PCTI Athletes Alter Ego's Part III

Josh Stephens-Mr. Perfect

Four years ago, the last thing anyone would be doing was extending a compliment to Josh Stephens in any way, shape or form.  However, in the past year, Stephens has gone from heavily criticized and extremely hated to intensely loved and envied by all.  It has been said repeatedly that there is no player in PCTI as talented or as complete as Josh Stephens.  He has been called superhuman at times for his ability to go out all night, perform in a girl, then come out and drop 30 pts on no sleep.  Because of all that, he reminds me of Mr. Perfect, the man who, as the vignettes show, can do it all.  Both are great at delivering promo's, however defer to their better half (Flair for Perfect/Hopkins for Abe) to do the talking for them.  One thing I will say though off the record-For a guy with decent throwing form in football, Mr. Perfect had the most busted shooting/swinging form I have ever seen.  In the wrestling ring, Perfect is even more similar to Stephens in the sense that everytime he stepped in the ring, he was the best in it.  Although he didn't receive the same success levels that Stephen's did (Direct comparison is WWF Championship=PCTI MVP), Perfect was the top talent in any wrestling faction he competed in.  RIP Curt Henning.

"Bad Boy" Brian Eskildsen-Bret "The Hitman" Hart

Two of Hart's three nicknames would be suited for Skilly (The Excellence of Execution and The Hitman).  Both Hart and Skilly pride themselves on knowing all the nuances of their respected sports, and doing the little things to make up for what they lack in natural ability.  Beyond their in ring/on the court similarities, both come from coaching backgrounds-Skilly as a future head basketball coach at Middle Tennessee State University/Hart as the son of ex-wrestler and the legendary wrestling trainer, Stu Hart.  Neither Hart nor Skilly were overwhelmingly successful early on due to lack of physicality and talent, as Hart bounced around the tag team ranks carrying his brother in law, bad boy looking and world renowned scrub Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, while Skilly road the pine in high school.  As time progressed, both matured physically and put a higher emphasis on the little things, leading to more success (Hitman as an Intercontinental Champ and Skilly as captain and starter on a college championship intramural squad).  With success comes more swagger, and both enjoyed and embraced it.  Despite not being a natural behind the mic early on, Hitman eventually wrestled his way into the headliner role and with the increased exposure, improved into a quality quote.  All things included, Hart eventually became a WWF Champion, something that based on natural ability, was one of the most incredible accomplishments I have ever seen a wrestler make.  In Skilly's case, with a vested interest in learning the nuances of the game to become a quality head coach some day, he has groomed his game into one of the most complete in PCTI, and because of that is within striking distance of the ultimate honor, PCTI 3 MVP.  On top of everything else, both are fan favorites with kids (Hitman giving the youngins his shades before the game/Skilly looking out for Pitto).  Lastly, both had short stints as bad guy's, a role both played much better than anyone could have expected.

Michael Beasley-"The Heartbreak Kid" Shawn Michaels

The obvious comment to this comparison is the ladies man persona that both HBK and Beas have received for good reason over the years.  However, there is much more to this than the sterotype.  When you talk about the sports of professional wrestling and basketball, one would think there would be a ton of athletes involved in each, respectively.  Not so much.  Beas in PCTI sticks out like a sore thumb athetically, a lot like Michaels did while he ran the WWF for much of the late 90's and early 2000's.  Michael's used to run circles around guys like Diesel (Who played college hoops at University of Tennessee by the way), Razor Ramon (One of my all time favorites but a terrible technical wrestler), and Yokozuna, not only bringing athletic credibility to the matches, but carrying his opponent along with it.  Beas is similar.  When watching guy's like Krow, Murray, Hopkins and Orr struggle to dribble and run at the same time, hit wide open layups, and make a conventional inbounds pass, it helps to have a Beasley making circus shots around the goal, grabbing athletic rebounds at it's highest point, dribbling behind his back without it going off his back out of bounds, and most importantly-Showcasing legitimate body control.  Both Michaels and Beasley have gone through phases of being huge heart guy's, shown by Michaels when Jose Lothario trained him to be prepared for his first title shot, which was hyped up as a "Boyhood Dream."  Although a little different than a WWF World Championship, Beas made a living in HS football as a hard hitting, heart guy who left it all on the field.  Different scenerio's, but can't deny the passion.  Now that all that's over, let's be serious... It's really because they are both hearthrobs in their respected industries.

PCTI Athletes Alter Ego's Part II

Anthony Hopkins-"The Enforcer" Arn Anderson. 

