Now that is a baseball card. The more I see the 2024 Topps on-line I more disappointed I am - The cards have that dark rainy day thunder storm feel to them. But the card above screams nostalgia with a better clearer photo and a subtle design. Where have you gone 1989 Topps are lonely card collectors turn there eyes to you.
In its preview for 2024 Topps Baseball - Topps (below) promoted new 1/1 first print cards. They cards were supposed to have a first card designation on the front - accept they don't
New First Card parallels represent the first one of that card’s production run. In the 1990s, Stadium Club First Day Issue parallels covered an entire day of printing. These 2024 Topps Baseball parallels have just one copy each and it’s the first made.
How is it possible to mess this up.
Just get 350 different cards and stamp first print on the front -
There is a back card designation but I bet they screwed this one up too.
Bill Barnwell ran a column over at ESPN.com about last Weeks Super Bowl - and Kyle Shanahan decision to take the ball first. Which was a bad idea. Bill Barnwell article mentioned percentages and analytics of taking the ball first or kicking off.
However, he missed one big point. If you kick off you can't lose the game.
The offense can punt, kick a field goal or score a touchdown on that first possession - but the team that kicks off does not lose. However, the team that kicks off can actually win the game on the first drive. They could get a safety (unlikely), a fumble return for a touchdown or even an interception return for a touchdown. (Or even if the fumble return or interception does not give you a score it can give you great field position.
If you kick off and the other team scores a TD with an extra point - then you know you have to score a touchdown (and you will always be playing four downs). If you score that touchdown and you almost always wants to go for the 2 points. Because it is better to have the ball at the 2 yard line to win as opposed to tying the score - having to kick off and stopping the other team from scoring and then you having to march down the field again to score
If you lose the coin toss and the other team elects to kick off - the team that gets the ball first can turn the tables by scoring a TD and getting the 2 pt, and they then know that when they kick off THEY CAN'T LOSE THE GAME.
He have won of the best rookie of the year races of all time.
If Chet Holmgren can average 17 points a game - He will become the only the 4th rookie in the last 30 years to do that on a team with a winning record.
If Chet Holmgren can average 16 points a game and Oklahoma City wins 50 - He will become only the 6 player to do that in the last 55 years (Kareem Abdul Jabbar, Alvin Adams, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, David Robinson, Tim Duncan)
All won the rookie of the year except Magic (Bird won)
I am assuming Holmgren career sways toward Adams than the other players.
Victor Wembanyama is a highlight reel, looks unreal on the court and probably will have a better career than Chet but I don't know if he will win the ROY.
In the 2022-23 Season - The Los Angeles Lakers averaged 26.6 free throws a game - The Most in the NBA.
Their opponents by contrast averaged 20.8 free throw attempts per games - The least amount in the NBA.
The difference in free throw attempts was +5.8 easily the highest in the league
By contrast the Denver Nuggets free throw differential was -.3 (22.4 vs. 22.7)
This year the Lakers opponents are only shooting 19.3 just below the Boston Celtics at 18.9
While not number one the Lakers are shooting a whopping 24.7 free throws per game for a differential of an unbelievable +5.3 - easily thar biggest in the league.
By contrast Boston shoots 22.0 FTPG for a differential of +3.0.
In a recent games against Boston the Lakers shot 26 free throws while Boston shot 7. Against the Knicks Saturday night the Lakers shot 10 more free throw.
What the NBA does to cheat is help that Lakers against teams to give them a better chance to win. However when they play the Bad teams the referees don't give them a free throw advantage because they don't need it as much and it will bring their Free Throw Attempt differential number down so it does not look obvious.
Tonight they play Charlotte - On 12/28/23 They Beat Charlotte 133-112 however Charlotte shot 28 Free Throws and the Lakers shot 14.
Thus you can be 100% sure that Charlotte will shoot more free throws than the Lakers tonight
