Martin Truex Jr.’s win at Dover ended one of the most successful-but-not-quite-enough droughts in NASCAR history. Incredibly, Ryan Blaney is still on an even longer (and more successful-but-not-quite-enough) winless streak of his own. neilpaine.substack.com/p/martin-truex
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Neil Paine
@Neil_Paine
Stathead/sportswriter/editor. Read me at neilpaine.substack.com, email neil.paine_at_gmail.com
Formerly , , ,
Neil Paine’s Tweets
I wrote about the Colorado Avalanche’s Stanley Cup defense, which is not going well at the moment (and has a chance to join a not-so-fun historical club): neilpaine.substack.com/p/the-champs-o
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It really jumped out to me how few of the core players from the Rays' 2020 WS squad are still with the team. While not in fire-sale Marlins territory, they’re up there — and unlike those Marlins, Tampa Bay has been winning after the churn. neilpaine.substack.com/p/the-rays-emb
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I'm extremely proud of the work my small but mighty 💪sports team did over the past year, and it wouldn't have been possible without any of the people above. 🙏🙏🙏
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And of course, our legions of regular freelancers: , , , , , , , , , , , , , + many others.
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, , , , -Pound for pound, they were the best fucking visual team in this business. All of them did sports projects. -Made sure our stories got seen + edited tennis! -538 sports videos forever.
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-Made everything run. -Swiss-army knife who can write and edit anything. -My sounding board & NFL chat partner. -My own editor for too brief a time. -Brilliant quant editor & big sports fan too. -My mentor.
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-My data hero, responsible for practically all the dashboards/forecasts you saw on the site. -An NFL analytics legend & very entertaining writer as well! -Always made our stories art with her illustrations. Alex Kimball-My copy editing rock this year.
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Just to piggyback a little off everything Chris said in this thread, I wanted to give a special shout-out to my own All-Stars who helped keep our small, resource-depleted sports section afloat as long as we did in the face of a very difficult situation.
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Yesterday FiveThirtyEight underwent devastating layoffs. A huge number of incredibly talented journalists are coming onto the market. I've had the great fortune to manage many of them over the past few years and I want to say a few words about each of them:
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Yesterday FiveThirtyEight underwent devastating layoffs. A huge number of incredibly talented journalists are coming onto the market. I've had the great fortune to manage many of them over the past few years and I want to say a few words about each of them:
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Btw for all the new Substack subscribers, I hope you like NASCAR, lmao. (OK, so there's not *that* much NASCAR. But there's some!)
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Neil is one of the few people my Father actually liked. He is, of course, a true professional. You should hire him.
But more than that, he is a true mensch/friend today, tomorrow, and beyond.
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Well, I'm finally doing one of these. I just got word that my time with @FiveThirtyEight is at an end. It was a joy to be able to write about analytics and sports for nearly a decade, and I want to thank you all for reading over the years.
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I'm not totally sure what's next for me in the long term, but if you want to read some sports-things from me in the meantime, please check out my Substack: neilpaine.substack.com
Thank you all for everything over the years!
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I also want to thank so many of my wonderful colleagues who have supported me and allowed me to learn from them -- there are far too many to name here, but know that I appreciate you all. ♥️♥️♥️
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Well, I'm finally doing one of these. I just got word that my time with is at an end. It was a joy to be able to write about analytics and sports for nearly a decade, and I want to thank you all for reading over the years.
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🚨NEW EP: EDDIE JONES🚨POF welcomes to discuss the career and HOF candidacy of Eddie Jones. We cover:
-1998 Lakers Playoff Run
-Kobe Bryant and Eddie in LA
-Mitch Richmond vs. Jones
-Top 3-point shooters in History
-Best SGs of the 1990s
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. has calculated up-to-the-minute Elo scores for the WBC teams, and yeah—this is Japan's to lose.
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Happening now: of answers your AMA questions on his work in baseball data and predictions! reddit.com/r/baseball/com
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Back in 2020, and I did a deep dive on the NFL's lack of Black coaches. Many of the issues that we highlighted then remain. We offered some solutions too.
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Looks like some stores are already rolling out Blood in the Garden a week or so early. My friend texted me and said he peeped these at the Barnes and Noble in White Plains, NY.
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Sports has gotten weird again since the omicron wave started crashing over the U.S. Among the many effects, we're seeing a lot of different players make an appearance (like, a LOT). fivethirtyeight.com/features/how-o
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The have gotten older this season... and better.
takes you inside why they're the best team in baseball.
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talked women's hockey!!!! introduced and to Cappy the Minnesota Whitecaps mascot and told the lore of the isobel cup and its handles this was fun!!
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yo @_schem is back! @GoonsPod
goons.substack.com/p/goons-0010-t
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Could a newcomer break through in the NBA this year?
and I looked at the league's first-time title hopefuls for
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🚨NEW EP: Tim Hardaway🚨 Pod of Fame welcomes friend of the pod to discuss the HOF candidacy of Tim Hardaway. We discuss:
-The killer crossover
-Run TMC
-1997 Miami Heat season
-NBA Live 98
-90s PG Mount Rushmore
-HOF chances
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I got to kick it with the crew ( and talk hockey)!!!
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julian.mckenzie: “I did not expect the Vancouver Canucks to be this bad.” 53eig.ht/2PEjaiz
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The road to playoff victories will not be easy. But for a franchise that hasn’t tasted practically any postseason success in two and a half decades, even a difficult path is better than usual. 53eig.ht/3bAIrBi
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These are the players we should have known all along.
This is a culmination of many 🧠s who I was lucky to craft it with, including , . Thoughtful editing from , , A+ art direction and support from ,
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Hey all, I appeared on 's Hot Takedown podcast to talk about this article I wrote for Vice Games about the return of the NCAA Football series: vice.com/en/article/epd
You can listen here:
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It’s puck-drop time for our pilot episode, with @WaltHickey embarking on a quest to become a Hockey Guy with the help of grizzled veteran @Neil_Paine! goons.substack.com
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Our latest for , with : How James Harden's Rockets Changed The NBA Forever
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Patrick Mahomes's sheer greatness is undeniable. He's the best QB of his generation and is on track to be the greatest ever. I made some graphics for and to explore exactly HOW he is so damn good on .
53eig.ht/38EwWss
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Our latest for , with : The Nets Go All-In With James Harden, But The Move Has Risks
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This is NOT another LeBron vs. MJ debate ... but it is definitely the coolest exploration of what makes LeBron a great basketball player, via the veritable dream team of , , , and .
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🚨NEW EPISODE🚨 Does Gary Sheffield belong in the #HallofFame?
Friend of the pod of FiveThirtyEight joins Jim this week to discuss:
-Gary Sheffield’s dominant offense
-His famous batting stance
-Steroids and the HOF
+more
Listen here:
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(The amount of weight Elo gets varies based on the continuity of its roster, so teams with a lot of new acquisitions or roster turnover will get more weight to roster talent, while teams who didn't change much get more Elo weight.)
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