I Pick Football Games, Week 15 2014

Last week is here.

36-42

Jax +13.5 Balt win
NYG -6.5 Wash win
Tenn -2 NYJ loss
Cle over Cin loss
Mia +7.5 NE loss

38-45

Forever Giants: 1917 National League Champion New York Giants(Year 35)

1916 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season.  The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1917 105-57 NL Pennant (lost Series 4 games to 2 to White Sox)

C Bill Rairden 1.65 

1B Walter Holke .9

2B Buck Herzog 2.2

SS Art Fletcher 6.7 

3B Heine Zimmerman 5.15 

LF George Burns 5.9 

CF Benny Kauff 3.15 

RF Dave Robertson 1.4

C Lew McCarty .4

2B Jimmy Smith .65

SP Ferdie Schupp 4.65 

SP Slim Sallee 1.6

SP Rube Benton .4

SP Pol Peritt 2.45 

SP Jeff Tesreau .2 

RP Fred Anderson 2.6

-McGraw wins his 6th pennant but the Giants again lose (and perhaps, according to rumors at the time, on purpose) the Series.  That capped a tumultuous year where McGraw did a two week suspension for punching an umpire.  

Forever Giants: 1916 New York Giants(Year 34)

1915 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1916 93-69

C Bill Rariden  1.45

1B Fred Merkle 1.25 (13.4) Last season

2B Larry Doyle 3.2 

SS Art Fletcher 6.15 

3B Bill McKechnie  -.25

LF George Burns 2.65 

CF Benny Kauff 2.65

RF Dave Robertson 3.75 

Uti Buck Herzog 1.85

3B Heine Zimmerman .1

1B Walter Holke 1.25

SP Jeff Tesreau 1

SP Pol Perritt 2

SP Rube Benton 1.05

SP Fred Anderson -3.05

SP Slim Sallee 3.15

RP Ferdie Schupp 4.05

RP Christy Mathewson -.2 (99.65) Last Season

-Winning streaks of 17 and 26, Merkle and the greatest Giant to that date, Mathewson, depart. Roger Connor was a Hall of Famer who played for the first Giants team in '83.  He'd play with a Hall of Famer, George Davis.  Davis played with a Hall of Famer, Mathewson.  A young Edd Roush gets some ABs with the Giants this year, he'll go play the bulk of his Hall of Fame career elsewhere but will then come back to the Giants for a few years in the 20s, where he will play with Mel Ott.  Connor-Davis-Mathewson-Roush-Ott.  

At the Quarter Poll - 2015 NBA All Star Selections

Based on a combination of advanced metrics, here are my selections, at the 20 game mark, for the 2015 NBA All Star Game.  I'll do this again at 30 and then at 40.

East
C   Bosh Mia
     Vucevic Orl
PF Gasol Chi
      Love Cle  
SF James Cle
      Anthony NY
PG Lowry Tor
      Irving Cle
      Teague Atl
      Wall Wash
SG Butler Chi
      Korver Atl

West
C Chandler Dal
    Gasol Mem
    Cousins Sac
PF Davis NO - MVP
     Griffin LAC
     Aldridge Por
SF Gay Sac
PG Paul LAC
     Curry GSW
     Lillard Por
SG Harden Hou
      Thompson GSW

Forever Giants: 1915 New York Giants(Year 33)

1914 is here.

My WAR calculation is a combination of Baseball-reference and Clay Davenport; I believe it to be the "best" WAR number available for historical comparison. 8 WAR is an MVP quality season. The record is pythagorean adjusted for 162 games.

1915 75-87

C Chief Meyers .7 (20.7) Last Season

1B Fred Merkle 2.3 

2B Larry Doyle 3.55 

SS Art Fletcher 3.65 

3B Hans Lobert .4

LF George  Burns 1.5 

CF Fred Snodgrass -.85 

RF Dave Robertson 1.95

Uti Fred Brainard -1.1

3B Eddie Grant -1.15 

OF Red Murray -.35 

C Red Dooin -.6

SP Jeff Tesreau 6.65 

SP Pol Peritt .7

SP Christy Mathewson -.8

SP Sailor Stroud 1.25

SP Rube Marquard -1.05 (16.35)

RP Rube Schauer -1.05

-The end for Marquard, Snodgrass, and Meyers, who join the Forever Giants. It's McGraw's first sub 90 pythag season.