Comments on: Old Man Easterbrook

By: Sean

Sean — Wed, 17 Oct 2007 16:30:24 +0000

I feel that the whole matter is worth pinning on the goals of the punter:
1) to boom the ball down the field to prevent solid field position
2) to hang the ball high so as to allow the special teams to make a tackle or otherwise impede the ball carrier from moving downfield

The majority of Hester’s scampers come on kicks where he has plenty of room to run and time for at least one solid cutback. Shortening the kick and booting it higher would negate the possibility of a touchdown and reduce the odds of a good solid return.

By: Perich

Perich — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:23:03 +0000

Candid:

Sure, and if the punt returner pulls out a gun and starts shooting, there’s a completely different response. But I didn’t feel the need to consider that one in the list of available strategies.

By: Peiser

Peiser — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 20:01:13 +0000

Great musicals of the recent past? Do we start or end with “The Producers?” Say what you will about the backers’ avarice and the eventual miscasting of (shudder) Tony Danza, the show in its original incarnation with Lane-Broderick was damned good: clever, catchy, and I would say sufficiently divergent from the source material to stand alone as a unique artistic invention. For that matter, can we include the Broadway production of “Tommy?” The book and lyrics are not the beginning and end of a production; the theatre is about the show itself. Naturally, the foundation of the Who’s seminal album (let’s ignore the film for now) stands above reproach, but the Des McAnuff-helmed theatrical experience stood on its own as art (and hey, Cerveris.) For purely first-run stuff since 1990, how about “Falsettos,” “Side Show,” “Contact,” “The Drowsy Chaperone?” Or “The Light in the Piazza?”. Occasionally, even the pure remakes are great. I’d love to put Easterbrook head-to-head with John Doyle (”Sweeney Todd,” “Company”) and see who comes up with a better version of “West Side Story.” Slavish dedication to the ghosts of merit past only produces stagnation.

To wit, “West Side Story.” Total ripoff of a Shakespeare plot. Which was itself lifted from a Commedia troupe. Which took the inspiration from classical mythology. Remake of a remake, you vacuous piece of Vapid Dreck.

By: candid

candid — Tue, 16 Oct 2007 19:57:08 +0000

You had me until The God of Small Things. Ugh.

(Also, I kind of have to nitpick that Easterbrook seems to be claiming something much weaker than “kicking out of bounds is a dominant strategy” — “dominant strategy” would require that it be the unique best response to whatever your opponent does, and (for instance) if your opponent decides to stand still and stare at his feet, then your best response would probably be not to punt at all.)