You will notice a new feature on the right hand side of our front page, listing links video and “livestats” updates from in-progress action. It is quite the useful tool for those who like to track multiple games at once. LiveStats is a different kind of way to watch a game and for those of us who appreciate Division III so much, different is good.
However, it should come with a warning…”Staring at LiveStats for too long can cause symptoms such as pounding-heart, increased blood pressure, and significant bouts of impatience .”
I experienced all of those on Wednesday night, when the team for which I normally broadcast, had two playoff games going at once, and I chose to work the women’s game, since the men’s contest had LiveStats capabilites.
My women’s broadcast ended before the men’s game concluded, so I let my listeners know that I’d be staying on the air until the men’s game was done. This led to what essentially was a broadcast of a broadcaster watching LiveStats, which is entertaining if you know me, and rather silly if you don’t. Listening to it now, I find it rather comical. I’m glad no one had a video camera to catch my facial expressions.
The go-ahead basket late in this game was scored by a player who hadn’t scored a point in conference play all season. Surely, I thought, this had to be a misprint, and I mumbled a few choice words under my breath for the scorekeeper, who, it turned out, was correct all along. Trust in the printed word is critical to LiveStat enjoyment.
The final seconds came down to free throws, and there was a good, long pause, between the first and second makes, just long enough for me to check that my heartbeats weren’t being heard over the air. The previous week, LiveStats had caused me moments of great angst, as in one viewing, an opponent made four 3-pointers with less than a minute to play to rally and win. This time, there was jubliation. “I believe that’s it….I believe that’s it!!!” is how I explained to my listeners that the team had won.
LiveStats may zap some of the descriptive process that comes with listening on radio, or if you’re lucky, watching a videocast, but the entertainment value can be just as great. So I encourage you to give it a try and maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll get as wrapped up in “watching” as I did on Wednesday night.
LiveStatsCasts have an annoying tendency to sit on the time of the last-recorded event. I don’t know how many games I’ve “watched” that never got beyond 0:07 2ND HALF–for all I know, some of them are still unfinished! If the game is close (or if, like me, you have a need to record an actual final score someplace), that can really cause indigestion!
To say LiveStats can be misleading in a close game is an understatement. Last season UW-Stout hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat UW-LaCrosse in the final regular season game. Needing an upset by UW-Eau Claire over UW-Whitewater to clinch a share of the conference title, all attention turned to the scorers table and the computer screen (30 people watching one compter screen is not easy). It said “Final” with UW-EC up by 1. Celebrations abound, all the players celebrating a conference title, BUT it was not final and instead, overtime, then 2OT, and finally UW-W won. Come to find out later the UW-W hit a free throw with .01 on the clock to put it in overtime. All the symptoms described in the article were clearly present that night.
Dave,
There’s a command in StatCrew that needs to be entered to tell the computer “THE GAME IS OVER”. Many times the stat person is such a rush to print stats, write a game story and post them on the web that they forget to enter in that final command. That’s why so many games seem to get stuck at 0:07.
The StatCrew program has a running clock on it, and I know that they are doing a major overhaul of their LiveStats interface. Hopefully, they can integrate the two so that StatCrew’s running clock will appear on Live Stats.
Just Bill:
Can’t tell you how many times I’ve waited at a live stats screen wondering if I can safely declare the game over and move on to another game. It’s REALLY annoying.
Last night I tried to follow 3 games using live scoreboards. After about 20 minutes, my head was spinning. But it was still cool to be able to follow 3 games at one time. The last came down to a furious rally and last second shots, I was pretty caught up in it. Fun!
I don’t know if others have the same issue, but I get Hope’s livescoreboard updates about 30 seconds before the radio call comes across. So essentially I know whats going to happen before it happens so to speak. Much less stressfull, or more, I haven’t decided.
Live Scoreboards are the bomb though when trying to follow games that get such little press coverage. I absolutely love them, they should be required.
Yeah, it feels a little funny to be complaining about the inadequacies of something so incredibly wonderful as LiveStats. It wasn’t too long ago when I’d have to wait in frustration for the morning paper to get a game score, and then more frustration when it wasn’t there. Nowadays, on a good night with no local games, I can listen to two or three games via webcast, and maybe even watch one online, while keeping tabs on two or three others via LiveStats. We’ve really come a long, long way (baby) in the past ten years, thanks in no small measure to Pat and D3Hoops.com.
At NJCU (whose live stats Mark uses as an example above), we do not use the standard Live Stats from Statcrew, which is primarily text. Our version (when the internet connection in our gym cooperates) is actually Adobe Flash animated, color-coded, etc. If Dana John from NJCU hits a three-pointer (which he has done 83 times this year), Dana John’s photo will appear next to the action, and you can then click on his photo to view his bio. Just a little something we’ve been able to offer for the first time this year that hopefully everyone enjoys.
Tomorrow’s NJCU/Ramapo game for the NJAC title will again be Live.
Ira
From what I’ve heard, StatCrew’s Live Stats application is being upgraded to look more like CSTV’s Gametracker or NJCU’s Adobe Flash animated system.
It depends…Our website is database driven, so it allows for more creative features. As far as I know, NJCU is one of only a few DIII schools using the flash live stats through the company that hosts our site; I’m sure others will add the extra features in the future.