WyldStyle the Master-Riveter

Boy X would like this:

Snow Stats

Here's a fun little chart to examine:

For Cincinnati, through Feb. 16, we have had 44.0". Our normal snowfall total by this point is 16.2" or 37.8" above normal. Hopefully it'll be another 35 years before we see these type of numbers again.

Alternate Team Skating Scoring System

Last night Russia won the gold medal for the new figure skating team competition. Canada took silver while the US took bronze. The only real problem was that because of the scoring system used after each section of the competition, Russia and Canada had secured their medals with two events remaining and the US secured the bronze before the final segment. This led to bit of an anti-climax as the final event (long program ice dancing) became an exhibition rather than having any relevance to the medals.

Mrs. X and I thought of a small tweak to the scoring system that might have helped put a little more tension into the competition. It wouldn't have affected the outcome (which is what it should have been based on the performances) but maybe it would have made aspects of the competition matter a little more.

The competition starts with ten teams and they receive 10 though 1 points based on their rankings in each segment. For example, Japan won the men's short program and received 10 points, Russia got second and received 9 points, etc. The US finished 7th and received 4 points. This continues for four rounds (men's short program, women's short program, pairs short program, and ice dancing short program) and then the competition continues with the top five countries.

Mrs. X and I had no problem with this part and the first phase of the competition ended with Russia in first place with 37 points, Canada in second with 32 points, the US in third with 27 points, Japan in fourth with 24 points, and Italy in fifth with 23 points.

In the second phase (same events but long program) the competitors were awarded 10 through 6 points based on their finishes in each event. This is where the trouble is as there doesn't seem to be enough room for a team in a lower position (say Japan) to climb up and threaten a leading team (like Canada). So our thought was to change the scoring system so that first place would get 10 points, second 8, third 6, fourth 4, and fifth 2. This would give high reward for success and increase the risk of devastation for a low finish. It also would give a little more weight to the second half of the competition while not diminishing the importance of jumping out to as much of a lead as possible in the first half. So let's see how it would have played out yesterday.

First was the pairs. The results and combined team score would have been as follows:

1. Russia - 10 (47)
2. Canada - 8 (40)
3. Italy - 6 (29)
4. US - 4 (31)
5. Japan - 2 (26)

Next is the men's competition:

1. Russia - 10 (57)
2. Canada - 8 (48)
3. Japan - 6 (32)
4. US - 4 (35)
5. Italy - 2 (31)

Russia and Canada are still pulling away for the gold and silver, but with the risk of only getting 2 points for a last place finish, Russia hasn't secured the gold medal yet. Russia could have ended up with 61 points if they collapsed and Canada could have surged up for 68 points. This was unlikely given how things were going, but the pressure would have been there. The US, Italy, and Japan were also all tightly bunched and any one of them could have surged for the bronze.

The women's results would have done this:

1. Russia - 10 (67)
2. US - 8 (43)
3. Italy - 6 (37)
4. Japan - 4 (36)
5. Canada - 2 (50)

Now, Russia would have won the gold medal based on these results, rendering the final event meaningless for them. But, because of their poor performance, Canada has allowed the US to creep back in with a chance for the silver (unlikely, but possible). Likewise, a US collapse would allow Italy and Japan the chance to sneak in for the Bronze. These were unlikely scenarios, but the fact that they were possible would have kept tension and forced the American and Canadian ice dancing teams to make sure they performed at their best.

The ice dancing results would have had the final standings as:

1. US - 10 (53)
2. Canada - 8 (58)
3. Russia - 6 (73)
4. Italy - 4 (41)
5. Japan - 2 (38)

Ultimately the results would have been the same, but there would have been a bit more tension going into the final round. It's just one possibility for tweaking, but one I think that would be easiest to implement going into the 2018 games.

Coffee Needed

Well, when I'm wrong, I'm hella wrong. I was thinking the Super Bowl would be a close game with the Broncos squeaking it out at the end. Instead, the Broncos swapped places with the Cincinnati Bengals and got torched. The game was over by halftime and I didn't even get the fun of seeing the Broncos get blanked (which would have at least been a Super Bowl first) to justify watching this lopsided game.

Now if you were rooting for Seattle, I'm sure you've never had a better three hours. But for the rest of us, it was boring. I'd be curious to see if there was any significant drop in the viewing audience after halftime. I must admit, I thought about switching over to Downton Abbey, but since there isn't much TV on Monday and Tuesday, we decided to keep it on and save Downton for when there was nothing else on.

I'm not even going to talk about the commercials because none of them stuck out in my mind at all. I think the only one that even registered a chuckle was the Heinz ketchup ad and that was best summed up by Mrs. X and her old college roommate who both questioned whether or not people even use glass ketchup bottles anymore.

So now the offseason talk will center on Manning and how long it will be before he retires. I'm sure the doctors will have much to say about that, but if he is able to play for another season or two, he will. I also believe that after this performance if Mr. Manning were to return to the Super Bowl and win, he would be obligated to retire.

Here's to next season where every team starts on equal footing and only the Cleveland Browns have already been eliminated from the playoffs.