text:
Insert snappy 'Butler did it' headline here
We've been over the mid-major oxymoron on these pages plenty of times in the past, so let's just say that Butler snapping up a spot in the Final Four in a region that featured Syracuse in the top seed was kind of a surprise.
Actually, the real surprise is that Butler was a No. 5 seed, beat the Nos. 1 and 2 seeds back-to-back and had its toughest game in the tournament against No. 13 Murray State.
In other words, the selection committee really messed up the seeding this year.
Hey, it happens from time to time. After all, the chalk pretty much ran through to the bracket the past several years. Last year the top 12 teams made it to the Sweet 16, while in 2008 all the No. 1 seeds got to the Final Four. In fact, over the past two seasons Villanova, as a No. 3, was the worst-seeded team to get to the Final Four.
The committee got it right in 2008 and 2009.
That wasn't the case in 2010 where three double-digit seeds plus No. 9 Northern Iowa got to the Sweet 16 and a No. 5 or No. 6 seed is guaranteed to make it to the championship game.
Wha' happened?
One theory is that the selection committee didn't give much respect to those mid-majors. Butler, obviously, is the prime example of that elitist point-of-view. Seeing as there was no team that was head-and-shoulders above the rest, a team like Butler was given a No. 5 seed even though its RPI ranking was just tenths of points behind Villanova.
Since Butler was 20-0 in the Horizon Conference and Villanova was 13-6 in the Big East, the committee reasoned that the big conferences were infinitely better than the mid-majors and ranked the teams accordingly. That kind of makes sense, right? If 'Nova and Butler produce the same computer rankings, then the so-called major team would chew up those mid-majors, went the logic.
The problem with that is statistics always lie. Never is there a case were 13-6 is better than 20-0. Never, ever, never. A 20-0 team experiences things that a 13-6 club never goes through, such as how to win games. Winning counts for a lot when its humans and not statistics calling the shots.
Didn't we learn anything from Larry Bird and Indiana State all those years ago? Did we really need to watch No. 10 St. Mary's pull apart Villanova like a sadistic kid on the playground torturing a defenseless insect with a magnifying glass? Sure, St. Mary's had the 35th best RPI and was 25-5, but they had something Villanova did not—a legit center.
So painting Butler and teams of its ilk as mighty little underdogs fighting against the monoliths is wrong. Butler isn't a David in the battle against Goliath, nor is it a mom-and-pop shop slaying Wal-Mart before it gets crushed and the organic nature of a downtown is destroyed. Actually, the mid-majors are just that…
Mid-majors.
They are like the regional chain with shops across the region that takes a chunk out of Wal-Mart's market share. Sure, more people shop at Wal-Mart or Target or Starbucks, but that isn't putting Giant or Acme out of business. Not by a long shot.
Posted at 12:20 PM in Butler, Final Four, mid-majors, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0)
The madness is about the money
"As soon as you come to terms that it's all about the money and that merit often does not matter, then your frustration will subside."
That's what a psychologist friend told me the other day when we were just chatting about life and basketball. We tend to talk a lot about those subjects, but this time we both were particularly down and whiny.
Of course these things about "the way it is" are subjects that I already knew much about and had come to terms with, but it's always does the soul good to hear it from someone with some true knowledge. No, it didn't make it feel any better to know that essentially people who have to work for a living are nothing more than a number on some Excel spreadsheet. But whatever...
Yadda, yadda, yadda.
Actually, that goes for the people associated with basketball teams that play in the NCAA, too. In a bottom line driven world, there are none shallower than the folks who run the NCAA basketball tournament. If we have learned anything through the years it's that the feudal system is still at play in the United States and the overlords are the guys who run college sports.
This is not to say the NCAA Tournament isn't a great event. Far from it. In regard to sports playoff systems—both professional and amateur—it's tough to top the annual basketball tournament the NCAA puts on for its top Division I teams. Each team is assigned a spot on a grid that corresponds directly to its strength in the field, a venue and a game time are decided upon and the players are given a ball to hash it out.
It can't get any purer than that.
And as long as no one peaks behind the curtain than no one will be the wiser. Actually, the selection committee is kind of like how author Eric Schlosser describes the meat industry in his book, "Fast Food Nation" and the people will close their eyes and open their mouths for anything as long as they aren't told how the animals are slaughtered.
In this case it's how the teams are chosen. Look, every year someone or some group is disappointed about being left out or underrated. It's a cliché at this point because it happens, every single year.
But that doesn't make it right. Since there is no oversight or even direct knowledge of how the process comes together, it seem OK to assume that teams are placed in the venue and in a matchup that will get the most money for the NCAA. That's fine as long as it's explicit. The trouble is it is not. Just like the NCAA wants to make billions off the backs of teenagers playing a game in exchange for free classes and room and board, I'd love to know how the NCAA selection committee arrived at the fact that Temple is only good enough for a No. 5 seed in its tourney and Villanova is a No. 2.
Perhaps I'd even ask why some of the so-called "mid-majors" were left out when they very well might play more entertaining basketball than a "major" school team, but I already know the answer. Though perennial powers like UCLA, Connecticut, Arizona, Indiana and defending national champion North Carolina, are out of it this year, the committee chose to bump up the prestigious basketball schools instead of giving others at some marquee matchups.
The NCAA hears the complaints and brushes it off as one would expect, saying there are complaints every year and the tournament is always good. Still, that's not the point. Apparently Toyota made a quality, affordable and an efficient car until the brakes stopped working on a few of them. What if the CEO of the car company said, "Yeah, I know the brakes don't work, but look at the wax job on that thing… It's sparkly!"
The NCAA basketball tournament is as shiny as the most precious diamond, but beauty has its price and no one is going to watch a basketball game just because it's exciting. Oh no, people are far too shallow to figure out on their own what is good or not. That's where the NCAA selection committee comes in with acronyms like RPI and formulas for measuring the strength of a team's schedule or its quality wins. For instance, Temple finished the season as the top team in the Atlantic 10 conference and won the tournament championship for the third year in a row. That's a pretty impressive feat and when coupled with an RPI ranking as the No. 8 team in the country, Temple should be looking at a No. 2 seed at best and a No. 3 at worst.
