The Portable Griddle

Happy Birthday to a far more famous Bob than I.

Fri, 24 May 2013 13:27:18 -0700

Happy Birthday to a far more famous Bob than I.

Is this supposed to be an actual Dodgers player or just a...

Thu, 23 May 2013 17:06:43 -0700

Is this supposed to be an actual Dodgers player or just a composite. Don’t recall this stance?

6 down, 10 to go

Fri, 17 May 2013 08:36:28 -0700

6 down, 10 to go

Resuming the quest.

Wed, 15 May 2013 11:42:37 -0700

Resuming the quest.

afootballreport: Indecisive? Pick the middle “The goalkeeper...

Tue, 14 May 2013 11:25:31 -0700

afootballreport:

Indecisive? Pick the middle

“The goalkeeper picks a side and dives 93.7 percent of the time and just stands in the middle only 6.3 percent of the time. There was a clear bias toward action.”

The Journal of Economic Psychology recently looked at the link between decision making and penalty kicks, and found, somewhat surprisingly, that goalkeepers might be better off doing nothing at all.

Analyzing close to 300 penalty kick situations, the study considered goalkeeper’s decisions in regards to which direction to move towards, the area to which the ball was actually kicked, and most importantly, whether the penalty was actually blocked.

The conclusion? Goalkeepers dive right or left 93.7% of the time, and choose to remain in the center in only 6.3% of penalty kick situations.

The problem comes from the fact that the direction of penalty kicks were distributed much more evenly, with almost 30% of penalty kicks sent towards the center of the goal.

But if goalkeepers could “almost double their save percentage by doing nothing,” why do they almost always choose to dive?

The researchers point towards something called action bias. Essentially, there’s an accepted norm that goalkeepers dive when attempting to block penalty kicks. If they fail to block a penalty kick when diving, they are considered to have made an effort; if they stay in the center when a penalty tucks into a corner, they’re lazy, indecisive, and made no attempt to block the ball. Goalkeepers favor action because of social expectations.

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mightyflynn: 1970

Mon, 13 May 2013 21:56:17 -0700

mightyflynn:

1970

Parking Tujunga style

Mon, 13 May 2013 19:09:56 -0700

Parking Tujunga style

Mom in 1990 Mom with me at my UCLA graduation in 1987 Mom with...

Sun, 12 May 2013 14:14:10 -0700

Mom in 1990

Mom with me at my UCLA graduation in 1987

Mom with baby me in the spring of 1966

Sound advice

Wed, 08 May 2013 14:42:35 -0700

Sound advice

No, I don’t want to watch a movie.

Mon, 06 May 2013 21:22:26 -0700

No, I don’t want to watch a movie.

Walkoff homers by True American Heroes (TM)

Sun, 05 May 2013 06:33:07 -0700

Since that day in 1951, walkoff homers hit by the Dodgers against the Giants April 18, 1952 - Andy...

Rogues' gallery of walkoffs

Sun, 05 May 2013 06:14:11 -0700

Giants players with walkoff homers against the Dodgers from that day in 1951 on. October 3, 1951 -...

So I went to Disney Hall for a concert last night. Good idea?

Sat, 04 May 2013 08:11:40 -0700

So I went to Disney Hall for a concert last night. Good idea?

I thought this was going to be a White Shadow retrospective at...

Wed, 01 May 2013 15:23:26 -0700

I thought this was going to be a White Shadow retrospective at first.

Locavore approved ice

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 20:56:43 -0700

Locavore approved ice

This boxscore of a September 27, 1912 still remains the only...

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 01:43:03 -0700

This boxscore of a September 27, 1912 still remains the only time (as far as I can tell) the Athletics lost a game that went 19 innings or more. They are now 5-1-1 all time.

lahistory: The citizens of Los Angeles had good reason to...

Sat, 27 Apr 2013 09:17:53 -0700

lahistory:

The citizens of Los Angeles had good reason to celebrate the laying of the cornerstone for the San Pedro breakwater on April 26, 1899. It marked the successful end to a long-fought battle with the Southern Pacific Railroad over the location of the city’s deep-water harbor. Would it be San Pedro advocated by the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce and the Free Harbor League? Or would it be Santa Monica advocated by Collis Huntington and the SP?

One hero of the battle was Stephen M. White, Los Angeles attorney and U.S. Senator, who was dogged in his determination to locate the “free” harbor at San Pedro. If the harbor were to be built in Santa Monica, the Southern Pacific, which had been buying up property adjacent to the pier, would control access and freight rates. In San Pedro, rates were would be competitive.

The celebration began when President McKinley pushed a button in Washington, D.C. that signaled a barge in San Pedro to dump a load of large boulders into the sea for the beginning of the new breakwater.

In downtown Los Angeles, an estimated 100,000 people attended a parade followed in the evening with music from many bands, including the Mexican Philharmonic Band, who performed from a gayly-decorated streetcar that moved around town. In San Pedro, residents attended a barbecue, water carnival and fireworks on the first day. On the second, they saw a historical pageant, floral parade and parade of illuminated boats.

The Los Angeles Times ended its report, “In all it was a fitting close for a magnificent celebration, and when the last tune was played and the final lamp went out, the thousands who had participated in the carnival had retired, rejoicing that Southern California had won another victory for securing a free harbor.”

For more images, see the Port of Los Angeles’ archival photos (recently made available online) and also the book “Port of Los Angeles,” by Angel City Press.

CI Miscellany

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 19:04:03 -0700

When Didi Gregorious and Paul Goldschmidt of Arizona both reached on catcher interference by...

Larry Jaster | SABR

Fri, 26 Apr 2013 11:54:10 -0700

Larry Jaster | SABR: For Dodgers fans, before there was a Jason Marquis (7-4, 2.03 ERA), before...

Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency by John...

Thu, 25 Apr 2013 09:33:10 -0700

Reelecting Lincoln: The Battle for the 1864 Presidency by John Waugh

Four more weeks! Four more weeks! And a couple more

It is safe to say that the 1864 Presidential…

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