Mickey's Musings: Week 8
Welcome to Mickey's Musings, my weekly notebook where we skip the linear narrative and dive straight into three completely unrelated, but entirely fascinating storylines that are bouncing around in my head.
Topic # 1 – Bart’s Fruit Market
I grew up in Houghton Lake where Bart’s Fruit Market is a staple of the community. The original “Bart” was Don Bartholomew, father of one of my best friends from way back – Mark. Mark was the youngest of 8 kids in the family. When I say we went “way back”- I mean it. In little league I pitched and Mark was my catcher. With our last names being “Bauchan” and “Bartholomew” we were next to each other in home room and our lockers were side by side all through high school. Eventually, I was Mark’s best man in his wedding and he was mine. Mark had cancer and passed away in November of last year. Even though we were friends for 50+ years, being the youngest of 8 – his wedding and funeral were probably two of the less than 10 times that I ever saw his oldest siblings. They moved to Wisconsin as young adults when Mark and I were still in elementary school. With them in Wisconsin, there was quite a rivalry between Mark and the Michigan clan and the brothers and nieces and nephews in Wisconsin. So much so, that at his funeral last November it was said that Mark was buried wearing Green Bay Packer underwear so that he could shit on them for all of eternity. I’m sure Mark was looking down and smiling on the Lions’ victory this week.
L to R - Mark Bartholomew (and friends), Bart's Fruit Market Sign, Don Bartholomew
Topic # 2 – Analytics
I truly believe in the sports world the word “analytics” has gotten a bad rap. It is really just another word for “information.” With computers and high speed cameras, we have more information than ever. In baseball, people have always shifted – you don’t think when Nolan Ryan was on the mound the outfielders shifted to the opposite field expecting batters to swing late? The difference is now we have computers that show where every batter hits every type of pitch. In basketball, the analytics have shown that shooting three pointers is a far more efficient way of scoring. In hoops, it is simple math. If a player can shoot 35% on threes, that’s like shooting 54% on two’s and not many guys do that. In football, there’s all kinds of algorithms that show projected points and success rates. When coaches decide whether they should go for a 4th down, there are oodles and oodles of statistics that show the odds and the potential points. Admittedly, the numbers can’t show you that the defense is exhausted from the other team having the ball for 2/3 of the game. The numbers can’t take into account an injured kicker which requires the team to go for 2 after every touchdown. The numbers don’t show you that the defense’s nose tackle is hurt and picking up 3 yards up the middle will be much easier. There are always other factors. In baseball, EVERYONE shifted so much that they had to ban the shift…In basketball the math is very obvious and teams now shoot 38 3-balls per game compared to just 14 back in 2000….In football, analytics are really in their infancy. The numbers and the math often back up the decisions, even if fans disagree. Are there times I wished he’d attempt the field goal versus going for it (Remember a field goal is NOT automatic)? Of course. But, overall, I can usually see the logic in the moves. The play calls leading up to 4th down are different when that is a team’s mindset. If you MAY go for it on 4th down then 3rd and 7 leaves you open to running the ball. Something I find interesting - the same logic used by baseball fans that hate analytics is the logic used by people that love them in football. How often have you heard an old school baseball fan say something like “Guys are swinging for the fences and just striking out too much. If they just put the ball in play then there is pressure on the defense to make the play. If you get on base and they think you’re going to steal, then there is pressure on the infielders and pressure on the catcher to not let a pitch past him. You swing for the fences and that doesn’t happen!”? Now, think about it in football…when a team goes for 4th down they’re making the defense make a play. When your opponent lines up for that 4th and 2, don’t you feel your sphincter tighten? You feel as if your team has “stopped” the other team, but now they’re going to go for that 4th and 2 and potentially keep the drive going. It is the same logic that baseball folks use to argue against analytics in that sport, but it actually favors a lot of the analytical decisions in football.
That’s a long way to get to saying – if you look at 4th down attempts across the league, they’ve gone up exponentially. As have success rates. Too many people, fans and coaches alike, are stuck in the 1970’s when the only time someone attempted a 4th down conversion was in the last minute when they were losing. In 1986 teams averaged less than 10 fourth down attempts per season. That grew to just under once per game during the 90’s and all the way to about 2017 or so. Starting in the Covid season we saw teams average 25 attempts for the season. That number has steadily grown to last year where teams averaged 31 attempts. Sure, we have 17 game seasons now, but the number has tripled as teams try to maximize possession value. I’ve said since Dan Campbell came to Detroit that I feel he’s just ahead of the curve and those historical numbers show that to be true. By 2031 we may look back at this era and consider his coaching moves conservative.
Topic #3 – Deacon Ernest Frye
Sherman Helmsley in 'Amen' and 'The Jeffersons'
Deacon Frye was a character in the 1980’s sitcom Amen. He was played by Sherman Hemsley. Of course, Sherman is much more famous for his other role, George Jefferson. George Jefferson, the owner of Jefferson Cleaners. The Jeffersons originally appeared on All in the Family, where they were Archie and Edith Bunker’s neighbors living in Queens. In the spin-off, George and Weezie were able to take their earnings from the cleaners and move from Queens to Manhattan. Their show was quite a cultural phenomena as, like All in the Family before them, they took on topics such as racism, suicide, alcoholism, transgenderism and the Klan. But, one of the things that most people remember about the show? The theme song! Go ahead and sing along:
“Well, we’re movin’ on up, to the east side
To a deluxe apartment in the sky
Movin’ on up
To the east side
We finally got a piece of the pie!!!
We didn’t get a piece of that pie yet, but with that win over the Packers, we’re movin’ on up and are still in the hunt. Bring on the Vikings. Go Lions!
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