Conversely, Villanova checked in as the No. 4 best team in the Big East, a one-game exit from the conference tourney and an RPI of 11. Based on that, the best-case scenario puts Villanova as a No. 3 seed or a comfortable No. 4.
That was easy… or was it.
Well, it's easy until the intangibles are factored in. Stray too far from North Broad Street and there aren't too many people who can name a single player on the Temple team. Hell, most folks probably believe John Chaney is still the coach of the team and only know him as the guy who wanted to strangle John Calipari.
Meanwhile, Villanova got to the Final Four last season by winning one of the most exciting games of the tournament. Plus, coach Jay Wright is as genuine, stylish and as affable as they come in college basketball and his top player, Scottie Reynolds, is one of the all-time greats for a school with a proud basketball tradition. He's been written about in Sports Illustrated and everything. Maybe that's why a lot of the top college basketball pundits say Villanova will get to the Final Four on a route that is not nearly as difficult as last season.
So is this starting to make sense now? And if it is why do we even bother with things like RPI and strength of schedule and all of those other crazy metrics? Why not start with UCLA, Kentucky, North Carolina, Kansas and Duke and set it up around those teams? Then, if those teams are having a bad year, just bump up the second class or the better teams from whichever glamour conference (Big East, ACC, Big Ten, SEC or Pac-10) is playing well.
See, there doesn't need to be all this frustration and depression about wrong and right. They already sold all the commercial time so just close your eyes and open up wide.
Posted at 04:02 PM in money grubbing, NCAA Tournament, Temple Owls, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0)
Reynolds a blast from the past
Spend 10 years writing exclusively about baseball and it's easy to get lost about the goings on in other sports. There is only so much one guy can do to keep up with the full range of games, but when it gets right down to it sometimes all a guy can do is focus on what is in front of him.
Over the past decade I'll wager that I have been to approximately 1,000 baseball games, but maybe 30 to 40 college basketball games. A long time ago those numbers would have been reversed.
The bad par, of course, is missing out on the terrific ballplayers that came through the Big Five over the past decade. Oh sure, I caught Jameer Nelson just because St. Joe's was one of the biggest stories of 2004 when they were No. 1 for most of the college season. However, names like Randy Foye, Allan Ray, Dionte Christmas, Pat Carroll, Mardy Collins, Dante Cunningham, David Hawkins , Kyle Lowry, Steven Smith and Curtis Sumpter (amongst other standouts over the last 10 years), get lost in the pile of early-season ballgames.
Fortunately, Scottie Reynolds of Villanova decided to return to Villanova for his last season because it would be a shame to miss out on watching him play.
Reynolds is an undersized guard in a city with a long tradition of great guards. Though he's listed at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, I suspect he's probably an even 6-foot and maybe a few pounds lighter. However, unlike the traditional Big 5 guard, Reynolds isn't content to stay in the backcourt in half-court sets and spread the ball around like Howie Evans, Pepe Sanchez or even a shooter like Lynn Greer.
Reynolds will mix it up inside if need be. For instance, even though he scored 12 straight points from the outside in the first half of the 82-77 victory over No. 11 Georgetown at the Wachovia Center on Sunday afternoon, Reynolds' biggest hoop of the game came with 3:14 left when he knifed to the hoop against three bigger players for a layup and a foul. For good measure he made four straight foul shots to held ice the game with less than 36 seconds remaining.
Reynolds scored 27 points on just 15 shots and 29 minutes in the victory over Georgetown.
"He can't be contained," Georgetown's coach John Thompson III said after the game. "I don't say that in jest. He's too good of an offensive player and they do too good of a job of getting him where he needs to be. It's nothing new. He's been doing it for four years. What's different is now as a senior, when they need a basket, he ends up with the ball in his hand and good things happen."
Though he's a small guard, Reynolds has a game similar to 6-foot-5 Big Five guard, Mark Macon of Temple. The difference, of course, was that Temple relied on Macon to score. In fact, John Chaney, Macon's college coach, was known to say that he'd rather have Macon take a bad shot than another player to take a good one. That's how much Macon meant to Temple and Chaney.
But aside from his freshman year in 1988 when Temple was the No. 1 team in the country, Macon didn't have the supporting cast like Reynolds has had with Villanova. Still, even with teammates destined for the NBA like Foye, Cunningham, Ray and Kyle Lowry, Reynolds should hit the 2,000-point plateau by the end of the month.
Depending upon how far Villanova goes into the NCAA Tournament, Reynolds could flirt with Kerry Kittles' all-time scoring record (2,243), which is saying something considering all the talent he had to share the ball with.
Still, the best part about Reynolds—and where he is most like Macon—is that he is accountable. Though Chaney would always forgive one of Macon's hurried shots, the former Owl (now acting head coach at the University of Binghamton) famously pleaded with his coach to yell at him more. Because Chaney leaned on him so much more than the others, Macon thought he should also have to face the music more often, too.
As if anyone has to tell John Chaney to scream at them twice…
Villanova's coach Jay Wright also forgives a lot of Reynolds' mistakes for a lot of the same reasons. That attitude works out very well when Reynolds turns in some bad games like the one he had in the Big East Tournament semifinals against Louisville last year where he went 1-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc with six turnovers and just two measly points in 38 minutes.
Prior to that, Reynolds dropped 40 points on Seton Hall only to fall into a funk where it took him four games to match the scoring output of that one game.
"Some games we lose and he looks really bad, but that never affects him. He comes back the next game and makes the same plays," Wright said last season, marveling at Reynolds' fearlessness in the face of failure. "That's a great quality to have as an athlete."
So if you get the chance to catch Reynolds in action (and you're into that sort of thing), make sure you do it. After all, players like him are seen just a few times a decade.
Posted at 01:21 AM in college basketball, Jay Wright, John Chaney, Mark Macon, Scottie Reynolds, Temple, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0)
Wright's close up ends quickly
The vision of missed jump shot followed by missed jump shot chipping away the orange paint from rim was still fresh. The sting of defeat was still working its way down the solar plexus and into the pit of the stomach of those Villanova players who vainly tried to keep pace with the North Carolina Tar Heels all night long in Saturday's National Semifinal.
The pain and the inevitable "what if…" had not quite set in as Saturday melted into Sunday.
