Let's change the subject.



--- In baseballmn@yahoogroups.com, George Rekela <grekela@...> wrote:

>

> Sure sign of the coming Rapture: New York Times mentions Ross Bernstein.

>

> On Sun, Jul 5, 2009 at 5:37 PM, <amugalian@...> wrote:

>

> >

> >

> > Today's New York Times has an item in the sporting page "Spotlight" feature

> > about baseball's "unwritten rules." Other than an unfortunate reference to a

> > Ross Bernstein book, the article mentions some interesting, if familiar,

> > "rules" that supposedly everyone knows about but don't always observe. One

> > of them puzzled me. Apparently, in a game earlier this season, B.J. Upton

> > stole second and third in a game in which his team trailed the Indians by

> > nine runs. The Indians, it seems, were mightily offended. I can understand a

> > team being offended if they were losing by nine runs, but what the heck was

> > this all about? I know that a lot of local SABRites feel that these "rules"

> > are bogus and I generally agree. But if your team is winning by nine runs,

> > why would you be offended if the other team tries to steal? After all,

> > stolen bases are a losing proposition.

> > I just want to say that a team should never stop trying to win. If "playing

> > the game right" means playing less than 100%, then maybe we need to reassess

> > how the game is played.

> >

> >

> >

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/writing-down-baseballs-unwritten-rules/\

?s

> >

> > --art

> >

> >

>

Let's change the subject.

--- In baseballmn@yahoogroups.com, George Rekela <grekela@...> wrote:
>
> Sure sign of the coming Rapture: New York Times mentions Ross Bernstein.
>
> On Sun, Jul 5, 2009 at 5:37 PM, <amugalian@...> wrote:
>
> >
> >
> > Today's New York Times has an item in the sporting page "Spotlight" feature
> > about baseball's "unwritten rules." Other than an unfortunate reference to a
> > Ross Bernstein book, the article mentions some interesting, if familiar,
> > "rules" that supposedly everyone knows about but don't always observe. One
> > of them puzzled me. Apparently, in a game earlier this season, B.J. Upton
> > stole second and third in a game in which his team trailed the Indians by
> > nine runs. The Indians, it seems, were mightily offended. I can understand a
> > team being offended if they were losing by nine runs, but what the heck was
> > this all about? I know that a lot of local SABRites feel that these "rules"
> > are bogus and I generally agree. But if your team is winning by nine runs,
> > why would you be offended if the other team tries to steal? After all,
> > stolen bases are a losing proposition.
> > I just want to say that a team should never stop trying to win. If "playing
> > the game right" means playing less than 100%, then maybe we need to reassess
> > how the game is played.
> >
> >
> > http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/writing-down-baseballs-unwritten-rules/?s
> >
> > --art
> >
> >
>

--- In baseballmn@yahoogroups.com, Art Mugalian <amugalian@...> wrote:

>

> Why doesn't anyone want to discuss my original post?

>

> --art



For me, the combination of "unwritten rules" and the Anti-Christ of Information

was more of a turn off than the post about being a groper or gropee of Sid

Hartman.

BTW, even if it wasn't evident, there was a bit of tongue-in-cheek (no pun

intended with anything related to Sid) in each of my last two posts, and my

reference to changing the subject referred only to the Anti-Christ of

Information, not to the original topic.  I shouldn't be dictating what can and

can't be discussed on this forum as long as it's baseball related.



Stew

BTW, even if it wasn't evident, there was a bit of tongue-in-cheek (no pun intended with anything related to Sid) in each of my last two posts, and my reference to changing the subject referred only to the Anti-Christ of Information, not to the original topic. I shouldn't be dictating what can and can't be discussed on this forum as long as it's baseball related.

Stew

--- In baseballmn@yahoogroups.com, "Alan R. Holst" <alanholstfamily@...> wrote:

>

> Art made me wonder how many lines from 1776 we could apply to sports.

>



> John Adams "I'm obnoxious and disliked, that cannot be denied."  (So many

choices, but why not Stew's prospective love muffin Sid?)

>



Sid - love muffin?  groping?  tongue-in-cheek?



Let's change the subject.



Stew





BTW, Art, Robert McNamara stumped the panel, as did Michael Jackson.  But we had

a flurry of lead changes last week with Farrah Fawcett, Gale Storm, and Karl

Malden.

I'm behind on my email, but thought I'd comment on this one because I

don't think I saw a response.  To me, the reason stealing twice when

down by nine runs is an issue, does boil down to playing the game the

right way, namely by the team that is ahead.  If personal stats are not

the goal, then simply finishing the win is playing the game the right

way.  So the team that's ahead, tries to get the last 3 or 6 or 9 outs

as quickly as they can.  They do try to minimize baserunners; but once

a runner gets on base, he's fairly irrelevant, unless you calculate

that the chances of a double play are high.  If you stand to sacrifice

any out-making defense at all, by holding the runner close to his base,

then you won't do it.  You'll still try to throw him out on the steal,

so no Defensive Indifference, but it's much more likely a vain effort.



And therefore, a runner who takes advantage of this, is rightly (in

my view) seen to be padding his stats.  Just another asymmetry that

lends the game its charm.  Stealing 2nd only, which eliminates the

DP, probably won't raise hackles nearly as much.



In fairness, the mopup relief pitcher cares about his ERA, so it

certainly may be a case of hypocrisy, to complain at all.





John Gregory   ashbury at skypoint.com   http://www.skypoint.com/ tilde ashbury

Thought for the moment:

True friendship is never serene.  - Marie de Rabutin-Chantal



On Sun, 5 Jul 2009, amugalian@... wrote:



>

> Today's New York Times has an item in the sporting page "Spotlight" feature

about baseball's "unwritten rules." Other than an unfortunate reference to a

Ross Bernstein book, the article mentions some interesting, if familiar, "rules"

that supposedly everyone knows about but don't always observe. One of them

puzzled me. Apparently, in a game earlier this season, B.J. Upton stole second

and third in a game in which his team trailed the Indians by nine runs. The

Indians, it seems, were mightily offended. I can understand a team being

offended if they were losing by nine runs, but what the heck was this all about?

I know that a lot of local SABRites feel that these "rules" are bogus and I

generally agree. But if your team is winning by nine runs, why would you be

offended if the other team tries to steal? After all, stolen bases are a losing

proposition.

>

>

> I just want to say that a team should never stop trying to win. If "playing

the game right" means playing less than 100%, then maybe we need to reassess how

the game is played.

>

>

>

http://bats.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/04/writing-down-baseballs-unwritten-rules/\

?s

>

>

> --art