5-at-10: Friday mailbag on momentum, motivation, chemistry and LSU-Alabama


              Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo displays the Commissioner's Trophy as the team arrives at Wrigley Field in Chicago early Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, after the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7 of the baseball World Series in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)
Chicago Cubs first baseman Anthony Rizzo displays the Commissioner's Trophy as the team arrives at Wrigley Field in Chicago early Thursday, Nov. 3, 2016, after the Cubs defeated the Cleveland Indians 8-7 in Game 7 of the baseball World Series in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Matt Marton)

From Jomo

JG- question for mailbag-

As we go into the 7th game of the World Series, what is your thoughts on momentum (The Big Mo) does it make a difference in pro and or college sports? Does the crowd make a difference? Rank what sports momentum effects and those it does not.

Jomo -

Interesting question Jomo, on a lot of levels.

We'll start with crowd, and yes, we think the crowd can make a difference. We also believe there is a sliding scale of difference that adjusts with the level of competition. A raucous crowd on the high school level can have a huge impact, a great impact on the college level and a strong impact on the pro level.

There are exceptions of course. Duke's basketball crowd is worth five points a game. (The Blue Devils talent doesn't hurt either.) In fact, we'll say basketball crowds can have the most impact and that can be felt more times than not with the referees as much as intimidating opposing teams.

Referees are human and there is a human nature to rather hear cheers than boos. This is not to say basketball refs are on the fix, but innately home teams get more calls. Another interesting thing about crowd influence is the reverse pressure effect it can have on the home team. Look at the World Series. Two starving fan bases who were waiting for the worst to happen got to see the worst happen since the home team went 2-5 in the seven games.

Players can feed off the energy of a positive crowd; conversely, they can feel the pressure of a nervous crowd. As for momentum, we believe it's a powerful force that is the unknown difference-maker in so many events.

And the biggest part of that statement is the unknown element. Just because we believe a team should have momentum does not equate to momentum. In truth we believe the most powerful form of Big Mo is the quick, in-game versions of it. We also believe that individuals riding hot streaks carry a more powerful form of momentum - both in the moment and over a extended period of time - than teams do.

Take Kevin Durant or Matt Ryan last night, and for a lot of shooters or golfers or quarterbacks or other athletes operating in an individual skill that takes supreme confidence. Is Durant a confident shooter? Of course he is. Is Ryan a confident passer? Absolutely.

But when the first couple of 3s drop and the first couple of third-down throws find their mark, that confidence is solidified, ergo the skills are reinforced and positive momentum is created. And that's a big part of the talking point. Positive momentum.

Because, not unlike inertia, momentum for players and teams, can be negative too. As far as ranks go, we discussed the levels of sports. As for the individual sports, we think basketball can be the most affected by crowds and momentum. It's a game of runs, both small and large, singular and collective.

We think as far as teams go, football teams are right there in the momentum ranks because the game takes so much faith and trust in your teammates and coaches and the collective will. When thinks start to click, a football team can really gel and play way above its pay grade.

Golf is another one high on the list, primarily because the swing between good momentum - think Dustin Johnson this year compared to David Duval falling off the face of the golf world a decade ago - and bad momentum is so drastic.

photo Chicago Cubs manager Joe Maddon, right, listens to Chris Coghlan in the dugout before Game 5 of the Major League Baseball World Series against the Cleveland Indians, Sunday, Oct. 30, 2016, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

From Goat Slayer

Jay,

As a die-hard Cubs and Vols lifer Saturday night was no bueno.

Wednesday night/Thursday morning certainly wiped a lot of that away, but still lots of work to do on the Vols side. I was struck by the odd similarities of team chemistry issues coming out of these past few days. Despite basically every fan and analyst suggesting the Jason Heyward be benched, Maddon has stuck with him pretty much through the postseason (and regular season). While his stat sheet won't show it, multiple players credited Heyward for the rain delay pep talk that got the team back on track to win in extra innings.

On the Vols side, it seems like lots of criticism is now being voiced about Hurd's poisonous behavior and how the team chemistry will be much improved without him. That's yet to be seen, but much like the workplace or any other group dynamic, it's often one bad apple that can derail success regardless of their level of talent.

Also, I know you discount the role of baseball managers and I tend to agree in most cases these days, but wouldn't you say this World Series was a display of the best tacticians and motivators the game has to offer?

Goat Slayer -

Interesting points, and yes, Saturday was a dreary day for the Cubs/Vols fans we know. (Strangely, and maybe it has a little something to do with the Cubs' Southern League team being in Knoxville, but there are a lot of folks we know whose primary two teams are the Vols and the Cubs. It also could be something about some form of self suffering, but that's for someone with a couple of extra degrees and a couch in their office to decide.)

Chemistry is the greatest unknown factor within a team that can determine success. We spoke about momentum being a large outside factor that's difficult to gauge; well chemistry is the internal component that is invisible and invaluable.