Still, even though accepting the loss in the Final Four will be difficult, it's easy to imagine Jay Wright back in the same spot of the NCAA Tournament in the not too distant future.
It's also not too difficult to imagine a different result than the 83-69 defeat to Carolina, just one step away from the National Championship game.
You see, Wright, just 47, is built to last at Villanova. He still is not halfway through a contract extension that lasts until 2013 and will compensate him well enough to keep him in those sharp-looking, single-breasted suits. More importantly, Wright seems to have received the extension for doing something that is often rare in sports these days…
He paid his dues.
Aside from the long car rides beating the recruiting trail as an assistant at Rochester, Drexel and Villanova, before taking over at Hofstra, Wright has restored the luster to 'Nova that was lost during the angst-filled final days of Rollie Massimino's run on the Main Line. He has embraced the Big Five series instead of brushing it aside as a trite hometown obligation, while turning his program into a bona fide powerhouse that isn't going to tiptoe up and surprise anyone.
Continue reading this story ...
Posted at 12:00 AM in Final Four, Jay Wright, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Final Four time means the players become instant stars. It also means that the thousands of media types looking for a story even the slightest bit out of the norm will look nearly anywhere... even to long forgotten photos of pee-wee hoops teams from 1995.
Recognize anyone in this picture:
Needless to say, this team was pretty good. Check out the story here.
Posted at 12:00 AM in Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Reynolds always looks ahead
Make no mistake about it, Scottie Reynolds is very fast. Scary fast. They say speed kills, but in the case of Reynolds it's the opposition that has its head in the noose.
But more impressive than Reynolds' streak up the court and game-winning bucket in fewer than five seconds in Villanova's ridiculously thrilling victory over Pittsburgh to advance to the Final Four on Saturday was the quickness in which Reynolds responded from a really bad game against Louisville in the Big East semifinals two weeks ago.
Talk about coast-to-coast.
"One of his great characteristics is he never fears failure," Wright said. "He doesn't worry about what he looks like. He never worries about looking bad. He's all out, and he knows he's going to be all out."
He sort of had to have no fear of failure after seeing his line from the Louisville game. It read, 1-for-6 from the field, including 0-for-3 from beyond the three-point arc. He also contributed six turnovers and just two measly points in 38 minutes.
Yes, that's right – two points in 38 minutes. No foul trouble, no gimmicky defenses and no excuses.
Posted at 12:00 AM in Jay Wright, Scottie Reynolds, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
All rock all the time...
It's definitely going to be a crazy week around these parts. Not only do we have Villanova heading to the Final Four and all the pomp that goes with that, but also the Phillies return to Philadelphia this week for a pair of exhibition games against Tampa on Friday and Saturday before kicking off the season for real on Sunday night against Atlanta.
Who knows, the most anticipated Phillies season ever could be sandwiched between 'Nova's national semifinal game and a National Championship on Monday night.
Hey, crazier things have happened.
Anyway, we'll have a bunch of 'Nova and Phillies stories all week leading to the big weekend. Until then, here's a short list of the things I won't write about this baseball season.
Before I start, I know how lame the list is. After all, don't you hate those radio ads in which a station defines itself by what it doesn't play? Then they cue them up and play programmed and contrived crap. I heard one the other day where the station's big calling card was, "We aren't iTunes, we are your tunes."
What? This is what they announce before they launch into Don Henley.
No, take them... they're definitely your tunes.
So from here on out I'm drawing a line and painting myself into a tidy little corner. These are the stories I'm going to work as hard as possible not to write this baseball season:
1.) Jamie Moyer's age
Yes, we all know that Jamie Moyer is old. In fact, he's 46 and there have been just a select few ballplayers that had careers to that age. It's remarkable, sure, but not necessarily such an anomaly anymore.
The fact of the matter is that 46 isn't as old as it used to be. Better yet, a ballplayer only gets old if he allows himself to be that way or injuries add up. Ask Don Wildman about how limiting his age is. Or Dara Torres. Or Chris Chelios. Or Jamie Moyer.
Better yet, don't.
"Some players get injured and others just lose the desire," Moyer told me last August. "Then some, for one reason or other, are told to quit because they reach a certain age or time spent in the game. Some just accept it without asking why."
Along the same vein, Moyer's age won't be used as a crutch, either. He's 46. So what? He's as fit as any player in the league and he hasn't lost a thing off his fastball (tee-hee), so if he's walking out there he's no different than anyone else.
He's 46? Big deal.
2.) J.C. Romero's suspension
Oh yes, this is an important issue. It's especially important since the Phillies won't have their workhorse reliever for nearly a third of the season. But stories knocking it down as no big deal or some type of insignificant or unfortunate occurrence don't get it. The truth is MLB did not want Romero to pitch in the playoffs, but they allowed him to do so anyway.
Why? And why not?
3.) Lefty lineup
Chase Utley to Ryan Howard to Raul Ibanez... deal with it. Certainly the opposing managers will have to figure out a way to deal with it. Last year Utley his .277 with 13 homers against lefties, while Howard hit 14 homers (just .224 though) and Ibanez batted .305 with seven homers vs. lefties.
Oh sure, in the late innings the Phillies will face a ton of situational lefties, but any time a manager goes away from his regular habits to rely on a pitcher generally used to facing just one hitter just might level the odds a bit.
For that middle of the order trio, even odds are pretty good.
4.) Charlie Manuel's managerial acumen
These are the facts: Charlie knows more about baseball than you. Actually he's forgotten more about baseball than you have ever known. To top it off, he's funnier than you and tells far better stories.
Plus, the way he handled that great comeback against the Mets last August in which he used to pitchers to pinch hit, had Carlos Ruiz play third base and put Chris Coste into the game in the eighth inning and watched him get four hits. The guy is always looking at the big picture and sometimes, just for fun, he'll play a hunch.
What he doesn't do is try to over think or out-fox the game like Tony La Russa or some other new age type. He'd rather beat you Earl Weaver style - sit back and wait for a big home run - but if he has to get some base runners moving with some steals or hit-and-runs, that works, too.
Meanwhile, he likes to put his pitchers into firm roles. Yeah, sometimes that can get him in trouble, but the good part is that everyone on the roster understands their role. Big league ballplayers love that.
And if that doesn't work, Charlie will pull out the old, "Just hold 'em, guys... I'll think of something."
It's worked so far.
5.) Raul Ibanez vs. Pat Burrell
