2013 Ashes draft, part 4: The dregs

In part four of our Ashes draft, Dave Siddall of World Cricket Watch and I continue to choose players to form a side to play for what's really important: bragging rights.

Introduction

Part 1: The Elite

Part 2: The Foot Soldiers

Part 3: Nature's Lower Middle Order

Selection 11

Matt - Now it’s onto the two reserves, as Haddin is reserved for the ceremonial last pick.  Who to go for?  Agar has as much chance of playing as Ian Chappell’s first wife Kay, while I’d rather pick Phil Hughes’ nose rather than him to bat to win a competition for me.  That leaves Jackson Bird, a fast man who should be suited to English conditions but will be lucky to play in the first couple of Tests.  But, that said - what an injury reserve!

Dave - Recent noises from the Australia camp suggest that media darling Ed Cowan will start but it might more likely be at number three. Whilst Cowan wouldn’t come close to a composite XI, he is the most solid of the remaining batsmen who will start at Trent Bridge.

Selection 12

Matt - Now we’re really into the dregs.  Steve Smith, because he’s got the most runs of any of the “heir apparent” batsmen going into the series.  It’s unfortunate though that he’s also got the most holes in his game.

Dave - Despite the fast-tracking of Fawad Ahmed’s Australian citizenship, Nathan Lyon remains their number one spinner. While Swann is head and shoulders a better spinner, Lyon’s average of 33 and wicket haul of 76 in 22 matches is not to be sniffed at.

Selection 13

Matt - Brad Haddin.  It was always going to happen, and Haddin could even contribute - after all, he had a good Shield season and Darren Lehmann is very much a “player’s coach”.  I’m not too broken-hearted about the pick but weight of his many, many head-scratching past performances leave him pick 25 of 26.

Dave - If you are gonna flash, flash hard! I’m not sure Phil Hughes knows how to play any other way but if he gets a few sneaky boundaries in early then maybe he’ll get a score. I’m kind of torn between him and Steve Smith, but it’s possible a ceremonial last pick anyway.

2013 Ashes draft, part 3: Nature's Lower Middle Order

Selection 8

Matt - Again, I’d like to strengthen the bowling and with that - and to my disappointment, considering the nagging suspicion I harbour that he benefits more from others’ leadup work than his own - Steven Finn joins my XI.  It was a toss-up between him and Bresnan, and rumours seem to suggest that Finn is more likely to play than the Yorkshireman.  I’m not in love with the selection, but with seven players left (including four Aussie batsmen), this is the best I’m going to get.

Dave - With a press release rather unceremoniously uprooting Nick Compton as a member of England’s chosen opening partnership, it seems Jonny Bairstow is a shoe-in to start and bat at number 6. While KP was away, the Yorkshireman did an amicable job and the promise - though it hasn’t got the nation as giddy as county teammate Root – is definitely there.

Selection 9

Matt - While Dave’s just taken the reddest player in the series, I’m stoked that my next pick - and maybe the series’ best ginger kid - is still available this late: Chris Rogers.  I’m not sure he’ll play - he should, especially now Boof Lehmann is the boss - but he can bat anywhere from 1-4 and if I were boss (which is all blogging is, really) he’d stride out at first drop when Shane Watson gets out to a moving ball. (This piece was written one day before Lehmann announced Rogers will open for the Aussies)

Dave - It’s only in recent days since we first did the draft that it looks as if Usman Khawaja might be struggling for a starting berth. I thought his close links to Lehmann through Queensland might make an outside chance. He has the technique to excel in England but does he have it mentally just yet? Time will tell.

Selection 10

Matt - We’re starting to get into a real pickle here.  The only players still left on my board are Haddin, who I’m bound to pick and therefore will go at 13 and not before; Ed Cowan, who I love, but would take an opening spot from Root or Cook; James Faulkner; Phil “involuntary shudder” Hughes or Nathan Lyon, who’s extraneous now I have Swann, Siddle, Starc and Finn.  I’ll take Faulkner - he’s young, unsullied and can contribute with both leather and willow.