There are so many similarities between these two I don't know where to start.  Arn made a career off success as a team player and leader in the most popular stable of all time, the 4 Horseman.  Similarly, Hops is the glue that holds PCTI's only stable together, the Quad Pod.  Arn never wowed you in any facet of what he did outside of one thing-ENFORCING.  Every success (There were a lot of them over the years) that Arn had was done uglier than it's ever been done before.  His punches were ugly.  His promo's were ugly.  His spinebuster was uglier.  He was ugly.  Outside of looks, Hops basketball career couldn't be more similar.  His shot is ugly.  His defense is ugly.  His game is ugly.  All that being said, both catapulted their lack of skill in any facet of life into immense success and popularity.  Arn had a stint as GM of WCW wrestling personnel.  Hops is PCTI's director of player personnel.  On top of everything, both are Enforcer's in their respected industries that tell it like it is and let people know where they stand.

Scott Donley-"Ravishing" Rick Rude

There is one, and only one difference between Ravishing Rick Rude and Scott Donley.  That difference is that Rude promotes his appeal to anyone that will listen.  Donley takes a back seat (Or pays people) to promote his.  Rude and Donley both LOVE the camera and think the camera loves them much more.  To their credit, both athlete's deliver good promo's and are quality in the ring/on the court.  Both take a completely different approaches when in the midst of competition than they do the pretty boy persona they portray.  Donley plays hard nosed with very little prettiness in his game, despite being to produce in most facets.  Rude is a natural street fighter with skills as a technician.  Rude's ceiling was always a quality interconinental champ that never made the leap to World Champ.  Donley's might be as an All-Tournament team guy.  Whether or not Donley can make the leap to MVP remains to be seen, but the similarities are uncanny, stick.

"Stickman" Ian Van Horne-"Stone Cold" Steve Austin

This was a tough decision, as Bruiser has more similarities to Juventud Guerraro and the other lucha libres than he does Stone Cold.  Since Bruise has taken a pounding so far this offseason, I figured the last thing he needed was a comparison between himself and some lightweight, highflying scrubs that do cute moves and get pounded on by guy's bigger than them.  Bruise and Stone Cold have quite a few similarities when you break it down a little further.  To start, both are world renowned beer drinkers.  They pride themselves on speed, mass consumption, savvy and passion.  Similarly, both take things personal if someone takes a cheap shot at their respected place of birth (JBL angering Austin for supporting Candian beer, Krow/Thompson angering Bruiser for talking trash about Nashville).  Both Austin and Bruiser are known to have a screw loose when pushed far enough and thus, have a tough guy reputation.  Both athletes can double as pretty boys, shown above in Austin's early years when he went by "Stunning" Steve Austin.  Bruise has gained notoriety within the female ranks with his not so bad boy dimples, something that drives the woman wild.  In the ring and on the court, the similarities are spot on.  Neither have an extensive array of moves but make a living on one go to (Austin's stunner and Bruiser's drop step) and a competitive demeanor.

PCTI Athletes Alter Ego's Part 1

Brent Carney-"Holllywood" Hulk Hogan

One would think a life lived as a popular figurehead that everyone loves would be enough to keep one happy.  Despite being extremely mediocre in the ring, Hulk Hogan is the most popular wrestler of all time.  For whatever reason, that wasn't enough to keep Hulk from turning on all the Hulkumaniacs at Bash at the Beach.  Like Hogan, BC loves all the fame he receives from hosting the first two PCTI's, having history with many other players, and also having the big job interview pre-PCTI 3. After moving the tip time back an hour to accomodate his schedule, BC did not receive enough time to warm up, get loose, etc.  His short memory resulted in forgetting the efforts made to make sure he could fully partipate, and immediately turned on everyone (Namely Krow and Murray), ridiculing and deamening them despite their efforts to support him.  Additionally, neither Hogan nor BC really add much value in the ring and on the court.  I would compare Hogan's big boot to BC's right hand (The two worst set up moves of all time), then the finisher of Hogan's leg drop and BC's back to the basket game (The two worst finishers of all time).  The similarities are off the charts.  More than anything, Hogan didn't mind turning his back on his fans, and neither does BC.

Joe Thompson-"Nature Boy" Ric Flair

You can say two specific things to really compare the two-They were both born in the south.. And born to perform.  Ric Flair made a living in wrestling with his ability to master his craft, despite some limitations.  He was equally fantastic in front of the camera delivering a promo as he was an in ring entertainer.  Not the best technician, however he mastered his craft in the ring with four moves that kept the crowd poppin'-The chop, the figure four, the cheap shot and best of all, the walk three steps after getting beaten up and faceplanting.  Thompson is similar in the sense that he delivers great humor in his interviews, is constantly entertaining the camera during game's with his antics, and does four things on the court very well that make him a top candidate for consistent PCTI accolades-Shoot 3's, get offensive rebounds, shoot passing lanes, and infuriate the opposing team.

