#sample-size

#sample-size

After the Boston Red Sox severed ties with Eric Hosmer, chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom explained the thought process behind the decision on Friday.As the Red Sox made their latest offseason move and acquired Wyatt Mills from the Kansas City Royals, the club needed roster space.That's where Hosmer came in.

The Boston Red Sox's recent decision-making has been magnified during the 2022 World Series.First, Kyle Schwarber's performance (and overall energy) for the Philadelpha Phillies - most notably his mammoth home run in Game 3 - reignited the conversation over whether the Red Sox should have re-signed him last offseason and how Boston plans to proceed with its designated-hitter/first-base situation in 2023 and beyond.

There is a woman in professional tennis for whom the very mention of her name has long sparked a wistfulness among her fellow players, current and past.They rave about her buttery smooth strokes, her deceptive power, that sublime balance, the sculpted physique and the seemingly effortless movement that make it so easy to imagine her running the offense on her nation's basketball team, or the center midfield on its soccer team.

James Cridland, radio futurologist, is a conference speaker, writer and consultant.He runs the media information website media.infoand helps organise the yearly Next Radio conference.He also publishes podnews.net, a daily briefing on podcasting and on-demand, and writes a weekly international radio trends newsletter, at james.crid.land.

Allan made me do it.The Dodger bullpen imploded last night, as they had an 8-4 lead when Tony Gonsolin exited the game and five relievers combined to allow five runs, including a three-run ninth off Caleb Ferguson to drop their third straight game in horrendous fashion.It was a rough start to the road trip after dropping the final two games of the homestand this weekend, and now the Dodgers find themselves a game behind Arizona in the NL West.

The Arizona Complex League and Dominican Summer League are finally in action, which means we have all eight San Francisco Giants Minor League Baseball teams to write about these days.But we'll still have to wait for a day when we can cover all eight games, as High-A Eugene had their Tuesday game postponed for wild reasons: the University of Oregon, where the Emeralds play, is hosting the Super Regional, so the Emeralds are getting moved to a different location for the series.

When Casey Schmitt homered in his second at-bat on Tuesday, as part of a two-hit day that propelled the San Francisco Giants to a win over the Washington Nationals, it was a great story.I wrote about how it felt like the door opening to the next era of Giants baseball, and I stand by that, but it really didn't tell us anything about Schmitt.

Our third 2023 season position preview for the San Francisco Giants tackles the very confusing base at first.It is odd.If you're looking for answers, don't scroll further.Here are the other previews so far:
Players who played first base for the Giants in 2022
Roster locks for 2023
Other first basemen on the 40-man roster
Players in the system who might factor into the position
Ronald GuzmánSean Roby, if things go very well for him this year Ford Proctor, perchance Donovan Walton, dare I say The Giants are one of the most high-variance teams in the Majors entering the 2023 season.

One of the main reasons the Washington Wizards have been stuck in mediocrity in recent years is their failure in the NBA draft.It is hard to argue that the Wizards have nailed a draft pick since they selected Bradley Beal with the 3rd overall pick in 2012.Despite selecting in the top half of the draft each of the last five years, the Wizards weren't able to land any franchise cornerstones.

At the height of the 2022 Yankees ' late summer woes on August 17th, they made some call ups seemingly just to try and inject some sort of life into a struggling team.One of them - Estevan Florial - didn't particularly do that.However, the other was a major league debutant.From his first Bleacher Creature roll call, Oswaldo Cabrera had an eminently likable attitude that made him easy to root for.

One by one, the starting lineup arrived inside Crypto.comArena.There was All-Star forward Paul George, in a trucker hat and yellow jacket.Fellow All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard in a blue hat.Center Ivica Zubac, in a polo.And point guard Reggie Jackson, sitting along the baseline in a sweater and backward hat.

Oswaldo Cabrera's rookie breakout in 2022 was always a bit of a surprise.Although he was generally ranked in the top 10-15 on prospect rankings of the Yankees ' organization, he was not a Top 100 guy industry-wide.The Yankees needed help last August and the switch-hitting 23-year-old was having a productive year in Triple-A, so they gave him a shot.

