Re: Our other Championship team

by SoreKnees Wed Nov 26, 2008 12:56 pm

If some enterprising social scientist (not this one) wanted to do a textual analysis of the commentary, I'd bet that the 3 Pilots got far more than 3/10 of the favorable mentions among US field players.

by Auto Pilot Wed Nov 26, 2008 1:33 pm

This is the worst possible result for GK Jones as she got a chance to show her stuff and allowed two. This was somewhat of a lame duck game for US as they had already won a spot in the knockouts. I doubt if she will get another shot. Too bad she was one of my favorite non-pilot keepers.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:16 pm

SoreKnees wrote:Double bummer!

It's not great, but it's better than the NCAA version because of the commentary. You at least get some sense of how the match is going, rather than just a listing of formal events such as fouls, shots, and corner kicks.

Premier League and international matches are covered the same way on news sites like the Guardian, Soccernet, BBC, etc. You get stuff like, "So and so puts one over the bar after dribbling by a traffic cone wearing an Arsenal shirt." The sad part is, you probably could find a sentence like that the way my Gunners have been going. Pull Hair

by SoreKnees Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:27 pm

I suppose that the NCAA coverage is keyed off the official score book, which also ends up as the box score after the match. Does anybody know how this works? Is it a software package into which the scorer keys the plays and it comes out live as GameTracker and afterward as the box score?

WRT Arsenal, a win at Chelsea on Sunday would make things look better, no?

by Geezaldinho Wed Nov 26, 2008 3:56 pm

SoreKnees wrote:I suppose that the NCAA coverage is keyed off the official score book, which also ends up as the box score after the match. Does anybody know how this works? Is it a software package into which the scorer keys the plays and it comes out live as GameTracker and afterward as the box score?

WRT Arsenal, a win at Chelsea on Sunday would make things look better, no?

If you look at gametracker descriptions, it appears menu driven, except possibly the descriptions of goals ("dribbler from the top of the box into lower left corner") Apparently schools that use it got a software package from CBS. It doesn't appear to come directly off the box score, thought whoever runs it must be reading the box.

by Stonehouse Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:00 pm

SoreKnees wrote:I suppose that the NCAA coverage is keyed off the official score book, which also ends up as the box score after the match. Does anybody know how this works? Is it a software package into which the scorer keys the plays and it comes out live as GameTracker and afterward as the box score?

Yay... a question I can answer!

At every NCAA game, there is someone typing in stats to a program called Statcrew, which is the industry standard for pretty much all sports - football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, etc.

For soccer, there isn't much to track - shots, fouls, substitutions is about it. You can set it up for those stats to be broadcast live via a FTP site for Gametracker. And you're right - after the game, you've got a box score.

Work like this falls under the sports information office.

EDIT: Saw Geez's response... the stat software isn't from CBS. CSTV (owned by CBS) is big into hosting college athletic website, and they've set up their own interface with Statcrew that every knows and loves as Gametracker. Schools can pay a little extra cash and have the ability to do live stats for their games on Gametracker, which interfaces with all the other CSTV athletic websites so you can see scoreboards and switch to other games and all that.

But the stat software itself is pretty basic... you'd appreciate it - it still operates partly in DOS.

by SoreKnees Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:04 pm

Thanks, Stonehouse. That's pretty much what I guessed. Is there any opportunity for entering comments other than the brief description of goals? If there is, it would be nice to have comments like those on the MatchTracker. It makes the description of the game much more complete.

by Stonehouse Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:05 pm

Hey - yeah, forgot to mention that.

Statcrew has a built-in default to add a comment after a goal. It's space for one sentence... usually stuff like "Shot from 15 yards out, right side of box" and stuff like that. If you look at a box score, you can see those comments at the bottom where they list the goals.

As for the program that the US Soccer matchtracker was using... I don't know. My guess is they were using some kind of live blogging feature that worked side-by-side with the stat program.

by Geezaldinho Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:07 pm

I just ran across this---

San Luis Software was founded in 1977 as Pete continued his programming career. Pete continued to play full-court basketball as he does to the present day. In 1991 he began coaching at North County Christian School and continues today. The NCCS Girls Varsity competed in the CIF finals in 2003.

Ken Hutchinson, the school's basketball statistician, was using a computer statistics program in 2002. The Windows-based program claimed to be useful during the game. However, it was impossible to click the icons fast enough to keep up. Since he had to constantly look at the monitor instead of at the game action, it took a spotter to assist him. The program was only useful after the game, to enter and print results.

In 2003, Pete and Ken reviewed several programs and found them similarly deficient, so they embarked on the creation of USA GameTracker.

GameTracker uses a detached numeric keypad to enter 2-digit action and 2-digit player numbers for each event. As each key is pressed, it is echoed audibly, verifying the event. For example, 2133 would be echoed back as "2,1, two pointer made by, 33, Melissa ". No input is faster than numeric, as up to 20,000 keystrokes can be entered per hour. This would be 5000 events. A typical fast-paced full-court-press game is about 500 events.