Stat heads aren't going to like this one, but Ibanez's superior batting average and lower strikeout rate will matter. It mattered in Seattle and it will matter at cozy Citizens Bank Park, too.
The reason is as simple as the triple-digit RBI totals over the last three years - Ibanez hits the ball a little more. With Jimmy Rollins, Shane Victorino, Utley and Howard hitting in front of him, the 20 fewer times Ibanez strikes out as opposed to Burrell could be significant. Figure there are 26 weeks to a season with the potential for one more run a week produced from one spot of the lineup could add up.
There you go. Now I'm going to go put the iPod on shuffle... yep, my tunes.
Whatever the hell that means.
Posted at 12:00 AM in Charlie, Chase Utley, Final Four, iPod, J.C. Romero, Jamie Moyer, Opening Day, Pat Burrell, Phillies, Raul Ibanez, Ryan Howard, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Battle tested 'Nova aims to repeat history
Close your eyes for the briefest of seconds when he speaks and you would swear it was 1985 all over again. Oh sure, there are a few more pounds these days and the New Yorker accent has softened a bit, but time and travel has a way of doing that sort of thing.
We should all be so lucky.
But to hear Ed Pinckney talk about his alma mater on Wednesday when he returned to Philadelphia with the Minnesota Timberwolves, it may as well had been that crazy run through the first-ever field of 64 nearly 25 years ago.
A last-second win over Dayton on the Flyers' home court followed by an upset over the top-seeded Michigan, set up Pinckney's Wildcats up against Len Bias' Maryland team.
Yeah, that's right – an ACC team.
"I actually got a chance to go to practice yesterday before they took off for Boston and they looked good," said Pinckney, who spent the last four years working as Jay Wright's assistant before jumping to the NBA. "They looked confident, they played consistent all year and all of the senior and rising juniors have matured to great players. Jay has put himself in a great position and I'm feeling very confident about this one. They have a great chance to win Thursday night."
Posted at 12:00 AM in Big East, Ed Pinckney, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
LANCASTER, Pa. – Going to Spring Training to write about baseball is a lot like walking into a hermetically-sealed cocoon. Nothing pierces this bubble, which is more roach motel than a simple picket fence.
Ideas from the outside check in, and then they die.
So the first order of business since checking out of Camp Big Britches in Clearwater was to reconnect with reality. Or at least some facsimile thereof. And a quick look back at my version of reality shows that I missed some pretty cool stuff back here in Philly.
Lancaster? Not so much.
Anyway, here's what happened:
• Apparently there is a basketball tournament going on. Villanova is in it, though it must be pointed out that the current version of the team is only slightly less evil than the older versions. Yeah, those fans/alums are still as arrogant as can be, but Jay Wright makes it all a bit more tolerable.
More interesting, Villanova plays Duke in the regional semifinal in Boston this Thursday. In the old days rational folks would have rooted for both teams to get lost on the way to the arena. Baring that, some discomfort or at least a few flat tires were in order. These days, anytime the li'l general at Duke gets beat is pretty sweet.
Hey, I'm not one of those hater guys (at least I hope not), so I guess it's not fair to pick on Coach K because he has a really, really important job coaching basketball. He's very important. Just ask him.
• The biggest whiff was skipping out before the Sixers played one last game at the Spectrum. No, not for the sentiment of playing a game in an old building because overwrought pining for things seems kind of silly. Besides, as Joe Strummer said, if you think too much about the past it will drag you down.
Joe… Joe was the greatest.
Sentiment and nostalgia are hard things to ignore. It's the emotion of it, probably. Life can be difficult if you're one to wade in past the shallow end, so comfortable memories of old times can be soothing on occasion. So for a lot of us – especially pre-teens who hawked the team during training camp at F&M – that '83 Sixers club would have conjured up some fun memories.
If, of course, I had been at the Spectrum instead of sunny Florida.
Regardless, does it really count if Andrew Toney wasn't there?
Sure, the Sixers undoubtedly did a wonderful job putting together a memorable event for the fans and the players, but Andrew Toney was such an important player of that era that it actually belied mere statistics and wins and losses. The truth is Andrew Toney changed everything in the Atlantic Division and the Eastern Conference.
It's possible Toney was the most important player in the game for a few years.
If the Celtics had anyone remotely capable of guarding Toney, they would not have traded to get Dennis Johnson. And without Johnson, the Celtics are just a very good team, but not that much different from the rest of the very good teams.
So without Toney, the Celtics dynasty might have just been a blip in time and the Sixers might have snuck out of the East another time or two.
• Elsewhere, before Lance Armstrong broke his collarbone and possibly lost his shot at returning to the Tour de France, he had to submit some of his hair for DNA drug testing. Yep, athletes in sports outside of the big three, are submitting to DNA drug testing.
Meanwhile, baseball's drug problem gets sillier and sillier by the day.
• Finally, speaking of drug-testing, maybe A-Rod should have been forced to offer a hair/urine sample after posing for this picture:
Seriously, I'm all for defying the conventional wisdom, but what is he doing? That's something some dudes do when there is no one else at home and they don't have to worry about being caught acting like a goof. But not A-Rod. He invites a photog and goes all out.
So when he puts on his Sunday best, grabs his parasol and sashays through the town square, don't be surprised.
Posted at 12:00 AM in A-Rod, Andrew Toney, Dennis Johnson, drug-testing, Jay Wright, Lance Armstrong, spring training, The Spectrum, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)
Cinderella's big score
CLEARWATER, Fla. – Oh, it's on! It's really on.
Direct from Madison Square Garden and beamed to bars, lounges, frat houses and spring-break squats all across the country, a Big 5 team officially kicked off March Madness with is wildly entertaining finish.
Already Villanova has the country abuzz and we haven't yet even hit the Ides. Chalk that up to one of those ubiquitous March buzzer-beaters. Though instead of the Big Dance, this one came in the Big East Tournament that saved the Wildcats from blowing a big, first-half lead and put them back into position to get a top three seed.
Still, it's that time. Chaos, mayhem… madness!
That's the thing about college hoops this time of year – you never know when that high water moment is going to occur. Seasons, hell, careers are made this time of year. Besides, only a handful of teams have a realistic shot at advancing past the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The other might as well whoop it up now.
Or should they?
Continue reading this story...
Posted at 12:00 AM in Big 5, Big East Tournament, Ivy League, March Madness, NCAA Tournament, Villanova | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBack (0)