When Wes Unseld Jr was hired as the Washington Wizards coach shortly before the 2021-2022 season, his reputation as a defensive-minded developmental coach preceded him.He was credited for Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray's development and getting a group that was limited defensively group to play an above-league-average level of defense during his tenure as an assistant coach with the Denver Nuggets.

Tremor International Ltd., a global leader in data-driven video and Connected TV ("CTV") advertising technology, offering an end-to-end platform that enables advertisers to optimise their campaigns and media companies to maximise inventory yield,  announced the release of its 2022 World Cup Global Consumer Trends Report, comprising consumer surveys in the USA, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, Malaysia, and Singapore.*

As the Dallas Cowboys enter their bye week at 6-2, it's hard to be too upset with the way the team has performed through the opening half of the season.They've dealt with their fair share of big injuries and setbacks.Yet, through it all, the Cowboys have remained resilient and genuinely embraced the next-man-up philosophy.

The science of black holes can often pay massive dividends.On Friday, for instance, two universities announced that their researchers have analyzed "the brightest cosmic explosion ever seen" around one ancient behemoth.The data required to find events like this is hard-won.First, an astronomer must direct instruments to peer into the deep Universe, using light's finite speed to search for superbright events of the past.

Nationals' starter MacKenzie Gore heads to the clubhouse after getting lifted in the fifth inning of Monday's 5-1 loss to the Cubs.(John McDonnell/The Washington Post)This was not how the Washington Nationals expected MacKenzie Gore to struggle.Sure, he sprayed some fastballs, putting him behind in counts he could have commanded with, well, better command at Nationals Park.

The strength of the future team for the Washington Nationals appears to be in their outfield.But certainly some could argue an infield of Brady House, CJ Abrams, Luis Garcia, and T.J. White could be very good too with Armando Cruz in the mix.Today, MLB Pipeline published their list of the Top-10 outfield prospects in all of baseball with some honorable mentions, and the Nats were all over the rankings.

There is a misconception that digital analytics reports are inaccurate.In reality, they are highly accurate in their own way, just not precise.The issue lies in users who don't know what the analytics data means or how it is gathered.To make matters worse, different tools measure things differently but call them by the same name.

Happy Friday, folks!And Happy St. Patrick's Day for those who observe.Please don't drink and drive.Walk, call a cab, take an Uber, etc. Be responsible.The Bruins rebounded nicely from the Chicago debacle, leaving Winnipeg with a tidy 3-0 win last night.It wasn't the run-them-out-of-the-building dominance we saw from the Bruins earlier in the season, but given the recent turbulence, it was a good win.

The Los Angeles Lakers made a big splash on the day before the NBA trade deadline (and three more splashes on the day of) by agreeing to a three-team deal that saw them send out Russell Westbrook and a top-four protected, 2027 first-round pick in exchange for former Laker DeAngelo Russell from the Minnesota Timberwolves, guard Malik Beasley and wing Jarred Vanderbilt from the Utah Jazz.

Over the last two seasons, the Los Angeles Lakers have set a variety of different deadlines for when they feel like they can judge this team.Can't judge this team until Trevor Ariza and Kendrick Nunn play.Can't judge this team until 20 games in.Can't judge this team until Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant are back.

Monday's showdown between the Lakers and Pacers brings back to the forefront the trade discussions between the two sides.Even if it hardly ever moved into the background, the rumors are front and center once again, particularly as Myles Turner and Buddy Hield have shot out of a cannon to start their seasons.

Once the NBA season begins, no team is ever fully healthy, injuries come and go and you just hope none are significant enough to derail the season.The Lakers have been pretty banged up recently with LeBron James' abductor strain, Anthony Davis' lower back injury, a non-Covid illness going around, and Dennis Schröder and Thomas Bryant being out.

The calendar says the Clippers have until mid-April to be ready for the playoffs.Yet reality indicates something different: Their readiness and postseason seeding depends on tests that will begin next week, soon after the All-Star break.The haste with which the Clippers, 33-28 and in fourth place in the Western Conference standings, departed Phoenix late after a win Thursday for the break and its promise of relaxation - their readiness to bolt influenced by having the stress of having played a league-high-tying 61 games and the Feb. 9 trade deadline behind them - has nothing on the urgency that will be required when they return to practice.

