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.
“In 13 seasons of NBA coaching, Scott has lead two squads to 50+ wins, and five to winning records. His time with New Jersey ascended and declined as rapidly as possible, spurred by the acquisition of the game’s best point guard, and possibly undone by the dissatisfaction of that same player. His tenure in New Orleans, like Chris Paul’s, never stood a chance, flumoxed by tragic Hurricane Katrina and also poor drafting & salary cap management.
Scott’s resume gnaws at me. Basketball-reference.com includes a “Coach Register” of 298 NBA generals. Somewhat surprisingly, Byron ranks 31st for most games coached. Of the thirty coaches above him, only two possess lower career winning percentages. Looking through the entire list, it is apparent that very few coaches last 180 games during a stretch where their team succeeds at the 47-win rate of the current Cavs.” [Hetrick/Cavs the Blog]
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“NFL teams are thus discovering what Meyer found a decade ago—that the QB run threat constrains a defense from your base downhill run plays. In the NFL, just as in college football, the defense is always going to have two unblocked defenders—the counterparts to the ball carrier and the quarterback.
If the quarterback turns and hands off the football those two defenders will remain unblocked. But, if an offense uses its quarterback to essentially ‘block’ one unblocked defender by reading him, the offense has taken strides to even out that equation. The real advantage of read plays, then, is not simply to run your quarterback, but to make it easier to run the base zone plays that every NFL offense runs. This is why you see those teams leading the NFL in rushing yards.” [Fulton/Eleven Warriors]
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“Myers’ best pitch is his curve, though that has made him homer-prone in the past; in 2011, he allowed 31 home runs in 216 innings, and that wasn’t really a career anomaly. I wouldn’t expect Myers to be much more than an innings eater, especially in the American League, but with the Indians’ starting woes, an innings-eater is an upgrade to this rotation. Once upon a time he was a power starting pitcher, but those days are gone; I’d expect an upper 80s fastball, and a non-zero chance of being a bust with the move to the DH league. The risk from the Indians’ standpoint isn’t all that great, though, because they could always move him to the bullpen if he doesn’t work out in the rotation.” [Ryan/Let's Go Tribe]
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“A key to Nick’s decision was his wife, JoAnna Garcia Swisher. She is an actress who starred in “Reba” and has 44 film/television credits. She grew up in Tampa. “Whenever Nick played in Cleveland, I came with him,” she said. “I like the city and the restaurants. I went to Parkersburg several times to visit his family. Midwestern people are so nice, they always make me feel at home. It’s a homey place to me.”
She added: “The moment Terry [Francona] was hired, the Indians were on our radar [as a place to sign].” [Pluto/Cleveland.com]
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Fantastic work here. (Snickers) [Men of the Scarlet and Gray]