The audible feedback is the key to allowing your stat person to watch the entire game and check the screen only during time outs. When you do look at the screen you will see the last 27 actions; the box score;possession;next possession;rosters; and the game, season and year-to-date stats of the last player to perform an event. Press two keys to see or print favorite stats for both teams or full stats for a single player. At game end you can print the Press Report, Play by Play and all other reports.

That's USA GameTracker! Fast, easy to use and constantly reporting stats and echoing your every command!

I also read somewhere a while ago that CBS Sports bought the software, but has now abandoned it and gave the software packages to the schools that signed up originally. But I can't find that now.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:16 pm

Stonehouse's answer is what I would have guessed. In the summer I sometimes work for a company that collects minor league stats. They give us Beavers tickets and we keep track of the game, then go home and enter it all into a stats program kind of like the one Stonehouse described. Entering pitches into the software is easy, but when the ball is in play you have to enter the type of hit, how hard it was hit, which fielder touched it, where the runners went, and where the ball was hit. The program itself is easy to get the hang of but the tricky part is knowing how to enter the strange plays when they happen.

All this happens after the game as we copy the paper scoresheets we filled out during the games. I'm sure it's way harder to enter all this as the game is actually happening.

As for Arsenal, I would love it if they beat Chelsea. I would also love it if Erin Andrews called me and asked if I would like to fly to Stanford in a private jet to watch the Pilots with her Friday. That's not a sure thing either.

by **DaTruRochin** Wed Nov 26, 2008 4:58 pm

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote: I would also love it if Erin Andrews called me and asked if I would like to fly to Stanford in a private jet to watch the Pilots with her Friday. That's not a sure thing either.

Oooh awkward, Erin and I have plans for that day... Sorry...

by PurplePrideTrumpet Wed Nov 26, 2008 5:04 pm

Maaannnnn....
How come every girl I call is always busy? confused

by mattywizz Wed Nov 26, 2008 7:55 pm

They aren't really busy...they just use that as an excuse to let you down easy.

Sorry, and yes, I did have to go there.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Wed Nov 26, 2008 11:06 pm

Ohhh....well, that makes sense.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:08 pm

The group stage is done and the US will face Ingerland Sunday in the quarterfinals.

Seeing as the English are involved, I predict drama, tears, and penalties to decide the winner.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:12 pm

There's also these from FIFA:
http://www.fifa.com/mm/photo/tournament/competition/96/14/64/961464%5ffull-lnd.jpg

http://www.fifa.com/mm/photo/tournament/competition/96/22/75/962275%5ffull-lnd.jpg

http://www.fifa.com/mm/photo/tournament/competition/95/31/01/953101%5ffull-lnd.jpg

by Geezaldinho Thu Nov 27, 2008 9:26 pm

Reports are they had a great thanksgiving dinner thanks to the parents that went down there, and are due back in Chillan to play the anglelanders.

Here's hoping they are all fit and well to give a great game!

by ninjapizza Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:37 am

http://www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2008/nov/19/regis-high-schools-winters-finally-invited-to-20/

I don't know if anyone's posted that nice article about Keelin.

by Harry Redknapp Sat Nov 29, 2008 10:43 am

If it goes to PKs against England then they are through because my old country hasn't won a game that way for ages!

by PurplePrideTrumpet Sat Nov 29, 2008 11:46 am

That's why I put that in there! Laughing

by SoreKnees Sat Nov 29, 2008 12:59 pm

That is a nice article about Keelin. Thanks for the post. This picture seems worth posting here: two Pilot teammates going at it just like in practice! (I hope I'm doing this right...)

Our other Championship team - Page 2 91691

Our other Championship team - Page 2 91691

I guess not. Anyway, the picture linked above is on the left side of the article.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Sun Nov 30, 2008 11:57 am

SoreKnees wrote:
WRT Arsenal, a win at Chelsea on Sunday would make things look better, no?

RVP!!!!!!
(That's Robin van Persie)

Yeah, that feels all right...

by Tim Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:37 pm

Starting lineup for today's match against England (or, as the Irish like so say, 'The Auld Enemy') shows 2 Pilots: Elli and Keelin.

http://matchtracker.ussoccer.com/

Good picture of Michelle here: http://teamusa.org/news/article/8164

by Harry Redknapp Sun Nov 30, 2008 1:42 pm

English soccer has changed so much in the past few years it's confusing now. The infusion of foreign money has had such influence. So here am I - a lifelong Spurs fan - and I'm rooting for Arsenal over Chelsea. OK, for anyone over Chelsea! Arsene Wenger is a miserable whiner, but a great manager. I love what he has done with young players. It's been tough to see an Arsenal team with no British players on the field - now they have Theo W - but they have a number of very promising young British players - Ramsey, Simpson, Wishere, Giibs, Lansbury, Randall. They could form the nucleus of a great team - just like Beckham, the Nevilles, Scholes, and Giggs did for Man Utd 10 years ago.

by SoreKnees Sun Nov 30, 2008 3:12 pm

Keelin scores off a header. 1-0 USA!