text:
Q: Latex Block diagramm / draw Range I want to use a Block diagram like in this document on page 9:
http://texdoc.net/texmf-dist/doc/generic/pst-bar/pst-bar-docDE.pdf
But I fail at doing this.
At the moment I am using this: Grouped bar chart
\definecolor{bblue}{HTML}{4F81BD}
\definecolor{rred}{HTML}{C0504D}
\definecolor{ggreen}{HTML}{9BBB59}

\begin{figure}[h]
\begin{tikzpicture}
\begin{axis}[
    width  = 0.85*\textwidth,
    height = 8cm,
    major x tick style = transparent,
    ybar=2*\pgflinewidth,
    %ybar stacked,
    bar width=14pt,
    ymajorgrids = true,
    ylabel = {Zeit in Sekunden},
    symbolic x coords={lokal,1 Gerät, 2 Geräte},
    xtick = data,
    scaled y ticks = false,
    enlarge x limits=0.25,
    ymin=0,
    nodes near coords,
    legend cell align=left,
    legend style={
            at={(1,1.05)},
            anchor=south east,
            column sep=1ex
    }
]
    \addplot[style={bblue,fill=bblue,mark=none}]
         coordinates {(lokal,973) (1 Gerät,1426) (2 Geräte,698)};
    \addplot[style={rred,fill=rred,mark=none}]
        coordinates {(lokal, 0.0) (1 Gerät,6.00) (2 Geräte,5.1)};
    \addplot[style={ggreen,fill=ggreen,mark=none}]
        coordinates {(lokal,52) (1 Gerät,276) (2 Geräte,169)};

