While We’re Waiting serves as the early morning gathering of WFNY-esque information for your viewing pleasure. Have something you think we should see? Send it to our tips email at tips@waitingfornextyear.com
Hey look, depth! “The Browns currently have 12, count ‘em, TWELVE linebackers on the roster. Obviously, it is early in the game to be talking about starting lineups, but one has to wonder who will be getting the bulk of the work and who will be left holding the short stick?
On opening day last season the Browns started Kamerion Wimbley, Eric Barton, D”Qwell Jackson, and David Bowens on their base 3-4 defense. Wimbley has been traded, Barton suffered a neck injury that ended his 2009 season and Jackson’s 2009 season was cut short by a shoulder injury. There was an obvious need for depth at the position. By adding depth, the Browns may be creating a fantastic position battle for training camp.
With injuries to Barton and Jackson last season, the Browns got a good look at guys like Kaluka Maiava, Jason Trusnick, Matt Roth and Marcus Bernard. Each of those guys played well when given the opportunity and are all looking to capitalize on the momentum from 2009. But who will get the chance? [No Logo Needed]
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Straight cash… “Butler’s stirring spring through March Madness isn’t just good for the Horizon League’s profile, it’s also good for its coffers. And with the Bulldogs’ and Cleveland State’s recent success in the NCAA tournament, including Butler’s appearance in the national championship game last night, the Horizon League will be seeing a large influx of cash.” ['64 and Counting]
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Why the Cavs will face the Bulls in the first round and not the Raptors [Stepien Rules]
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On the lefties versus Buehrle: “For three years running, [Mark] Buehrle not only posts a reverse platoon split, he posts a LARGE reverse platoon split. This gets to the nature of platoon splits: WHY do left-handed hitters generally have a harder time hitting left-handed pitchers that right-handed pitchers? Intuitively, it seems like a matter of trajectory, arm angle, and natural “breaking away” movement of curves and sliders. Well, empirically, Buehrle does not appear to present the typical challenges to left-handed hitters. I’m not enough of a mechanics expert or scout to tell you exactly WHY this is true, but it sure LOOKS true from three straight years of evidence.
Now, did Manny Acta look at these data in determining that it wasn’t just “okay” to stack lefties at the top of the order, but might actually be an ADVANTAGE to do so? I don’t actually know. The confound, of course, is that our three best non-leadoff hitters are left-handed. I mean, forget the platoon split for a moment: these three guys are arguably the most productive hitters in the lineup (besides Asdrubal Cabrera, who was leading off).” [The B-List Blog]
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Not that there’s much of a debate, but… “LeBron [James] is a leader of the team, all of his teammates seem to love him, and he’s been proactive in leading the team. I don’t think there’s any player who has as much influence on his team as LeBron does. In the regular season, it’s hard to say that that influence has been anything but positive.
LeBron probably won’t be the unanimous MVP choice because of one or two votes that will go to Howard, Bryant, or Durant from writers in their markets. But if any player ever deserved the honor of a unanimous MVP choice, it’s LeBron. He was off-the-charts amazing when he won his first MVP last year. This year, he’s been better.” [Cavs the Blog]
