Comments on: Statistics Are Evil! http://www.outincenterfield.com/2008/07/statistics-are-evil/ Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:31:22 -0600 http://wordpress.org/ hourly 1 By: Texas Gal http://www.outincenterfield.com/2008/07/statistics-are-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-37635 Texas Gal Thu, 10 Jul 2008 22:49:08 +0000 http://d1077806.u46.nozonenet.com/wp/?p=1416#comment-37635 Interesting take. I think it's a lot of "we're frightened of these new and fancy ways of doing things" -- because it's certainly not STATS they're frightened of. They love stats, just the wrong ones - wins/losses, saves, BA. Even OBP is ok. It's the new ones - OPS, VORP, EqA, etc. - that give them the willies. And also, the "we're jocks and don't like geeks" factor. Except you don't have to be a geek to understand the value of OPS, VORP, et al - just logical. Interesting take. I think it’s a lot of “we’re frightened of these new and fancy ways of doing things” — because it’s certainly not STATS they’re frightened of. They love stats, just the wrong ones – wins/losses, saves, BA. Even OBP is ok. It’s the new ones – OPS, VORP, EqA, etc. – that give them the willies.

And also, the “we’re jocks and don’t like geeks” factor. Except you don’t have to be a geek to understand the value of OPS, VORP, et al – just logical.

]]> By: Soxlosophy http://www.outincenterfield.com/2008/07/statistics-are-evil/comment-page-1/#comment-37634 Soxlosophy Thu, 10 Jul 2008 01:24:34 +0000 http://d1077806.u46.nozonenet.com/wp/?p=1416#comment-37634 I think one of the reasons for the anti-stat attitude is the worry about authority. Why does Joe Morgan call games? (not a rhetorical question.) As a former player, he's an "expert", and so qualified to tell us about stuff. But as everybody else knows, he doesn't know jack. It seems a terrible irony that numbers geeks- the sort stereotypically picked on by jocks- should have more authoritative knowledge of the game, and this is a threat. Plus, there's the whole 'they don't play the games on paper' thing, which is another way of the players' wresting control from the numbers... I think one of the reasons for the anti-stat attitude is the worry about authority. Why does Joe Morgan call games? (not a rhetorical question.) As a former player, he’s an “expert”, and so qualified to tell us about stuff. But as everybody else knows, he doesn’t know jack. It seems a terrible irony that numbers geeks- the sort stereotypically picked on by jocks- should have more authoritative knowledge of the game, and this is a threat. Plus, there’s the whole ‘they don’t play the games on paper’ thing, which is another way of the players’ wresting control from the numbers…

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