man, I love baseball.
My enjoyment of baseball quickly approaches obsession as I find myself looking deeper and deeper for more information. I keep learning, lightbulbs turn on, things click...I hear names and listen to trade options and all the numbers have significance.
I hate numbers, math. But I love baseball numbers. Because they make sense. They translate exactly what happens on the field to an equation that can calculate success or failure on varoius levels.
Late last night I was scanning the internet, looking at different trade rumors. I find myself keeping a close eye on the A's--mostly due to my recent reading of Moneyball. I see that they are considering picking up Sean Casey for the remainder of the season. Casey would be a good option for a few reasons--possibility of filling in for Dan Johnson if his return to the Big Leagues is a flop. Additionally, he goes up for free agency in 2007, meaning (and this is dependent upon the type of free agent he is, {am I correct, Ben?}) that if Beane were to let him go after his contract is up he could possibly recieve a first round draft pick.
That's so badass.
I keep reading and the names and the numbers connect and suddenly I see value in things that I didn't see before. For instance, Scott Hatteberg, once a catcher for the Red Sox. When he played for the Red Sox, I remember him getting a lot of bad press because he didn't slug away like many of our players at the time did (some still do). Boston couldn't see the value in Hatteberg, and when he injured his hand and could no longer catch he fell off our radar. Beane picked him up, made him a first baseman--and he's been good. Better in many ways than Mark Loretta, the Sox's 2B player; almost up there with Youkilis, current 1B for the Sox. He thought his career was over, right? But someone saw the value. (Then again, the A's tried to arrange a deal to get Youk-dog, and Epstein had just figured out how valuable he was in time to keep him in the pocket.)
that's SO badass.
Baseball eats my brain. I could disappear in it and totally not care. I'm lucky to have been introduced to this side of things. It has forever altered my view.
I hate numbers, math. But I love baseball numbers. Because they make sense. They translate exactly what happens on the field to an equation that can calculate success or failure on varoius levels.
Late last night I was scanning the internet, looking at different trade rumors. I find myself keeping a close eye on the A's--mostly due to my recent reading of Moneyball. I see that they are considering picking up Sean Casey for the remainder of the season. Casey would be a good option for a few reasons--possibility of filling in for Dan Johnson if his return to the Big Leagues is a flop. Additionally, he goes up for free agency in 2007, meaning (and this is dependent upon the type of free agent he is, {am I correct, Ben?}) that if Beane were to let him go after his contract is up he could possibly recieve a first round draft pick.
That's so badass.
I keep reading and the names and the numbers connect and suddenly I see value in things that I didn't see before. For instance, Scott Hatteberg, once a catcher for the Red Sox. When he played for the Red Sox, I remember him getting a lot of bad press because he didn't slug away like many of our players at the time did (some still do). Boston couldn't see the value in Hatteberg, and when he injured his hand and could no longer catch he fell off our radar. Beane picked him up, made him a first baseman--and he's been good. Better in many ways than Mark Loretta, the Sox's 2B player; almost up there with Youkilis, current 1B for the Sox. He thought his career was over, right? But someone saw the value. (Then again, the A's tried to arrange a deal to get Youk-dog, and Epstein had just figured out how valuable he was in time to keep him in the pocket.)
that's SO badass.
Baseball eats my brain. I could disappear in it and totally not care. I'm lucky to have been introduced to this side of things. It has forever altered my view.