In exchange

by Scott Willis

On the field. This is not great. Compare to the in house options. Just wasn’t going to be beat. Decision day? So many questions.

They better add a lot of offense. To see the burden fall on Boston. This game is getting intense Even if tickets will cost a ton

Aldon Smith swung and missed Not actually played on the beach. Yeah would not be surprised

Bar tie-in: hershey’s squirtles Is hiding behind the "classy" line. Could replace the Panda Hat sales.

Arsenal have a full blown goal keeper controversy on their hands.

The incumbent Wojciech Szczesny was dropped after a shockingly bad game against Southampton that also saw him break team rules regarding smoking. 

David Ospina has come in and taken his chance and produced four consecutive clean sheets against Villa, City, Stoke and Hull.

Part of this might be that this has coincided with Laurent Koscielny coming back into the side and settling things down a bit. The awarding of credit for defense is difficult to pin down and I don't claim to be deep enough into Soccer analytics to make any definitive claims.

What I did want to do was take the xGoals that are published by Michael Caley (@MC_of_A) to check how each was doing compared to the shots that they had faced.

Here is how things turned out (Premier League only):

Szczesny: 

xG per game: 1.1

Goals per game: 1.3

Ospina: 

xG per game: 0.7

Goals per game: 0

Martinez:

xG per game: 1.1

Goals per game: 1

Ospina's best game in terms of xG performance was against Manchester City where they registered a 0.9 expected goals but Arsenal kept their clean sheet. Szczesny's best game was against Burnley where again they registered a a 0.9 expected goals but Arsenal kept their clean sheet. I have not had a chance to go back and rewatch either to see if there were any noteworthy saves. 

On the other end, Szczesny has had some real stinkers. His performances against Everton, Swansea and Hull all came in below 1 xG per game but the Arsenal defense let in 2 during each. The Everton one might deserve an asterisk with one of the goals allowed even though Naismith was offside. 

All totaled, these games equaled dropped points and have seriously hurt the teams position on the table.

Sports Links:

Fitting David Lee into the Warriors Rotation (BASG) I wrote about what to do when David Lee comes back from his hamstring injury.

Technology Has Officially Killed Baseball’s Winter Meetings (Medium) The headline goes a bit far but the Winter Meetings have definitely changed with technology and the constant stream of information.

Q&A: Chris Bosh on Being No. 1 in Miami, Hitting the Books, and the Power of Trust (Grantland) Great interview with Chris Bosh

2014 Sportsman of the Year: Madison Bumgarner (SI) A great article on Madison Bumgarner who really did have produce a special playoff performance and is deserving of the award. The video that is with the story is great too.

Non-Sports Links: 

Behind the Credit Card Wars to Ink Deals With Artists Including Beyonce and Sam Smith (Billboard) I didn't know that there was that much competition to offer the VIP packages and pre-sales.

The stuff from the internet that I found interesting this morning.

Sports Links:

By the Numbers: Raiders 24, 49ers 13 (BASG) I looked up statistics and made comments about the 49ers vs Raiders.

The Hall of Fame Probability Line (JABO) Great article by Sam Miller of Baseball-Prospectus. He found the WAR for each age from 20-34 where there should be a 50% chance of making the Hall of Fame. The guys on the list seem about right to me. 

Novelty Mayhem: Why This Week’s Champions League Matches Are Unusually Important (Grantland) I always root for chaos as long as my team isn't the one getting bounced out by the chaos and Arsenal have already punched their ticket to the next round.

The Unexpected Threat to Super Bowl XLIX (Business Week) This looks like it would effect much more than just the Super Bowl. I am no fan of bailouts but lets be realistic, if there were another major terrorist attack there would be federal help so I guess better to have the bailouts agreed to in advance.

BASGcast (Ep. 120): Andrew Baggarly on leaving CSN Bay Area, Giants offseason (BASG) A good listen with Andrew Baggarly, a very good listen.

Non-Sports Links:

The Rise of AdBlock Reveals A Serious Problem in the Advertising Ecosystem (Monday Note) I use AdBlocker, because ads are annoying and they do slow down the browsing experience. I understand that all this stuff we get for free on the internet is because of those ads. I feel like the current display advertising is broken but I have no idea how to fix it.

Owning A Ferrari For A Year Was A Disappointment (Jalopnik) I had never thought about all the downsides of owning an exotic car. It would be fun to drive in the right conditions but all that other stuff maybe not. I guess that is why they are toys for the rich and not everyday commuter cars.

Sports Links:

Harbaugh & Kaepernick hit new low: Raiders 24, 49ers 13 (BASG) What an ugly game for the 49ers. It looks like the team has quit knowing that Harbaugh is on his way out sooner or later. Next week in Seattle could get ugly because I really don't expect the Seahawks to show any mercy to this team. 

Don't Shift These Batters (JABO) Very interesting article on the shift.

The Committee Got the Playoff Right (Sports on Earth) The 4th spot was a no win situation, there were three teams that could have gotten in but they all had their flaws. The best that can be said is that the new system gives Oregon a shot, where they would have been left out in the BCS era.

USA Draws The ‘Group Of Death’ In 2015 Women’s World Cup (Five Thirty Eight) The USWNT should still be a favorite to advance out of this group but the draw did them no favors. 

Non-Sports Links:

Turns Out the Dot-Com Bust’s Worst Flops Were Actually Fantastic Ideas (Wired) I don't think people thought the ideas were dumb, they just didn't have the right timing, tools, cost structures or luck to work quite yet. 

The world is becoming ever more suburban, and the better for it (The Economist) The suburbs get a lot of bad press, but they do have their benefits. A great in depth look at suburbs by The Economist.

The True Story of the ‘Greatest Corporate Failure in American History’ (Vice) Great story going back looking at what happened with AIG.

Sports Links:

Why I'm abstaining from HOF voting (ESPN) Buster Olney is behind the insider paywall but this is a great column from him about the trouble with the 10 person limit for the Hall of Fame ballot.

The Next Phase (NBC Sports World) The future of the Cubs looks bright after the rebuilding job done by Theo Epstein. 

Warriors bandwagon is about to get crowded (Bay Area Sports Guy) The Warriors are a fun team that are finally living up to the must watch status that people gave them after the 2013 playoffs. I am fully on board the bandwagon. 

That Time an NFL Team Used Truth Serum on an Injured Player (Vice Sports) The NFL (and the players) are out of their minds.

Non-Sports Links:

Sorry Juice Cleansers — You Can't Detox Your Body (The Guardian) This shouldn't be a surprise to people but people so badly want there to be a quick fix to getting healthy.

The ongoing failure of the PG-13 rating (The Dissolve) The MPAA ratings are pretty messed up, I don't really know what can or should be done but the ratings don't really help all that much.

In A Face-To-Face GMO Debate, The 'For' Side Wins (Popular Science) I love Intelligence Squared debates, they are always fascinating.  

I might even watch this:

Here's what the #SJSharks and #LAKings at @LevisStadium would look like: pic.twitter.com/oNxSjOYRSO

The Warriors are built to win now and have a decision to make regarding just how they are going to do it.

How good is your memory? Is it shot, like mine? Do you know all your passwords? Can you remember what you did last Tuesday? Now consider the brain power involved in memorizing an entire script for a play and retaining it for months, if not longer.

At the worst this is scraping him with his chompers: