea how to coach a player like that.
This team does need some additional offensive talent, it wasn't lack of goal scoring that sent this season on the downward spiral. It was being embarrassed on a national level by Lucic.
He's playing the 4th line with Malhotra and Lapierre in Vancouver. Guess Vigneault doesn't have any idea what to do with him either, and they just traded for him.
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Gaustad for a first was exciting.
If the Sabres would have given up a Stafford for Hodgson I would be ecstatic. Kassian represents so much of what this franchise is missing. I have real concerns for Foligno and McNabb going forward. Do they really have a future here in Buffalo or will they eventually be shipped out because they don't fit the Status Quo mold? It's a valid concern.
No, it isn't. For that to be valid, it would have to be true that Kassian was shipped off because he was too tough. Kassian was shipped off because that was what it took to fill (or attempt to, since we're not sure yet) a gaping hole on our roster. Vancouver, or any team, isn't trading their top organizational prospect for Drew Stafford and his contract.
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At least you are sharp enough to figure it out.
The point being, I don't care if people want to feel they have a great asset in Hodgson. I hope he is. It is the psychological NEED to feel so validated by doing something, that people have to bash Kasian....a 20yo big body.....for being some sort of failure, when in actuality his career has started out much better than Hodgson, even being a year younger. The same people that will beg us to forgive Tyler Myers for not playing physical "yet" because he needs to "grow into himself", feel the NEED to villify Kassian who is younger and has 150+ games less experience than Myers as some sort of talentless filler. Don't worry though.....we can't possibly think of moving Myers in any deal because he sure as shinola is going to be the next Chara. But Kassian? Pffffttt!!! What a loser! They guy only caved in 2 guys faces in fights and scored 3 goals in his first 6 games while it took Hodgson 29 games to score that many.
People have strange psychies.......NOT ONCE did I say this was a horrible deal. Once we figured out Nashville gave a 2012 1st and Buff a 2013 4th....I said that was a good deal. All I ever have done with these deals is point out that of the Sabres 3 biggest needs......1)Heart+Toughness 2)Leadership 3)Centers.....the Sabres gained ground on one and lost ground in 2.
Hodgson is a young, talented center who can play now and contribute offense while some day he may become a #1 ceneter type. Hype him all you want. A team that was seconds away from winning a Stanley Cup however feels that Kassian and Gragnani increase their chances of getting the job done right this year over Hodgson. I don't take that lightly.
We went through the trade deadline last year, July 1st last year after spending $80 million in salaries, and the team took a swan dive for 3 months of the season while not making one move to try and stop the bleeding. We stand here this afternoon with the exact same core of players, minus Gaustad, and a top 3 lines in which the biggest physical threat comes from a 5'4" forward with a huge heart. I'm sure they braintrust is working on a masterplan for this July 1st where they can "almost" land Parise, or "almost" convince Nash that Buffalo isn't quite as ###### as Columbus as both a franchise and a city.
Enjoy the excitement of trade day.....enjoy the freshness of a new young player to evaluate.......but instead of some people using their energy to villify a player or a poster for ruining your buzz....maybe people need to honestly evaluate where things stand and what is really being said. There are always going to be differences of opinions. That's why there are markets, be it stock, commodity, horse, or hockey player. If the people watching over some of these same posters 401k's and IRA's had the same results as the Sabres have the past 5 seasons compared to the average, or the best.....would you still be happy?
All "Team Stormcloud" is are a few guys stuck in a Union pension fund...watching the administrators plunk almost every last dollar into Enron. We have no control over it....all we can do is warn and bitch.
I don't take it lightly. I also don't take it too seriously. Gillis was hired in 2008, which means the key cogs to the Cup run weren't his. The Sedins, Kesler, Bieksa, Luongo....none of them were his acquisitions. He has yet to prove he's some wizard at constructing a Cup team.
And your last comment is what irks me, really. I'm not sure if you meant it this way, but to me it reads "The guys running the ship are clearly idiots, the fans who believe they are capable of a good move are idiots, and we on the outside are geniuses who just get run over by the idiocy." It seriously looks like you don't believe they are capable of doing anything right, and even if they do, you question it because of who they are. It was like Gleason's column today which praised the moves, then slammed them simply because they were made by Regier.
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Oh....what fun is reality?
Facts:
At 21 years old last year, Cody Hodgson in his 20 games with Vancouver had 1 Goal and 2 Assists
At 20 years old this year, Zack Kassian in his first 6 games with Buffalo had 3 goals and 2 assists
You know, those first 6 games where there were tons of injuries but guys like Paul Sczchura were winning games for the Sabres while NEVER having a practice with Lindy Ruff......
You're right, it was all the guys who didn't practice with Ruff. Vanek and Pominville were just a couple of losers not impacting games. But Chewy, there's a difference maker! :rolleyes:
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That's surprising. Vancouver must have wanted another piece besides Schenn.
Who knows. Maybe they just legitimately didn't plan on moving Hodgson, or simply had their eyes on Kassian. From listening to their GM, I get the sense that they were after a big forward who can contribute now (at least in their view). I'd really like to know the Hodgson/Kassian trade went down, who contacted who, if it grew from talks about other players, or whatever. But doubt we'll ever get that information.
This parallels the other rumor about another team that wanted Hodgson but were turned down. It had to have been Burke. Schenn has been a healthy scratch this season. And he has the nerve to criticize Darcy for overvalueing his players? Watching his PC yesterday, he looked like he had just eaten something disagreeable.
GO SABRES!!!
Yes, and I loved every minute of it. I have some passionate hatred for the Leafs, and Burke annoys me with always mouthing off about one thing or another. I respect Burke a lot, I think he's damn good at what he does, but he's a blowhard. He's almost like Rex Ryan to me, just stop talking and let your work speak for itself.
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Rumor going around that Burke offered Schenn straight up for Hodgson and they didn't take it.
It would be pretty hilarious if Burke was the unnamed GM who had tried for 3 days to get Hodgson, only to be told flat-out he wasn't getting traded.
Complaint Thursdays
in The Aud Club
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Delta Sonic sucks! This shouldn't be news to anybody, but it never ceases to amaze me how terrible their car wash jobs are. Got my car washed yesterday (I was going to do it myself, but didn't feel like practically showering outside due to high wind) and the wheel wells don't even look like they went through a car wash. Is it really that hard for people to spray the inside of the wells when they're doing the rims? I'm going to go back for both of my free car washes regardless of weather, just out of spite. Thankfully the weather should be getting close to the point where I can wash my car myself.