What makes it even tougher to gauge is that almost every coach on every sport talks before seasons about some form of team chemistry. "These guys really like each other." "There's a great bond in that locker room." "Everyone is together and focused on the bigger picture."

Well, if that's true as often as we hear it, well, we'd have way more success stories than we do. There are multiple types of chemistry, be it organic or fabricated. Each can be powerful, but the ones coaches have to create, while often durable and strong, those are more easily broken than the ones that happen from the inside. Take these examples:

Tim Tebow is the best example of the glorious phenomenon of a team's best player also being its hardest worker. That's the building block of great team chemistry. It didn't translate to the NFL because, well, he did not have the necessary skill set to establish a baseline of effectiveness. But at Florida, man, those teams were tight because everything spun around Tebow. Heck, Aaron Hernandez was on that team and he has killed people - seriously - and he still listened to Tebow.

The Cubs have the feel to have this right now. Those young guys like Rizzo, Bryant, Baez, Russell, et al., who are sluggers and have nine-figure futures give that feel.

Also of note, the Hickory Huskers may be the best example of supreme power of the combination of organic and fabricated.

Norman Dale did a lot of heavy lifting breaking down the cults early and made certain Ray was going to adhere to the four pass rule and that Jimmy knew who was boss. Then, when Jimmy comes aboard and Buddy comes back (Buddy just magically reappears, right; no questions, no comments, no complaints - "It was Dentyne") this bunch is focused on one direction. Still, Chitwood is the alpha dog and everyone knows their place - an underrated piece of great team chemistry for what it's worth - and makes the magic happen even in Dale's first season in town.

It will be interesting to see the chemistry-effects of the Hurd-less Vols in the final month of the season.

On one hand, if Hurd was as big a distraction as a lot of the folks within the program are hinting at, then this should have happened weeks ago, right? If the outcomes are relatively similar for the Vols, then how much of a distraction was Hurd being in the first place. And this Saturday is a worthless test case. UT is going to smash Tennessee Tech, and there will be several quotes about a tighter group and refocused and blah, blah, blah. That maybe true, but the Vols could be fighting like five Catholic brothers arguing over the last Bud Light in the locker room before Saturday's kick and they are still going to hammer Tech.

As for baseball managers, yes, we believe their roles in the modern version of the sport are way overrated. Even in this World Series, which had two of the best managers and multiple folks discussing the moves made by Joe Maddon and Terry Francona.

And yes, there were moves to be made and the stage and the circumstance magnified those moves. And that's the difference this week - the stage. To be honest as great and classic as Game 7 was, that exact game is played a dozen times each season, but a one-run, 10-inning game in May barely leads SportsCenter. In November with the Cubs winning the Series, it becomes an all-timer.

And to be fair, we'll ask what 'great' in-game moves were made by Maddon and Francona. Almost all of the major decisions were about bullpen management, and a lot of the stories coming out of Wednesday centered on the fact that the Cubs won in spite of Maddon's efforts rather than because of them.

That's over the top, especially since he did the exact thing that Francona did earlier in the playoffs - the logical move of bringing in your best relievers in the most meaningful moments rather than being obligated to use this guy in the eighth and your closer in the ninth - and got so much praise for it. Remember, Andrew Miller was the ALCS MVP and that dude is a middle reliever. So there was not a ton of button pushing. (In fact, why did the Indians and the rest of baseball not bunt more on Jon Lester?)

Now for the motivator part, that's spot on. Madden and Francona have become among the best in all of sports at creating a player-friendly work environment and over the long haul of a baseball season, that pays major dividends.

It also allows for internal leadership, like the Heyward rain delay speech for example.

Great question, and much congrats on the Game 7 win.

photo Kentucky football coach Mark Stoops will try to lead the Wildcats to their first win of the season when they face New Mexico State on Saturday. The Wildcats are 0-2 for the first time since 1996, and Stoops has pledged to become more involved on defense for his team.

From Chas

Robby Kalland at cbssports.com does SEC football power rankings. He has Kentucky at #6 this week and UT and UGA are #12 and #13. Question the first: How screwy is that?

If #6 beats #12 and #13, and #5 Florida loses one, The Wildcats and Gators are co-champs of the East. Question the second: What are the odds on hell freezing over?

Changing sports, Matt Norlander at cbssports has ranked all D-I basketball teams. Duke and UK are #1 and #2, no surprise. He has The Vols at #103, which makes them12th best in the SEC and fifth best in Tennessee, ten spots behind your UTC Mocs! Question the third: Does that sound about right?

When the National League team wins the Series in seven games during an election year, the Democratic candidate has always won the White House. Question the fourth: Will the streak be broken?

We're hearing Monk, Fox, and Bam are dyn-o-mite. Question the fifth: Will disgruntled former college roundball fan Jay watch the magic before March?