Josh Pitto-Jerry "The King" Lawler

This video is a perfect example of Josh Pitto in a nut shell.  Like Jerry the King, Pitto is a fast talking big mouth who's chatter has been a blessing and a curse in his life.  The curse is based upon the fact that he pisses off everyone his path.  The blessing is that he somehow has managed to keep a relatively large base of friends around him for the better part of his life.  Both Pitto and the King love to talk a big game like they are tough, and repeatedly get shut down, never once learning their lesson.  Pitto is a better on court technician than Lawler is in ring so he ups his value in that sense, however the other similarities are far more important.  One can only hope Pitto's mouth doesn't keep him in PCTI as long as Lawler's did wrestling, otherwise we could be stuck with him for the next 30 years.

Happy Memorial Day

PCTI and its esteemed players wish you a safe and happy Memorial Day Weekend.

God Bless Our Soldiers, God Bless America, and God Bless PCTI.

Best Coasts Podcast PCTI4 Episode 3 w/a Spot Stick

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/bestcoasts/2012/05/23/best-coasts-pcti4-episode-3-pod-w-a-spot-stick

Just a glimpse of what you boys are missing out on next year by not choosing Cincy...

http://www.local12.com/news/local/story/So-Cincinnati-Root-Beer-Stand/Yvs8D7utLkCAiwmuc_hl1A.cspx

Where should Ben Wilson Move?

Hopefully away from the South.

"The Righteous are as Bold as a Lion" Proverbs 28:1

Angelee!!
(on right)

I Wish I Knew the Feeling...

Who won MVP, D-MVP, and all Tourny? It's about time we released that information isn't it? I'm ready for the IV draft to begin.

Productivity

Recently the productivity statistic in PCTI has generated a fair amount of controversy. There is a faction in PCTI that supports and accepts the productivity statistic as a legitimate and fair determination of a player's basketball value and performance. However, there is a growing and vocal minority in PCTI that rejects the productivity statistic as a biased and arbitrary performance metric that does not adequately evaluate a player's on-court performance. Some have even suggested that I arbitrarily assigned productivity scores to players to suit my own ulterior motives. And yet, even though there are competing factions in PCTI with respect to productivity, one cannot help but realize that generally, and with few exceptions, that the best tournament performers typically grade out with a high productivity number while the worst performers grade out with a meaningfully reduced number.

That being said, let me mention a few things before I get to the actual statistic. One, the productivity statistic was taught to me by my 7th grade basketball coach, who learned it from Coach Wooden at UCLA. Two, the productivity statistic cannot measure all of a player's contribution to a team. For example, it does not measure a player's energy level, teammate chemistry, IQ, or how hard a player competes, all of which are important player metrics. And third, it has limitations. In other words, it does not measure if a player makes the hockey assist, nor if his ability to defend discourages a player from being aggressive, nor what type of condition a player is in, nor any defensive breakdowns a player causes. So once you acknowledge these limitations, we are ready to proceed to the quantitative productivity metric.

Here it is. The productivity metric is derived by assigning one point for every positive contribution a player makes that can be measured. So one point for every FG made, FT made, board, assist, block, steal, and an additional point for every 3 ball converted. Then subtract one point for every negative contribution a player makes like a missed FG, missed FT, and turnover. The sum of these two contributions is a player's overall productivity score. You can quickly deduce that the productivity statistic gives equal weight to each contribution, even though we all know that not all basketball statistics are equal. For example, a FG made in PCTI is generally much more valuable than is a blocked shot out of bounds, even though they are given an equal scoring weight.

So you can see why a player like Esk generally scores well in productivity because he shoots a high percentage, rebounds, drops dimes, and gets steals and blocks. Meanwhile, a player who typically doesn't make contributions in all of the categories that we measure would see a reduced score. While I readily admit that the metric itself has shortcomings and limitations, and cannot possible measure a player's true worth to his team, I find it instructive that with only a few exceptions it is a relatively accurate guide to determining who had a productive tournament and who did not. So hopefully this puts the baby to bed. Sabin

Speaking Of Stats

Since this random Saturday has been dedicated to stats, I figured we should take a look at who led each category, along with which players led in the most categories:

FG%-Brian Eskildsen, 60.9%
3pt FG%-Jeff Sabin, 78.6%
RPG-Brian Eskildsen, 10.5
APG-Dan The One Man Fruit Stand, 4.3
PPG-Jeff Sabin, 19.5
Blocks-Scott Donley, Michael Orr, Brian Eskildsen, Dan The One Man Fruit Stand, 3
Steals-Joe Thompson, 7
Productivity-Brian Eskildsen, 69%

Numbers, numbers, and some more numbers

I can't even begin to imagine how hard Jeffrey will be after reading this. Would be a good touch in PCTI XXIV after all of us have become ultra-billionaires and can afford it.

http://espn.go.com/blog/playbook/tech/post/_/id/492/492

Happy Saturday nerds

"Women Lie, Men Lie, Numbers Don't Lie"

Words spoken by one of the strongest numbers guys (and lyrical geniuses) out there. 

