tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post6860876642043042855..comments2023-06-25T04:47:18.160-04:00Comments on NationalsFanboyLooser: My Head HurtsMikeHarrishttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15120210292656990693noreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-92170763357290775302010-05-05T16:06:33.466-04:002010-05-05T16:06:33.466-04:00Harper and Chris are both correct. Somebody needs...Harper and Chris are both correct. Somebody needs to teach the stat-heads to write. And somebody needs to teach them to use the simplest stat necessary that proves your point. If you overwhelm people to prove a simple point, they tune out. If your goal is to educate fans to change the stats they use, confusing them to the point that they tune out is not the most effective strategy. Too often I read a strong point articulated so poorly that there is no way anybody actually understands it. They reach for the advil and move on instead.Unknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06585304213621604104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-46966314647965182462010-04-29T07:26:15.830-04:002010-04-29T07:26:15.830-04:00Well said Harper - mostly I kid on this stuff. I r...Well said Harper - mostly I kid on this stuff. I realize they have their place. Too many people have these weapons and don't know how to use them.<br /><br />Me? I don't have them and don't know how to use them.MikeHarrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15120210292656990693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-86230007617501966032010-04-29T00:00:24.736-04:002010-04-29T00:00:24.736-04:00"I'll kick your ass 10 ways to Sunday, pa..."I'll kick your ass 10 ways to Sunday, paying no attention to BAPIP, VAPIP, ORP, GORP, VOMIT, GAS, HOSSCRAP and DUNKADOO"<br /><br />Well probably not but if those teams played a 10 game series it would most likely end around 5-5.<br /><br />My problem with the complicated stats is when they are brought in when simpler stats can do the job. Last year Ryan Howard was 16th in OPS. Everyone knows he's not the best fielder or base runner so maybe he's... the 20th best player last year? Ok well what does WAR say? 28th best? Like you say - out of how many players? Do those roughly 8 spots really matter? <br /><br />There's a place for fancy stats but they shouldn't be the default. Slightly more accurate doesn't make up for much harder to understand.Harperhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07738813756060133236noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-35793769311742927672010-04-28T18:26:09.892-04:002010-04-28T18:26:09.892-04:00A simple explanation would be wonderful. I think y...A simple explanation would be wonderful. I think you would agree the one I posted does not qualify as simple.<br />And I indeed get older every day. The Nats are trying to keep me young. The Caps are trying to kill me.MikeHarrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15120210292656990693noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-9248774042965767132010-04-28T17:32:33.518-04:002010-04-28T17:32:33.518-04:00Man, you're as old as you look! :)
One of the...Man, you're as old as you look! :)<br /><br />One of the brilliant things about Bill James is that he was a writer before a statistician. Most of the statheads on the internet are approaching it the other way.<br /><br />They don't do a good job of communicating their methods or (most importantly) why they're important.<br /><br />Remind me sometime, and I'll loan you a copy of one of the old Baseball Abstracts. I can't remember the year off-hand, but he walks you through -- using plain language -- what goes into scoring runs, and why BA stinks on ice.Chris Needhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10455692848328638937noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-71708895612079305752010-04-28T11:38:24.275-04:002010-04-28T11:38:24.275-04:00Speaking of Caps, I just voted for him in your 3-w...Speaking of Caps, I just voted for him in your 3-week MVP poll, but I was surprised to see that he is getting so little love from your voters. Livo's been great, but he's only pitched in four games. Clippard is my favorite pitcher on the big club right now, but he hasn't been getting those last three outs of each win. Pudge has been hot, but he doesn't even have a home run yet.<br /><br />Capps has slammed the door on 9 of the 11 Nats victories. He may not have always looked pretty doing it, but he has gotten the job done. Imagine how different this season would be if Hanrahan was still attempting to close. <br /><br />Two other comments: 1). Don't you think the Cubs wish Capps had chosen them over the Nats? and 2). You can see why the Pirates have had a 20 year run of futility. Releasing a still young player of Capps's obvious ability before he was even eigible for free agency and getting nothing in return was a supremely boneheaded move.bdrubenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1478750914084047598.post-46697512829830297692010-04-28T11:34:03.947-04:002010-04-28T11:34:03.947-04:00Batting average is a pretty convoluted stat, if yo...Batting average is a pretty convoluted stat, if you think about it, especially compared to something simple like OBP. RBIs tell you more about how good the guys in front of you are at getting on base than how good a hitter you are. <br /><br />Plus, the more basic rate stats generally are more reliable and conisistant than the "classic" stuff like AVG, R, RBIs. It'll probably make your headache worse, but Needham recently linked to an interesting article from a couple years ago about this stuff:<br /><br />http://web.archive.org/web/20080102094412/http://mvn.com/mlb-stats/2007/11/14/525600-minutes-how-do-you-measure-a-player-in-a-year/<br /><br />But I will agree with your ¡Livo! love.cassnoreply@blogger.com