testing

simple and peek.

If you're reading this, then please update your links. The new home is http://www.ideoplex.com/blog/topic/sports/ with a new rss feed.

PS I could use some google juice at the new site.

The lights are On

The lights are on at my new digs. Unfortunately, I don't know how to implement http redirects from the Userland Radio Community Server. Please update your links to the new location.

Going Dark

Take the First Step will be dormant for a few days. I'm in the process of moving to my own domain and will be posting infrequently until the process is complete.

In my comments, Mark Beaty suggests that Tyler Hamilton will be the successor to Lance Armstrong. I don't think so – cyclists peak in their late 20's and their early 30's are a fight against the inevitable decay. Tyler will be 33 during the next Tour de France and the clock is running fast. I just don't think that he has time to become Lance's successor.

Welcome to the Neighbloghood

I was doing the usual obsessive compulsive review of my referrals when I came across fredshouse.net. Gene and I go waaay back, and I'm happy to welcome him to the blogroll (maybe this will get him off the snide at Technorati).

In other blogroll news, the BallBlog is joining the blog gang at FanBlogs. I think that we're going to see more blogging confederations as individuals find themselves unable to write as frequently as they'd like.

Maybe it's a function of the tools, but I'm surprised that I don't see more confederations formed by a central blog linking to contributor blogs. It's hard for an individual to maintain critical mass over multiple categories — just take a look at my Sports Category for July. But a group can easily maintain an on-topic critical mass while letting the individuals maintain a more eclectic style at home.

What Next, US Postal?

I'm running a bit behind the times, so excuse my belated congratulations to Lance Armstrong and the US Postal team for it's 5th consecutive Tour de France win. I thought Lance was done when he showed weakness on l'Alpe d'Huez. But he proved that he was made of tougher stuff and rallied to a fine win. Lance will return next year in a quest for six, but what happens to US Postal when Lance retires?

Many think that US Postal shouldn't sponsor a bicycle team. I disagree — I think that it has been an effective advertising tool. But I also think that Lance Armstrong, as both an American and a cancer survivor, is a major part of that effectiveness. How effective will the advertising be without Lance?

USPS desparately needs to find a successor to Lance. I think that he needs to be an American and he needs to be a threat to win the Tour. Unfortunately, I don't think there are any qualified candidates. And I doubt that they will have more than two years to find one before the budget is dramatically slashed.

Fear of Failure

We've all heard the sports bromide play to win. So it's quite interesting that scientists say that managers, coaches and players are too cautious for their own good. It seems that their focus on the worst-case scenario prevents them from following the optimum strategy – fear of failure trumps cold logic.

Contrast that with Silicon Valley — the characteristic that is hardest to duplicate is it's acceptance of failure. A stint at a failed company is a black mark in most places. In Silicon Valley, it's a degree from the school of hard knocks.

Cracks in the Armor

At the start of this Tour de France, Lance Armstrong was the clear favorite. But Jan Ullrich is breathing down his neck, just 15 seconds back after 13 stages. There's a lot of racing to be done before a winner is crowned in Paris, but I think that it is interesting just how quickly cracks can appear in the Tour de France.

We've seen it before. Miguel Indurain was favored to win a 6th consecutive tour in 1996, only to finish 11th. Big Mig turned 32 during the '96 tour — Lance turns 32 this September. The conventional wisdom is that skill and guile allow athletes to compensate for the loss of physical ability in the early 30's. But perhaps the sheer physicality required by the tour trumps conventional wisdom.

ESPN, Welcome back to the CWS

The College World Series comes down to a single game tonight between Stanford and Rice. This is the first time that the championship will be decided by a 3 game series and the first time that a team with 2 CWS losses (Stanford) has a chance at the title. Originally, the CWS was a double elimination tournament. The format was altered in the late 80's to match an undefeated team against a team with one loss in a single championship game for network TV. And now that the championship is back on ESPN, the single championship game has been replaced by a 3 game series.

While I must confess my fondness of the original double elimination format, the 3 games series is a great improvement over the single championship game. So ESPN, welcome back to the College World Series.