    \legend{Durchschnittliche Zeit zur Berechneung,Durchschnittliche Zeit zur Verteilung,Streuung gesamte Zeit}
\end{axis}
\end{tikzpicture}
\end{figure}

I want the diagram to be "block" style.
Alternatively I could draw a cross to show the Range of the results.
I need the horizontal line to be the average and the vertical line to be the range from minimum to maximum value.
I have no idea what packages, or command I have to use, to get what I want, so any recommendation is appreciated.

A: run with xelatex
\documentclass{article}
\usepackage[T1]{fontenc}
\usepackage[utf8]{inputenc}
\usepackage{pst-bar}
\usepackage{filecontents}

\begin{filecontents*}{example.csv}
lokal, 1 Gerät, 2 Geräte
973, 1426, 698
0, 6, 5.1
52, 276, 169
\end{filecontents*}

\begin{document}

\psset{xunit=0.5in,yunit=0.5}
\begin{pspicture}(-1,-1.5)(3,15.5)
\psgrid[xunit=1.5in,gridlabels=0,subgriddiv=0,griddots=30](0,0)(1,15)
\psaxes[axesstyle=frame,dy=3,Dy=300,labels=y,ticks=y](0,0)(3,15)
\readpsbardata{\data}{example.csv}
\psbarchart[barstyle=red,chartstyle=block,yunit=0.01]{\data}
\end{pspicture}

\end{document}

or with pdflatex --shellescape <file> use
[...]
\usepackage{pst-bar}
\usepackage{auto-pst-pdf}
[...]

