tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post7476408807206096602..comments2024-02-13T06:56:14.486-05:00Comments on Walk Like a Sabermetrician: Meanderingsphttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18057215403741682609noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post-83502432162572112472010-11-26T21:56:23.427-05:002010-11-26T21:56:23.427-05:00That is a good way of putting it. The biggest adv...That is a good way of putting it. The biggest advantage that those of us from the pre-internet generations had in terms of understanding was that, for the most part, we had to figure it for ourselves. That represents a lot of wasted time, but it also forces one to understand the inputs and how they fit together, and really encourages a better understanding of why the method is designed the way it is.<br /><br />And of course one of the resources available for misusers is Beyond Batting Average... :-)phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18057215403741682609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post-59093831061529838762010-11-26T20:44:44.224-05:002010-11-26T20:44:44.224-05:00I would also like to see this post developed furth...I would also like to see this post developed further. As someone who belongs to group 2, I see a big difference between groups 2 and 3. The "internet generation" creators are great, but the users of the statistics too often don't understand the stats and misuse them. <br /><br />I feel as if FanGraphs and Baseball-Reference has made it almost too easy to access advanced measures. I certainly don't want them to stop making them accessible though because I want to use them! It's probably better that the statistics be misused rather than not used at all. I feel as if there's a better chance to educate "misusers" than nonusers.Lee Panashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17148118898954670307noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post-1057366563954949622010-11-22T22:23:28.891-05:002010-11-22T22:23:28.891-05:00I just pulled up the post and it's a mess, but...I just pulled up the post and it's a mess, but I'll put it on my to do list.<br /><br />The starting point is that there are three generations of sabermetricians/sabermetrically-inclined fan: <br /><br />1. Pioneers--these are the people that did the initial research, the Bill James and Pete Palmers and George Lindseys<br /><br />2. Second wave--the people who came into the field later (either doing their own research or just as consumers of others' work), but whose initial exposure to sabermetrics was through the work of the pioneers. <br /><br />3. Internet generation--people who came into the field after it had been popularized to some extent, people who have never had to calculate any metrics for themselves if they didn't want to (since they can be looked up on B-R or Fangraphs).<br /><br />Basically, my concern (if it qualifies as such) is that there are a fair number of people out there from the internet generation that really don't understand the concepts or the calculations and have a certain unfounded arrogance. And I think that zealotry for DIPS-types metrics is one of the primary noticeable manifestations of this.<br /><br />As I said, it can all be looked at as very self-serving and divisive, since I would put myself on the tail end of the second wave group. Of course I don't mean to lump all individuals into a group--there are countless great sabermetricians from the internet generation. However, it's also a lot easier to be a consumer of sabermetric ideas than it was previously, and as with anything I think there's a lot that one can learn from actually getting their hands dirty themselves--even if that only entails calculating Runs Created for one's self (for example) and not doing serious research.phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18057215403741682609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post-32586766400391388422010-11-22T22:00:55.579-05:002010-11-22T22:00:55.579-05:00I, for one, would love to read your half-written p...I, for one, would love to read your half-written post about the generation gap in sabermetrics. It's something I've pondered.Mike Fasthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00288872151310441790noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post-51472069210260429652010-11-22T09:08:37.630-05:002010-11-22T09:08:37.630-05:00Dale, if you read the linked post you will see tha...Dale, if you read the linked post you will see that I agree this is a bad idea. This was just a way of walking back what I decided was an overly melodramatic emotional response on my part in that post. Intellectually, I maintain that a second wildcard is unnecessary. But I have to admit that I'll watch in 2012 and I the likelihood that I'll pout about it at that time is minimal.phttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18057215403741682609noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12133335.post-8089250645554520372010-11-22T07:54:36.923-05:002010-11-22T07:54:36.923-05:00"Also, it is worth noting that even with ten ..."Also, it is worth noting that even with ten playoff teams, MLB will still have the lowest proportion of playoff teams among the big four US leagues."<br /><br />I dislike that. "even though this is stupid, it's not as stupid as THIS" (that's not a personal attack on you, I just hear that a lot)<br /><br />re: extra playoffs-<br /><br />It WILL dampen the playoffs. First, it will probably feature two AL East teams. Where before inter-division playoff match-ups where reserved for the Championship Series because it adds extra drama...all that is being thrown out the window! "Welcome to the AL Wild-Card playoffs featuring the Boston Red Sox and the New York Yankees! Let's get this over with so the real play-offs can start!"<br /><br />Where before you had real contenders fighting for the last spot...now you'll have teams like the 2010 Red Sox and the 2010 White Sox fighting for that last spot. Those teams had no business sniffing a spot. And for what? So we can watch baseball on Nov.10th? Ridiculous.<br /><br />And all this talk about "practically no GM opposes this"...Does Theo Epstein not remember the WC has been the Sox's bread and butter? Can someone get me his e-mail? Of all people, I'd think he would oppose this*<br /><br />*I suspect he'd say, "My job is to get the Red Sox into the playoffs. 3 game series, 5 game series, it's all a crapshoot."Dale Samsnoreply@blogger.com