Dave - I’m kind of edging my bets here with this pick. It’s between Bresnan and Finn for Engand’s final fast bowling spot and I already have who I currently view as the best three quicks in the series. Nevertheless Tim Bresnan is Mr Dependable for England in the longer format of the game. Averaging 31 with the bat and 32 with the ball makes him someone that will work nicely in this draft.

2013 Ashes draft, part 2: The foot soldiers

In part two of our inaugural Ashes draft, Dave Siddall of World Cricket Watch and I select those players that we'll win and lose with - the foot soldiers. Click here for the rules, and here for part one (the elite).

Selection 5

Matt - With Clarke gone, the rest of the batting talent available (bar one) doesn’t appeal.  So I’ll take the other closest thing to a certainty in both bowling lineups: Graeme Swann.  While I still believe in Nathan Lyon - and have fully invested in futures stocks in Ashton Agar - Swann is undoubtedly the best spin bowler in the matchup and you can bet he’ll bamboozle Hughes at least three times this series.

Dave - And there’s the first real facepalm moment of this draft. Graeme Swann should have been a pick of mine after Matt Prior as a major difference between the two sides. Onwards.  My friend and colleague Jonathan Howcroft recently described Shane Watson as the epitome of everything that’s wrong with Australian cricket. Based on Watto’s soap opera of recent years and fairly mediocre record that’s a harsh but fair assessment. Nevertheless a return to the opening spot should prove a fresh start. Watson, the reluctant bowler, is also a wicket taker (averages 30 with the ball) and if he decides to think more of the team’s needs rather than his own needs, he could provide some balance that Australia lacks. So much talent, let’s see it prove matchwinning for a change.

Selection 6

Matt - I’m so glad this player is here now; I’d held my breath for the last two picks hoping Dave would think I didn’t totally rate him: Joe Root.  The kid can play, and with the wayward tendencies of Mitch Starc and James Pattinson, a 500-run series is eminently on the cards.  This is also a double-edged sword (I hope) - meaning I think I’ve tagged the two most reliable openers available and now Dave’s stuck with Watson and … Cowan?

Dave - Facepalm moment two. With Matt picking Joe Root, I realise I’m going to be struggling and forced to pick any number of Australia’s wobbly top and middle order. Nevertheless I’ll pursue with a clear tactic of picking the best quick bowlers on display. Stuart Broad looked back to his best against New Zealand and if he can bowl the same slightly fuller length he could be the leading wicket taker in the series.

Selection 7

Matt - While my batting is pretty much exactly as I’d hoped (minus Clarke, of course), you can make a convincing argument that the two best “strike” bowlers play for Dave’s XI.  To that end, my seventh selection is Mitch Starc.  I’d prefer to compare Starc to a rich man’s Mike Whitney rather than Mitchell Johnson - comparing Mitch to anyone where I’m from is tantamount to pissing off Aaron Hernandez.  Despite an average of just over 34, he take wickets and should be suited to English conditions.  I’m not in love with his economy rate, however.

In case you're wondering, Mitch Starc's Economy Rate is fifth all time in Australia for bowlers who've taken over 10 Test wickets - 3.64.
— Matthew Wood (@balanced_sports) December 5, 2012

Dave - Face palm moment number 2. With Matt picking Joe Root I realise I’m going to be struggling and forced to pick any number of Australia’s wobbly top and middle order. So to break that trend, Ian Bell – once Australia’s and in particular Warne’s bunny – gets the nod. Considering his aesthetics and volume of runs, he’s the next best batsmen available.

Moyes' new era at Manchester United starts in the back room

And so ends David Moyes' first week at Manchester United. The seven days has seen him prove his ruthlessness far more quickly than anyone had calculated.  Multiple bids have been made for former charge Leighton Baines to the disquiet of his erstwhile employers, and gone are stalwart and respected coaches Eric Steele, Rene Meulensteen and Mike Phelan.

The replacements for this back-room trio are Moyes' associates from Everton: Steve Round, Chris Woods, Jimmy Lumsden and Phil Neville, plus the understated figure that attempts to link to Ferguson's pomp, Ryan Giggs.  That the exiting trio  - especially Steele, given his work with PFA Goalkeeper of the Year David De Gea - were dispensed with so quickly is a matter for unease by many Manchester United fans.

