Prince Albert at IHWC

This was unexpected, but then again I didn’t know that he went to the 2007 tournament in Moscow too. I met him and talked to him briefly at Nagano ’98, wishing him luck on his upcoming bobsleigh competition. He was really easy to talk to, not stuck up at all. I guess those born into royalty can be easygoing like that, instead of nouveau aristocrats. Didn’t know he spent time in Philly though, that was unexpected.

The son of Rainier III, Prince of Monaco, and Grace, Princess of Monaco (née Grace Kelly, a legendary Philadelphia-born film actress), gained his rulership in 2005, and is known as an avid sportsman. His Serene Highness graciously granted IIHF.com an interview during the second intermission of Sunday’s Czech Republic vs Russia game.

“You know, René Fasel had talked to me about the World Championship here, and I knew I had to be in Quebec and Montreal around these dates,” said the Prince. “So I said: ‘Well, can I come over and watch a game?’ And here I am. I was at the World Championship in Moscow last year as well, and it’s great to be at these big events, these international competitions. This is a very special one here in Quebec, because it’s the 100th anniversary of the IIHF and the 400th anniversary of the founding of Quebec City. Both Quebec and Canada have a very strong tradition in hockey, as powerhouses in this sport. I’m happy to pay my respects.”

The Prince participates in everything from tennis and swimming to handball and fencing. He has a particular passion for winter sports. In fact, he represented Monaco in bobsleighing at five straight Winter Olympics between 1988 and 2002. It’s no wonder he’s developed a taste for hockey as well.

“Over the years, I’ve been watching different games in France, Europe, and at the Olympics,” he said. “I was also a student in the United States, and I saw the Rangers play a few times, as well as the Flyers, because part of my family is from Philadelphia. Perhaps I shouldn’t talk about the Flyers too much today, because they beat the Canadiens last night! I also watched the Flames play in Calgary many times. Because of bobsleighing, I was in Calgary a couple of times a year.”

The Prince’s personal favourites in hockey are based on his family background and appreciation for pure skill.
 
“Because my family is from Philadelphia, I’ve always followed the Flyers a little more intensely than other clubs. As for players, I had the chance to see Wayne Gretzky play a few times in his day. He was an incredible player, with incredible talent and charisma. I would also say I remember watching Slava Fetisov play. He’s now the Russian Minister of Sport, but he was an incredibly talented player too.”

1968!

日曜のOAK-TEX。 

オークランド移転40周年記念という事で両チーム共に68年ユニ。A’sはしっかり黄色ヘルまで登場！テキサスはまだ前身のワシントン・セネターズだったので、そこも忠実に再現（普通のワシントン帽子使ってたみたいですね、不思議）。

世界選手権3日目

今日はイタリアとラトビアがレトロユニを使用しました、結果は０－７（カナダ）、２－６（デンマーク）と散々でしたが。あと、スロベニアのゴーリー自身が普通のユニでもレトロな茶色防具っ！味があります。でも、文句無く一番エキサイティングな試合はロシア５－４チェコのOT勝ちだったでしょう、両チームとも乱れはありましたがそのお陰で両サイドでチャンスが多く、速くて面白い試合だったです。

↑普段のユニとあまり変わらないような、悪くない事だが。

↑ユニはかっこええんだが…相手が悪かった。

茶色パッド、キャッチャー、ブロッカー見たのなんて超久しぶりｗ　でも、好きです。

 

 

プロ野球とメジャーの攻撃データ比較

まだまだ序の口ですが、とりあえずNPB とMLB の攻撃データを表面的に比較してみました。

R/G	Year・年	CL・セ	PL・パ	NPB	AL・ア	NL・ナ	MLB
平均試合	2005	4.40	4.46	4.43	4.76	4.45	4.59
得点	2006	4.12	3.92	4.03	4.96	4.76	4.86
	2007	4.11	3.94	4.03	4.90	4.71	4.80

 

OPS	Year・年	CL・セ	PL・パ	NPB	AL・ア	NL・ナ	MLB
	2005	0.739	0.739	0.739	0.754	0.744	0.749
	2006	0.712	0.705	0.709	0.776	0.761	0.768
	2007	0.724	0.701	0.713	0.760	0.756	0.758

日本の野球は上から下まで主にスモールボール重視（WBCはタイムリーな長打で勝ちましたが）だけど、2005年のNPB とMLB の攻撃は、得点とOPS（出塁率＋長打率）という点では良く似ていて、これには自分は少し驚きました。まあ、それからの2年間はイメージ通りのデータで、プロ野球の方が少ない点を守り勝つスタイルでした。2004年以前がどうだったのか興味をそそられます。

記事の続きは次行のリンクからどうぞ。

Some NPB v MLB offense comparisons

Just did some comparisons of NPB and MLB offenses for 2005-07. Just scratching the surface here, so nothing deep yet.

R/G	Year・年	CL・セ	PL・パ	NPB	AL・ア	NL・ナ	MLB
平均試合	2005	4.40	4.46	4.43	4.76	4.45	4.59
得点	2006	4.12	3.92	4.03	4.96	4.76	4.86
	2007	4.11	3.94	4.03	4.90	4.71	4.80

 

OPS	Year・年	CL・セ	PL・パ	NPB	AL・ア	NL・ナ	MLB
	2005	0.739	0.739	0.739	0.754	0.744	0.749
	2006	0.712	0.705	0.709	0.776	0.761	0.768
	2007	0.724	0.701	0.713	0.760	0.756	0.758

 

Although Japanese baseball is known for its small ball from top to bottom (even though WBC was won with timely big bats), in 2005 NPB and MLB offenses exhibited very similar R/G and OPS numbers, then they diverged rather extremely after that (I don’t have NPB data for years before 2005, and wasn’t going to go beyond 3 years for analysis anyways, but it looks like a future project).