Tomorrow, the calendar rolls into December.American Thanksgiving has come and gone, and we have completed over 25% of the NHL regular season.The Leafs have played 24 games, and currently sit at 14-5-5.They have 33 points, and trail only Boston (who are having a historic start).Just like last season, they came out of the blocks a little slow.

While the focus of Major League Baseball free agency has been on starting pitchers, shortstops and Aaron Judge, the catcher position offers some interesting names.The free agent catcher class by no means offers a dramatic game changer like Carlos Correa, Trea Turner or Xander Bogaerts, but it's a position the Red Sox could choose to target, along with their efforts to re-sign their All-Star shortstop.

Johnathan Wood | February 20th, 2023
Every Bears fan knows the team had a terrible pass rush last year, which is why they have been heavily rumored to be interested in high-priced free agent defensive linemen and highly regarded pass rushers at the top of the draft.But to better understand what the Bears need, let's first look at exactly how bad they were last year, and what they have returning.

Andrew Dannehy | January 4th, 2023
"I don't know why I did that..." The admission was strange on the surface, but the fact that Justin Fields was talking about an interception that came right after he exited the concussion protocol makes it a concern.Fields cleared concussion protocol and there has been no evidence that he is suffering from any issues, but head injuries are tricky, and it isn't extreme to suggest it was partly to blame for what is easily the worst interception the quarterback has thrown this season.

Going into the 2022-23 season, it was unknown if Knicks shooting guard Quentin Grimes would be starting or coming off the bench.Once Grimes was injured and unable to start the season, Evan Fournier took the spot.Seven games into the season, Grimes replaced Fournier in the starting lineup and has held the position all season.

Have you ever conducted a preference test and ended up with 50% / 50%?A tough situation when stakeholders expect you to make a decision.Are you screwed?Of course not.We UX professionals are masters at adapting.So let's approach the problem of an inconclusive preference test like any other UX problem: structured and solution-oriented.

Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Nick Robertson will unfortunately have zero impact on the 2022-23 season, as he underwent shoulder surgery, ultimately keeping him out six months.Prior to the season, the Toronto Maple Leafs brass and fans across the globe had high hopes for 21-year-old, Nick Robertson.The 53rd overall selection in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft was looked at by many as a steal, thanks to his incredible junior season, the year after being drafted.

The Toronto Maple Leafs have had a good start to the new NHL season.Though they got off to a rocky start, losing to several of the NHL's worst teams, the Toronto Maple Leafs have since beaten three of the best teams in the league, and now have a respectable 7-4-3 record.It's a better record than it looks.

Creatine supplements may seem exclusively for bulky bros at the gym, but the science behind it suggests creatine might aid sleep-deprived parents who aren't looking to get swole at all.Once creatine enters the body, it turns into creatine phosphate, which helps create a substance called adenosine triphosphate (ATP) - a small molecule used to transport energy between cells.

MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST: Many of us feel tethered to our water bottles because we've been told that being hydrated is key to being healthy.Our Life Kit and Short Wave colleagues teamed up to talk about what science says about hydrating.Turns out much of the lore is due for an update.Short Wave hosts Emily Kwong and Aaron Scott take it from here.

A bottle of disinfectant sits by gym equipment in a park in the eastern suburbs of Sydney Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021.Personal trainers turned a waterfront park at Sydney's Rushcutters Bay into an outdoor gym to get around pandemic lockdown restrictions.Mark Baker/AP A regular exercise routine may significantly lower the chances of being hospitalized or even dying from COVID-19, recently published research shows.

Following a wild 6-5 shootout loss to St. Louis on Tuesday night, the Leafs (23-8-7) will try to extend their home point streak to 12 games tonight when they host the Seattle Kraken (20-12-4).For the first time since being dealt to Toronto at last year's trade deadline, Mark Giordano is set to square off against his former squad.