It is common practice - because it's usually common sense - for a manager to bring in his own back-room brethren; for example, coaches Mark Bowen and Eddie Niedzwiecki might be nicknamed "American Express", because Mark Hughes never leaves home without them.  He is not alone. That Moyes has brought his men with him will have astonished precisely no-one.

However, to bring in (gifted) buddies carte blanche and despite the obvious qualities of the incumbent staff could be construed as being a little counterproductive.  While the "new" coaches are undoubtedly intimately aware of Moyes' tendencies and techniques, sages like Phelan and Steele are far more in-tune with how to communicate with - and thereby get the most from - established egos figures within the Manchester United framework.  It is Moyes' imperative - his job - to select the coaches he thinks will most benefit his team; what is most confusing is that none of his cadre of high-profile coaches have worked under Ferguson.

This is hardly a criticism of the incoming staff.  Moyes' team has squeezed blood from stones like Yakubu, Leon Osman, Tim Cahill and former United 'keeper Tim Howard.  But the near-summary dismissal of experienced and talented didactic foundations of a successful side seems a sign of the new manager utterly determined to kick-start a new age at Old Trafford.

One one hand, this seems wise: no figure could possibly replace Sir Alex Ferguson, so why try?  Better to make a clean break and move into a new future using new methods.  However, with Ferguson - and now Phelan, Meulensteen and Steele - departs much of the culture and continuity built up over the past twenty years of success at Manchester United.  And this might be behind the appointment of Neville and Giggs, where two of the Fledglings are left to bequeath the legacy of the most dominant manager of all time.

In releasing these links to the recent past, Moyes has committed to creating a new identity for the Red Devils.  In fairness, that's probably what needed to happen.  However, by not giving any of these learned men the chance to be a part of this new era, entry into the new future may be a little rocky.

2013 Ashes draft, part 1: The elite

In yesterday's post, Dave Siddall (of World Cricket Watch) and introduced our first ever Ashes draft. Today, we break down picks 1 - 4.

Selection 1

Matt - there’s only one person I want with the no. 1 pick in the draft: England captain Alastair Cook.  The young skipper has an excellent record against the Old Enemy, averaging 50.36 in fifteen Tests and 69.00 as captain.  Subtract his forlorn 2006-07 campaign in Australia (against a re-ascendent McGrath, Warne and Stuart Clark) and the average races up to 98.8.  Despite the presence of Joe Root and perhaps now Chris Rogers, he is set to be the standout opener of the series.  

Dave - After Matt won the coin toss (I’m trusting him on this one), I’m pretty happy that I still have the best bowler in the series to pick. Old clichés of needing to take 20 wickets to win a test aside, James Anderson is England’s most consistent performer and his jedi-like control of swing should expose just how loose Australia’s top order can be outside off stump.

Selection 2

Matt - To see Anderson selected is a bit of a blow - I had him ranked as my second overall pick, especially given that one or more of David Warner, Phil Hughes or Usman Khawaja seems likely to play in at least the first few Tests.  With him gone, I moved onto the second-best natural run-scorer in the series, Jonathan Trott (average 86.42 against Australian attacks far superior to this one).

Dave - The greatest wicket-keeper batsman to ever represent England, Matt Prior provides quick runs to set up Test victories and a solid defence to snatch draws from the jaws of defeat (England’s recent tour of New Zealand being the most notable example). His impeccable glove-work is superior to both Haddin and Wade.

Selection 3

Matt - Matt Prior, Dave?  Wow, you really didn’t want to be stuck with Brad Haddin.  That, I can understand, but … this early?  With KP, Pattinson and well, everyone, left on the board?  This means I’m set up for my fourth overall pick, Pietersen.  With the three best fit batsmen in my lineup, this means that my esteemed colleague is likely to see Phil Hughes propping up his order … on English pitches, I’m fine with that.

Dave - My 3rd pick may seem way leftfield but the idealist in me wants Australia to be aggressive and James Pattinson is their deadliest bowler. Few of England’s batsmen have faced Pattinson and the raw aggression could give Australia an early blow that would ignite the Ashes. 40 wickets in 10 matches at an average of 23 is not far off Philanderesque.

