For me, sabermetrics has improved my enjoyment of baseball, providing more insight into “true” talent levels of players and best managerial practices, while opening up a more definitive realm of random events, perhaps good luck and bad luck. It’s the element of luck that opens up baseball to religious reflection. When Will states that the Cub’s lose because they’re so good at drawing fans they don’t need to win, this sounds like the assertion of a personal belief system.
Just a glance at attendance records suggest that (a) the Cubs are usually 5th or 6th in attendance in the National League, so there is room for improvment, and (b) their attendance goes up when they have better teams and goes down when they have unsuccesful teams. When they finished first in their Division in 2007 & 2008, they had a record attendance of over 40,000 per game, and last year it was 32,626 per game when they finished last.
Sometimes the general manager screws-up, see the platypus.
After 9/11 I said to myself that this issue with terrorists would only be resolved when, at the core, we made our problem their problem. I feel no differently today.
“[A]n amiable, low-voltage atheist.”
That’s a nice turn of phrase.
And I hadn’t realized he borrowed his reasoning against the DH from Doc Golden. That’s a fairly disparate duo.
But mentioning that there’s a certain vulgarity to DC seems like stating the obvious.
For me, sabermetrics has improved my enjoyment of baseball, providing more insight into “true” talent levels of players and best managerial practices, while opening up a more definitive realm of random events, perhaps good luck and bad luck. It’s the element of luck that opens up baseball to religious reflection. When Will states that the Cub’s lose because they’re so good at drawing fans they don’t need to win, this sounds like the assertion of a personal belief system.
Just a glance at attendance records suggest that (a) the Cubs are usually 5th or 6th in attendance in the National League, so there is room for improvment, and (b) their attendance goes up when they have better teams and goes down when they have unsuccesful teams. When they finished first in their Division in 2007 & 2008, they had a record attendance of over 40,000 per game, and last year it was 32,626 per game when they finished last.
Sometimes the general manager screws-up, see the platypus.
After 9/11 I said to myself that this issue with terrorists would only be resolved when, at the core, we made our problem their problem. I feel no differently today.
Their meaning the Saudis, lest it was not implicitly clear.
It’s not the kind of problem we will eliminate, just minimize if we are lucky.
Steve
I’m just wondering how many more countries Obama has to bomb before the Nobel Peace Prize Committee admits that it’s the dumbest panel on the planet.
Otoh, his voters keep telling me he’s the non-interventionist peace President, so they’ve got company.
Another day, another war, a new terror threat to America, and everyone is too bored to notice.