After missing 15 games with a knee injury, Morgan Rielly is set to make his return to the Maple Leafs (22-7-6) lineup tonight when they visit the Arizona Coyotes (12-16-5) at Mullett Arena.Incredibly, Toronto didn't skip a beat in his absence going a ridiculous 12-2-1.The 28-year-old has been out of action since November 21 st when he tweaked his knee in a random collision with Islanders forward Kyle Palmieri.

Coming off arguably their most complete effort of the season in Winnipeg, the Leafs were off from puck drop at T-Mobile Arena in Vegas on Monday night.Chandler Stephenson potted the game winner early in the third period as Vegas smothered Toronto 3-1.For the fifth straight outing, the Leafs surrendered the first goal of the game.

Celtics "We have to go through it and we'll be judged by how we handle it."The Celtics lost to the Thunder 150-117 on Tuesday, even though the Thunder were without star point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander.Here are the takeaways.1. So.How do you sum that one up?Most of the Celtics' players were available, with the exceptions of Rob Williams and Danilo Gallinari.

As Fish Stripes' own Alex Krutchik detailed last week, Jean Segura 's fit with the Miami Marlins is a bit unconventional.Segura has been a full-time second baseman since the beginning of 2021, a position already accounted for by the team's best hitter, Jazz Chisholm Jr.With plenty of time still remaining between now and Opening Day, perhaps the Marlins will complete trades that make their pieces fit together more seamlessly.

Final Score |  Greensboro Swarm 116 - Raptors 905  101  |
Two Ways: Jeff Dowtin Jr., Ron Harper Jr. (905)
On Assignment:  Justin Champagnie (905)
"Can y'all do me a favour?"Raptors 905 forward Reggie Perry asked as he sat down at his post game media conference following his team's sixth straight defeat.

The Toronto Raptors are currently 1-2 after three games in the new season, but it has not been all negative, especially when you consider the number of players that Nick Nurse's side is missing right now because of injury.The scoreline has been very close in all three games, and Pascal Siakam has been the main reason why.

We've reached the 25% mark of the 2022-23 NBA season.The Wizards are one game above .500,good for 7th in the Eastern Conference, and are 1-3 in their last four games.Their starting lineup is one of the best in the league and the team is somehow simultaneously intriguing and wildly underwhelming.Here are the three things I'm most interested in after 21 games.

No matter how you splice it, shortstop was a hole for the Yankees in 2022, pretty much by design.Acquired as part of the blockbuster March trade that brought Josh Donaldson to the Bronx, Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the very definition of a stopgap, a relatively cheap veteran who would be replaced as soon as one of the top prospects - Oswaldo Cabrera, Oswald Peraza, or Anthony Volpe - was ready to take the job.

The Rangers have played less than two games as a fully healthy team.As one player comes back, another one gets hurt.While the on-ice impact of each injury varies by player, with Filip Chytil's injury having the biggest net-negative impact, there are still many questions about the bottom six that can't be answered until fully healthy.

In the minors and as a prospect, Oswaldo Cabrera's bat has been his calling card, and for good reason.Even with a juiced ball and bandbox minor league parks, switch-hitting middle infielders who can put up nearly 40 homers and 30+ steals over barely 162 games in the high minors don't grow on trees.We didn't see Cabrera up the middle when he hit the big leagues, though.

As far as pick-me-ups go, the Miami Heat's dominant win on the road against the erstwhile undefeated Portland Trail Blazers was the shot in the arm last year's Eastern Conference finalist needed to spark what's been an uninspiring start to this NBA season.Jolted by the strong play of key reserves Caleb Martin, Gabe Vincent, and Max Strus, the Heat ended the pattern of playing catch-up to Portland late in the first half then leaned on their heavyweight hitters to build a double-digit lead in the third quarter, which propelled them to their second win in five games, and first on the road.

That early evaluation period will likely last longer than 10 games this season, Lue said, because if key contributors sit games for rest-related reasons, he'll need more time to get the sample size he wants.And he has not yet decided, he said, whether incumbent Reggie Jackson or John Wall will be the starting point guard when the Clippers ' season begins Thursday.