Thought I'd put the stats up here for Zangief and all of our non-PCTI readers to get a sense of how brutal PCTI III was for the Kittens and how dominant the Chemists were.  Ball (and numbers) don't lie. 

And there you have it.  Let the voting begin.

My New Favorite Character

It's no secret my favorite pic money was of Ben Wilson's game 2 tip off ready position. Above is a clip of my favorite play from the vid stick. It also comes in game 2. Skilly made the mistake of trying to feed the post on Ben, which (Like every other person that has tried) was brutally rebuffed.

#BenWilsonsDefensiveStanceFanClubCaptain

Best Coasts PCTI4 Episode 2 Pod Stick

Listen to internet radio with BestCoasts on Blog Talk Radio

Some Thoughts On Initial Video Sesh

Skilly and I will be having the first official PCTI3 film session tomorrow evening, but before he can change my mind on anything, I wanted to voice a few observations I made:

1. Josh Pitto is straight up unlikable. No other way to put it.
2. Scott Donley got really comfortable in front of the camera in his second PCTI.
3. The interviews were a great addition.
4. BC was an even bigger brat in game 1 than I thought.
5. Hops game 2 clincher was an even bigger shot than I remembered.
6. Breaking Bad's interviews were FANTASTIC pre-game 3 before Donley's blabber mouth came in.
7. I looked fantastic on Day 2 in my uniform.
8. 90% of Thompson's rebounds through three PCTI's are offensive.
9. TLFK sucked.
10. Spotlight led PCTI3 in layups despite not attempting one during day 1.

PCTI Podcast - Guest Host, or Guest Hosts, or Guest Hostss?

Guest HostSS 05/09 by PCTI The Road Warriors | Blog Talk Radio

Fact: This podcast was recorded and posted with permission from the Dan the Boy, due to "busy schedules" for BC and himself.

Also, if you don't like my voice, I assure you there is one guy on this podcast who is worth listening to.

Whose Draft Stock Dropped the Most in III?

Whose draft stock dropped the most as a result of PCTI III?

It occurs to me that many members of Breaking Bad enjoyed a boost to their egos and perhaps their PCTI IV draft stock as a result of the slaughter that was PCTI III. On the flipside, many members of Team Legs Feed the Kitten will undoubtedly experience a fall from draft grace due to the performance-based anxiety that produced PCTI’s first shutout. For your consideration is a list of players who may experience a drop in draft status with ancillary comments. Who do you think will see the biggest drop?

1)      Wes-n-Out Burger: Will shooter be able to recover from 50% FTs and 20% 3FGs in PCTI III? Will this spur him into working out before PCTI IV?

2)      Sabin: Worst captain in PCTI’s history….by a lot.

3)      DK: Will PCTI IV’s captains see past the 2.5PPG and 21% FG to realize this player was in actuality one of the Kitten’s top performers?

4)      Ben Wilson: 28/15/44 experienced an inefficient offensive weekend of basketball. On the positive side, he produced PCTI’s second career technical foul.

5)      Smo: PCTI’s best van driver and unquestioned foul champion. Can defender get back to protecting his rim without fouling out?

6)      BMac: Shotmaker showed flashes of brilliance, but too few and far between. Will Scottsdale provide a lift to the CrossFit disciple?

7)      AHop: PCTI’s favorite son produced a wicked shooting performance of 27/18/40 to rival the efficiency of Ben Wilson. But winning is a great deodorant.

There are a lot of candidates to choose from. You make the call.

Sabin

You're With Me Or You're Against Me

Guys I want to Play with In PCTI IV Dan The Boy And 1 Smo Spot Beas Stickman The Doctor Hops Sabin Pitto Ben Wilson Abestick Guys I want to play against in PCTI IV Skilly Donley Wes the actor McKinney

Best Coasts PCTI4 Episode 1 Pod Stick 05/03 by BestCoasts | Blog Talk Radio

Best Coasts PCTI4 Episode 1 Pod Stick 05/03 by BestCoasts | Blog Talk Radio

Best PCTI3 Pic Money?

What was the best pic of PCTI3?

Was it Ben Wilson showing his awareness and passion for defense?

Was it Donley using someone's shoulder to lay it in?

Was it BC trying to defy the critics by using his right?  (Editor's Note-Cross Fit Tempest liked this pic).

Was it Donley juking the shit out of Stick Boy?

Was it Beas' "Deer In the Headlights" look?

Was it Spotlight's athletic stance?

Was it this pretty face?

Was it BC getting caught in the act of a cheap shot on Wes?

Was it Donley throwing Stick Man's shit?

Was it whatever the hell McKinney was doing?

Was it this Arnez Battle for the ball?

OR WAS IT THIS FACE?

Comments required.