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaStackExchange


text:
The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace
October 20, 2020 /0 Comments/in Business & Investing /by admin
Price: points -
For readers of Malcolm Gladwell, Daniel Pink, and Freakonomics, comes a captivating and surprising journey through the science of workplace excellence.
Why do successful companies reward failure?
What can casinos teach us about building a happy workplace?
How do you design an office that enhances both attention to detail and creativity?
In The Best Place to Work, award-winning psychologist Ron Friedman, Ph.D. uses the latest research from the fields of motivation, creativity, behavioral economics, neuroscience, and management to reveal what really makes us successful at work. Combining powerful stories with cutting edge findings, Friedman shows leaders at every level how they can use scientifically-proven techniques to promote smarter thinking, greater innovation, and stronger performance.
Among the many surprising insights, Friedman explains how learning to think like a hostage negotiator can help you diffuse a workplace argument, why placing a fish bowl near your desk can elevate your thinking, and how incorporating strategic distractions into your schedule can help you reach smarter decisions. Along the way, the book introduces the inventor who created the cubicle, the president who brought down the world's most dangerous criminal, and the teenager who single-handedly transformed professional tennis—vivid stories that offer unexpected revelations on achieving workplace excellence.
Brimming with counterintuitive insights and actionable recommendations, The Best Place to Work offers employees and executives alike game-changing advice for working smarter and turning any organization—regardless of its size, budgets, or ambitions—into an extraordinary workplace.
Tags: business culture
https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/71RvdE8a2FL.jpg 2475 1650 admin https://gonextbook.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/09/GoNextBookLogo.png admin2020-10-20 16:46:092021-01-08 21:28:09The Best Place to Work: The Art and Science of Creating an Extraordinary Workplace
The Man's Guide to Corporate Culture: A Practical Guide to the New Normal and Relating to Female Coworkers in the Modern Workplace
Courageous Cultures: How to Build Teams of Micro-Innovators, Problem Solvers, and Customer Advocates
The Culture Code: The Secrets of Highly Successful Groups
HBR's 10 Must Reads on Building a Great Culture (with bonus article "How to Build a Culture of Originality" by Adam Grant)
Closing the Apps: How to be Mindful at Work and at Home
Culture by Design
The Corporate Culture Survival Guide
The Power of Company Culture: How any business can build a culture that improves productivity, performance and profits
Vegan Soul Food Cookbook: Plant-Based, No-Fuss Southern Favorites Me: Elton John Official Autobiography

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


The »Mortality Table« project is named after an actuarial table which shows, for a person at each age, the probability of surviving any particular year of age. The project consists of a batch of hand-made milk chocolate bars imprinted with the data of life expectancy for men and women.
Electronic device was made for a project of Vadim Fishkin tour en l´air (2009), to control the 3D choreography of two baloons by means of one audio channel (left-right and up-down) - according to the music recorderd on the other audio channel of a cd.
Serializer is the result of about one-year long occasional thinking, how to achieve for analogue robots / mechanisms (also for sound, image, light, etc) a relatively random acting but which is still somehow directly linked to sensing the surroundings.
Also called theremin or originally: termenvox. An electronic circuit that by design belongs to the very beginnings of modern age and is the first electronic musical instrument. In the simplest form presented here it is best used as an interface to the computer - or can be seen as educational project.
A multipurpose art work (graphic art/art print, table cloth, social game) of the author Marija Mojca Pungercar (1996). Designed in three variants: Rural, International, and Existential.
Author: Marija Mojca Pungercar. This multipurpose product has been part of the art project Special Offer from 2005. A photo album / catalogue is designed in the form of a practical shopping bag.
Author: Marija Mojca Pungercar. The photographs and texts from the Socialdress archives were transformed into Socialdress Dezen Graz & Ljubljana pattern.


Beaumont inspects and approves design and construction of new buildings and renovations to ensure they comply with all relevant acts, statutes and bylaws. If you are planning any new building, renovating a building or changing the use of a building or land, you will need a permit.
Talk to us as you prepare your plans so we can help. We'll tell you about any other approvals that may affect your plans or costs. Meeting with us early can help you avoid surprises and help ensure that your project goes quickly and smoothly. There is a different application process depending on if your development is residential or commercial. Click below to find out more about each process and to download forms and information sheets.
View a listing of past Issued Permit Reports.


