The numbers don't lie (not all the time anyway)

I’ve never been a big believer in the stats the CCA and WCF keep – I’m more a Gerry Guerts disciple. I've just seen far too many of the scorers in action over the years to have faith in how they determine a score. But no matter how you slice them, the numbers put up by Team Jacobs in the opener agains China at the world championships are pretty impressive.

The WCF ciphers had the skip at 100 per cent after eight ends and gave him a score of 96 when all was said and done.

Here’s what he told Mario Annicchiarico of the Victoria Times-Colonist after winning 7-6, a score that doesn’t reflect the dominance of the Canadian squad.

“I’d really like to see the percentages from that game. I think we were probably pretty high,” said Jacobs, who returns for Finland this morning at 9 then Scotland at 7 p.m. “We curled really well, made all the shots we hadto make, capitalized on the misses.” 

The percentages told the tale, with Jacobs curling 100 per centinto the ninth end. By game’s end he had curled 96 per cent, Fry was at 95,E.J. Harnden at 94 and Ryan Harnden finished at 89 per cent. As a team, theywere a collective 94 per cent.

Jacobs said the team wasn’t nervous in its first contest on the international stage with the Maple Leaf on the back. In fact, it was just the opposite, as Monte Stewart of the Canadian Press reported.

“I thought we would be a little more nervous than we were, because we never played in the worlds before, and everyone’s there, and all eyes on us cheering for us,” said Jacbobs.“It was wild, but we weren’t nervous. But because we weren’t nervous, it allowed us to come out and play our game. It was awesome all around.” 

Interesting to note is that the world championships are featuring the same stones used at the Brier. You remember, those ones that caused all the whining from players as they tried to figure them out. It will be interesting to see if that will give Jacobs any sort of advantage as other squads try to match up the rocks that didn’t seem to be matched.