Chas -

Well-played sir. Well-played indeed.

Let's start from the top, and a 1,2, 1,2,3,4.

That's incredibly screwy, and while Georgia has been bad, how can anyone rank Tennessee as the 12th football team in the SEC? Yes, injuries are mounting and yes, the distractions are great, but this is a team that beat Florida and gave away a game at Texas A&M. Yes, there are other sides to that coin, but 12th in a 14-team league that includes Missouri, Vandy and Georgia. While we are here, if you ranked all the SEC teams in a power poll of accomplishments and appearance, we think the top 6 would be from the west - Alabama, A&M, Auburn, LSU, Ole Miss, Arkansas - then Florida. Then Mississippi State and UK tied for eighth (yes the 'Cats won that head-to-head, but that was a total coin flip game), followed by UT and Georgia, USC, Vandy and Missouri.

Considering the fact that the Cavs won the NBA title, Leister City won the big soccer thingy and the Cubs won the World Series - and that's even before we get to this election - there's a real good chance that this is the year that the devil has to order a heater.

That seems about right on paper for the young Vols basketball program, but I do know that a lot of folks within the program are quite high on the improvement in talent. As for the Mocs, we think Matt McCall's bunch should be ahead of UT and likely should be ranked a multitude of spots ahead on No. 93.

No.

Depends on the storylines. Here are a few that will get me intrigued. First, we think Auburn will be better and the Pearl effect will start to be felt on the Plains. Call it a hunch or being hopeful, but that's our view. Second, we'd love for UK to get to a fast start. Not unlike the Cubs ending the curse, a UK or even a Duke trying to chase 40-0 is a lot of fun. Third, we think these Mocs are going to be good. Really good. And that will likely double the number of games we'll attend this year. So to turn short answer long, we'll say that we'll be more invested this year than last but not as much as the glory days of college hoops from 1983-say '96. Man that was a fun era.

photo Auburn quarterback Sean White (13) hands off the ball to running back Kamryn Pettway (36) during the first quarter of an NCAA college football game against Auburn in Oxford, Miss., Saturday, Oct. 29, 2016. (AP Photo/Thomas Graning)

From Fat Vader

It's finally that week. I get to watch my tigers knock the tide off that crystal stump they are perched on (cautious optimism [ON] off). The perspective shift certainly is funny isn't it? Les Miles was fired (ultimately) because of two losses early in the season against unranked opponents. Those teams are now #8 and #9 in the country. Would he have still been fired if they were so ranked when we played them? Mailbag maybe.

True or False: a 2 loss SEC Champion LSU makes the playoffs over an 11-1 Alabama (that one loss being LSU of course)?

Fat Vader

That is such a great point.

Miles lost to Wisconsin in Green Bay and at Auburn in games that were decided by less than a touchdown.

And we all remember the Auburn setback with the final play being rightly declared after the clock ran out and a game-winning TD nullified. In fact, that call redirected those programs. If Auburn had lost, who's to say Malzahn would not be the one out of work and LSU would be the top-ranked one-loss team in the country.

But, and correct us if disagree, when that outcome became final, the powers that be in Red Stick knew that they could not let Miles coach his way back into it.

Because this stretch was doable - for goodness sakes, Coach O is looking like Coach Hoodie right now - on talent alone. And if Miles made a run, LSU would be exactly where it was at the end of last year of wanting to make a change but unable to on a guy who went 7-1 or something like that after a rocky September.

Now we are all in agreement if the Tigers win Saturday night, Coach O gets his dream job, right? I mean that's locked and loaded.

So the question for you and Tigers fan everywhere: Is that a good thing? Of course beating Bama is a good thing for you, but after watching what he did to Ole Miss, do LSU fans really believe Ed Flippin' Orgeron is the guy to go toe-to-toe with the big boys of the SEC West?

As Everett told Coach Dale, "Coach, that thing you're doing with my dad I'm not seeing it."

As for the true and false, man that's a great scenario because for that to hold true it would mean an LSU win Saturday and each of them winning out. We'd lean toward yes, the committee would take LSU over an 11-1 Alabama because if there has been one consistent calling card for the committee in its relatively short existence it has been the fact that is favors greatly conference champs.

And the possibility of Alabama getting in too would be very real, but that would depend on the other leagues.

As for the decision of LSU or Alabama in your question, here's the that would be interesting points for the committee:

Washington runs the table and is a perfect Pac-12 champ. Clemson runs the table and is a perfect ACC champ. Michigan runs the table and is a perfect Big Ten champ. LSU wins by one Saturday night on a controversial call/play/what have you and goes on to win the SEC.

A two-loss LSU or an 11-1 Alabama. We'd think LSU, but who knows.

There are several swing games ahead. And Saturday night is a big one.

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