text:
Eevaan Tre, Victor Bosc advance to Tachevah finals after rousing performances at Pappy and Harriet's
Eevaan Tre and Victor Bosc win Tachevah semifinals at Pappy and Harriet's and will be in finals at Indio Block Party on May 5
Eevaan Tre, Victor Bosc advance to Tachevah finals after rousing performances at Pappy and Harriet's Eevaan Tre and Victor Bosc win Tachevah semifinals at Pappy and Harriet's and will be in finals at Indio Block Party on May 5 Check out this story on desertsun.com: http://desert.sn/2pi5PLJ
Xochitl Pena, The Desert Sun Published 1:10 a.m. PT March 16, 2018 | Updated 11:14 p.m. PT March 20, 2018
"Something About Us" - eevaan tre
Eevaan Tre, left, and Victor Bosc, are the winners of the Tachevah semi-final showcase held at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018.(Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)Buy Photo
It's always hard to pick a winner among a slew of great bands, but in the end Eevaan Tre and Victor Bosc advanced from the Tachevah semi-finals showcase Thursday and will compete in the finals May 5 at the Indio Block Party.
The first of the two semi-finals had five bands performing at Pappy and Harriet's Pioneertown Palace. While none of the competing bands had female members, two of the five bands performing at the next semi-finals on March 22 at the Date Shed in Indio include ladies —Giselle Woo and the Night Owls, and Kate London
The two winners from the second showcase will join Tre and Bosc at the Indio Block Party to compete for a grand prize of $3,000.
Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's
Eevaan Tre performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
Victor Bosc performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
Eevaan Tre, right, performs with RowLow at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
Chill Magnet performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
Manuel The Band perform at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
Stray Monroe performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
Eevaan Tre, left, and Victor Bosc, are the winners of the Tachevah semi-final showcase held at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. Richard Lui/The Desert Sun
"Everybody had something we can appreciate.These are the two that we thought had the most distinctive talent," said Bruce Fessier, a showcase judge and music reporter for The Desert Sun, in announcing the winners. The Desert Sun produces the showcase.
The other showcase judges included Spike Edney, music director of Queen, multi-instrumental leader of the SAS All-Stars and manager of the Pink Satellite Recording Studio in Joshua Tree; and Louise Goffin, a singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist whose parents are Carole King and the late Gerry Goffin. She founded the Rocket Carousel Studio in Los Angeles, where Katie Perry, Adam Lambert and Jamie Cullum have recorded.
Stray Monroe
Stray Monroe performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)
The first to take the stage at Pappy and Harriet's was Stray Monroe, a band that formed in San Diego in 2016 and made up of singer-guitarist Blake Imperl of Milwaukee, bassist Brett Kelly of Orange County and drummer Colin Croft of New Hampshire.
"This is a dream come true for us to be on this stage," said Imperl of the opportunity.
Though the band is from San Diego, they're not new to the desert having performed twice at the Hard Rock Hotel Palm Springs. They released their first EP last year and their follow-up "Momentary Vertigo" is expected out March 23.
Victor Bosc
Victor Bosc performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)
Next up was Victor Bosc from El Centro. The one-man band who typically does it all on his own, had some help Thursday from Claudio Alcala on bass guitar.
He was a storyteller sharing the inspiration for each of his songs before singing them and wowed the crowd by also playing a snare drum and bass drum set up behind him, by stepping on a pedal with his heels. All the while he was still playing guitar and singing. Oh and by the way, he also plays harmonica.
And to end his already impressive performance, he added a sparkling candle to the tip of his guitar for a mini pyrotechnics show.
"This is the very first time I play in the desert so it's been a really great first time," he said.
The Strokes-inspired artist is a fan of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and knows how other Tachevah bands have been plucked to perform at Coachella. He would love to play the Coachella festival and is keeping his fingers crossed.
Manuel The Band
Manuel The Band perform at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)
Third to hit the stage was Manuel The Band who delivered a mix of jazz and Americana and delivered a crowd-pleasing set.
The Long Beach band is made up of band leader Manuel Grajeda on vocals and guitar; Brandon Charlesworth on drums; George Madrid, pedal steel; Richard Fernandez, trombone and trumpet; Matt Kalin, saxophone, and Kevin Nowacki, bass.
There were lots of people singing along to their songs so they appeared to have a slew of fans show up in support. And though they aren't local they have played at Big Rock Pub in Indio and on Saturday will be at La Quinta Brewing Co. for St. Patrick's Day.
Eevaan Tre
Eevaan Tre performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)
Then it was popular local performer Eevaan Tre from Coachella who took the stage fronting a band with Calvin Williams from Boston on guitar and fellow desert residents Tomas Granillo on drums, David Morales on Bass and Josiah Gonzales on keyboards.
Tre has competed in Tachevah before in 2015 with Eevaan Tre & The Show. Thought he didn't make the semi-finals then, he was selected to play the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival that year in the Gobi Tent.
He appreciates the platform and exposure Tachevah provides up and coming bands and hopes to grow more as a performer.
"I just want to play. Just advance. More than anything I want to grow. Play some shows again. I want to get on festivals. I just want to work. I want to play my music and I'm enjoying it. I've got cool guys, a cool little band here. I'm having a good time," he said.
Chill Magnet
Chill Magnet performs at the Tachevah semi-final showcase at Pappy + Harriet's Pioneertown Palace on Thursday, March 15, 2018. (Photo: Richard Lui/The Desert Sun)
Last to hit the stage was Chill Magnet, a two-man band made up of lead vocalist and acoustic guitarist TomTom of Desert Hot Springs and producer, background vocalist and guitarist Randy Banis of Antelope Valley.
The two had played in several punk bands before forming Chill Magnet in 2015. Though their goal was to achieve a different vibe, you can still feel their punk undertones.
READ MORE: Pop singer Kate London tops voting, one of 10 artists advancing in Tachevah Music Showcase
Tachevah
The second semi-finals of the 2018 Tachevah Music Showcase is March 22 at The Date Shed in Indio.
For information go to Tachevahmusic.com or call (760) 365-5956.
Read or Share this story: http://desert.sn/2pi5PLJ
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