Selection 4

Matt - Where do I go now?  This is the first real poser for me so far - I’ve got three of my first four selections with which I’m of course very happy, but now the choice comes down to the Australian captain - who on talent goes at number 2, but for his (very) dodgy back - or a bowler.  I with the only real “sure thing” fast man gone, the safest next bet is Victorian cult figure Peter Siddle, who should feature in all five Tests.  If he plays, he gets poles.

Dave - A metrosexual run machine with a dodgy back, Michael Clarke’s appetite for runs since becoming Australia’s captain has been insatiable. Rumour has it he’s not as inspirational in the dressing room than when batting in the middle. Perhaps Darren Lehman’s appointment can galvanise the squad and Clarke can focus on amassing runs.

Drafting the 2013 Ashes

When American sports franchises begin to lose their on-field mojo, in order to remain relevant in a busy cultural and social environment, the typical executive response is to expand their interest-base.

Bring the family!  There’s gourmet food for Mum, a run-the-bases opportunity for Junior, and competitions the entire family can enjoy - like guessing which coloured craft will cross the finish line first in a simulated speedboat race (Green.  Always pick the green one).  Why do these three items spring readily to mind?  Because I live in a city which boasts one of baseball’s most futile recent enterprises, the Seattle Mariners.

Executives have tried for years to make the actual sport at a sporting event secondary to “the experience”; which to me, has always seemed akin to putting the decor before the flavour at a restaurant.  It’s no coincidence, however, that such events almost always occur when the team’s fortunes are flailing horribly (c.f. the aforementioned Mariners and their 0.300OBP) - the Boston Celtics, forever the NBA’s pater dominantis, only brought in cheerleaders and “animations” when stars like Larry Bird, Kevin McHale and Robert Parish moved on.

The simple and elegant philosophy of a bygone age: the sport should be enough, even if your team stinks.

But it isn’t.  Especially when your team stinks.  So, how do you make sport more exciting for the spectator?  There are three simple methods: gambling, alcohol, and fantasy sports.

With the Ashes series approaching fast and the Australian camp careening towards a whitewash defeat, fantasy might create a little more debate around the actual mechanics of this upcoming test of Australian nerve.  To whit, myself and colleague (and Englishman) Dave Siddall attempted to “fantasy draft” our own Ashes squads - at stake: pride in ourselves, if not our homespun countries.

The rules were simple: each team can pick only one “starting” wicketkeeper (Matt Prior and whoever Australia elects to use as a glorified backstop, likely Brad Haddin), and each team must select four bowlers and two batsmen who could be classified as openers.  Players could be selected by only one “manager”, with a coin flip determining who selected first.  Thirteen players would be drafted by Aussie and Pom.

We will revisit each individual player scores after each Test match, and at the end of the Northern Summer.

The first Ashes Fantasy Draft was held on Friday morning, 28th June and the results will be published sequentially over the next six days until we arrive at the first Test.

Book review: Let me tell you a story, by Red Auerbach and John Feinstein

John Feinstein has made a career of being a "thinking man's" sportswriter.  He shot to prominence with the oustanding 1986 Season on the Brink, which detailed a season spent with Bob Knight and the Indiana Hoosiers.  Some of his other works have been critically acclaimed as well, but have on occasion - eg. The Punch - tended to be too po-faced and serious for their own good.

Let me tell you a story, a collection of tales Feinstein could have knocked out in his sleep is the perfect antithesis to such overbearing seriousness.  It describes his invitation to lunch with Red Auerbach, the former President of the Boston Celtics and acknowledged King of Boston basketball.  What the casual fan probably fails to realise is Red's assocation with Washington D.C. hoops as well.  He was an alumni of George Washington University, his wife and children (and him, during the offseason) lived there and he maintained connections with several of the city's basketball aristocracy.

