What’s the buzz from the world of sports? Here are some items that will have people talking:
1
Apparently few people outside of San Francisco or Detroit took much interest in watching the recently completed World Series.
According to the Nielson ratings, the 2012 World Series televised by Fox was the least watched since the invention of cathode ray tubes.
Leave it to Michael Mulvihill, Fox Sports Media Group’s senior vice president of programming and research, to put the appropriate spin on the ratings: “The World Series has been a top-10 prime-time hit for over 40 years and even with a four-game sweep, this series was no exception. This World Series gave us exactly what we expected: a top-10 show among all viewers and a top five show among hard-to-reach younger men. It’s important for us to remain focused on the Series relative to today’s competitive environment rather than bygone years.”
Hope your advertisers understand.
2
Former Washington State basketball standout Klay Thompson could have a big season for the Golden State Warriors, at least according to two online Sports Illustrated writers.
From Ben Golliver: “This deadeye shooter with range and size looks poised for a big sophomore season. On a team filled with injury questions, the durability he showed playing all 66 games last season is a major asset. Thompson should enjoy a green light and as many minutes as he can handle for an entire year. That’s a good formula for making the leap.”
From Matt Dollinger: “Thompson finished sixth in the Rookie of the Year voting last season, but he could turn out to be the second-best player in the 2011 draft class, behind Kyrie Irving. Thompson could become the face of the Warriors.”
3
Don’t get us wrong. We think the Seattle Seahawks defense is pretty darn good. Well, good against first down, second down, and third-and-short anyway.
According to STATS Inc., the Seahawks now rank last in the NFL in allowing conversions on third-and-6 or more, giving up first downs 39 percent of the time.
Associated Press writer Tim Booth points out that Seattle has allowed 16 conversions in 37 plays of third-and-10, which is more than 43 percent. No other team in the NFL has allowed more than nine.
The Detroit Lions were 3 of 5 on third downs of 10 yards or more on Sunday, including two conversions of 11 yards and one of 10.
Writes Danny O’Neal of the Seattle Times: “Seattle needs to rethink its game plan in those situations, and before anyone assumes it means more blitzes, look at how quickly Detroit was able to fire the ball out to the edge, getting the pass off before the Seahawks had a realistic chance to get home.”
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