[the 'stache]

Originally Posted by almostdone

Bill,
I absolutely appreciate you taking the time to do this. I worked an 11 1/2 hr day yesterday and when I got home I said hello to my wife and went to our bedroom to change. I decided to pick up my iPad and see any updates quickly. I started reding your posts to my question on Reese and Musial and pouring over the numbers. Time got away from me so when I went back downstairs my wife asked if everything was ok. I told her with a huge smile about this thread and the numbers that could have been. She politely listened and tried to share in my joy but after a few minutes of my rambling she just looked at me and said "You're such a nerd sometimes". I know she was kidding ( sort of) but I took it as a compliment.
Thanks again for doing all this. It it's really fascinating to me and I'm sure many others on this forum.
Drew

Originally Posted by teetwoohsix

Amazing work Bill! I'm very impressed by your analytic skills and research, this thread is very intriguing. Thanks!

Sincerely, Clayton

Thank you, gentlemen. Drew, I think in this instance, being a bit of a nerd is a good thing. Baseball, more than any other sport I've ever seen, lends itself to statistical analysis. That statement is reinforced by the seemingly endless array of new metrics introduced every couple of years, ones that I have not yet begun to understand, let alone master. The most interesting advancements, in my opinion, are the fielding metrics. I don't know how they can be accurately applied to older players, but wouldn't it be interesting if we were able to compare Ruth, Aaron, Clemente, Kaline and Ichiro, and definitively determine who had the best range, the best instincts, the strongest arm, and which of those Hall of Famers was truly the best overall defensive performer. If those numbers favored Clemente as much as I think they would, how would that change the perception of Clemente. If we're able to say "Babe Ruth, as a hitter, meant this many wins, while Clemente, with his glove and arm, won this many games."

Brooks Robinson versus Eddie Mathews, Ozzie Smith versus Alex Rodriguez, Johnny Bench versus Ivan Rodriguez. It opens up so many interesting possibilities. Maybe these defensive metrics need to be refined over time. Or, maybe they're accurate already. But to think that we might be able to answer questions that have existed for decades, and then create new questions from those answers...I will openly admit I'm happy to be a baseball nerd in the year 2014.