The book begins with Auerbach growing older and more aware of his mortality.  He therefore decided to invest time in his closest friends, which manifested as a regular lunch with the likes of his brother Zang, secret service agents and The Best High School hoops coach of all, Morgan Wootten.  Feinstein - who was working as a columnist for the Washington Post - smelled a story, managed to get an invitation and became a regular lunch guest.  He then proceeds to describe what the lunch became for him and his compatriots.

courtesy: betterworldbooks.com

The book is named because even though there were upwards of a dozen regular diners, these were Red's lunches. He had the central seat, so he could hold court and opine about almost every issue - starting most of his stories with the words "Let me tell you about...".  The bill was also Red's, until the Celtics got wind of the events and insisted the team paid.  Red talks candidly (as if  he could speak any other way) about his time with the Celtics, the owners he worked for and even of his lack of malice at being replaced as Celtics President during the short-lived Rick Pitino era.

What impresses you so much is Red's reasoning - there were always completely logical reasons for every decision he made.  When he explains those reasons - even why he lit his trademark cigar when the Celtics had secured victory - he makes absolute sense.  (If you're wondering, he lit the cigars when the Celtics were up by a heap as a subconscious signal that his team was relaxed and not seeking to rub the victory in their opponents faces).  His tales stand in stark contrast to those of another Celtic great, Bill Russell.  As Auerbach became more acutely aware of his ageing, he became more congnizant of the importance of spending time with his friends; in stark contrast Russell became more and more arrogant, distant and spiky.

Throughout, you can't help liking Red.  It's obvious that Feinstein - and the entire Lunch crew - absolutely adored him.  He was fair, friendly and fun to be around, which in turn makes the book an easy read.  It is occasionally slightly stained by Feinstein's own opinions - what little he thinks of Rick Pitino is obvious, and his memorable description of Scottie Pippen as Scottie "I've got a headache when it matters most" Pippen are fine examples of unwanted editorialisation.

It's lightweight, but really enjoyable read.

Reposted from Books with Balls, a now sadly mostly-disregarded affiliate.

Short Pitch: On Mickey Arthur, Darren Lehmann and the Australian way of death

At least it was quick.

Mickey Arthur's eighteen month spell as Australian coach was terminated on Sunday, seventeen days before the first of ten consecutive Ashes Tests.  The South African has been almost instantly replaced by cult favourite Darren "Boof" Lehmann.  Arthur's reign was a fraught one, lowlighted by "homeworkgate" and four Australian players being dropped for failing to submit their reflections on a loss to India.

Lehmann has promised an improved team culture, based around three of his favourite things: beer, mates, and winning.  Arthur presided over an atmosphere of infighting and despair not entirely of his own design.  Changes had to be made no matter what the timing.  Parallels can be drawn with the AFL's Melbourne Football Club - a once-great organisation suffering off-field mismanagement, autocratic coaching with ambitious names eyeing his position resulting in the investiture of power in dubious positions.

Arthur's dismissal occurred slightly over two weeks before the largest date in the Aussie cricket calendar, an away Ashes series, when expectations are perhaps the lowest they've been for the Baggy Green since 1985. The series also provides a baptism of fire for the new guru as he helms an underwhelmingly-talented crew against one of the world's best lineups.

When the penny drops that a change is not only beneficial but necessary, making that change immediately and without mercy is a very pragmatic - read: Old Australian - way of doing things.  The reverse - often employed in world football - sees a manager sacked before a series of winnable games, allowing for a relatively easy transition into a new way of playing.  Such advance - and often wrong - forethought smacks of the current Cricket Australia thinking, making Arthur's instantaneous demise such a shock.

Facing the Old Enemy ten times over the next seven months, Australia didn't have such a luxury, so a sudden and brutal guillotining was seen as the best method to dispose of a lame duck.  The most comparable occasion occurred in 1970-71, when Bill Lawry absorbed the wrath of a (similarly) perpetually discombobulated executive panel.

It's the first gutsy move that Cricket Australia has made in recent memory.  It has installed a popular - and perhaps the best - candidate in a position where he might be able to create a positive change in attitude, fortunes and results quite quickly.  For this, they should be congratulated; however, it's also a tacit admission that this upcoming Ashes series is all but lost and focus must be cast upon the return series this summer: no coach can be expected to make such an immediate turnaround.

European Goalkeeper Stats 2010-11

The following is a list of (barely) advanced Goalkeeper stats for the four major European leagues for season 2010-11.

European Goalkeeper stats 2011-12

This post details some (barely) advanced statistics for goalkeepers from the 2011-12 European football season.