THE BOOK--Playing The Percentages In Baseball

Wow, I did not know about that Google Books thing!  I had heard that they were working on it a long time ago, but did not know that it was up and running.

I don’t know about the copyright thing either.

Maybe they only do that for Amazon books and the publisher/author gives them permission through their contract with Amazon - or something like that.

If you want to have your illusions destroyed, go here:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/news/story?id=3403051

***

I remember a friend of mine recounting the Expos’ Jeff Fassero near-perfect game.  I was watching the game at home, while he and his buddy were at the game.  My friend wasn’t really aware of what was going on until his buddy told him in the 6th inning that he had a perfect game going.  After 2 outs in the 9th inning, the hitter reached base.  We both remembered it the same way (and I have it on tape), and I thought it was a really bad call by the umpire.  I mean, the guy slid into first base, and it was so close.  At that point, why the heck not give it to the guy?(*)

(*)I was playing in one of those work outings, where we all get together and play something.  This time, it was soccer.  There were a few good looking girls who didn’t know how to do anything useful (on the field anyway… in competition).  They were on the opposing team, and one of my co-workers had told them to just hang around the net, and he’d pass them the ball for an easy goal.  I didn’t know of course.  So, he gets them the ball, and they barely tap the ball towards the goal.  I come rushing out like crazy, reach the goal line and kick the ball away (while at the same time kicking my foot into the goal post).  My friend came over, thinking he’d help me get to my feet.  Instead, he berated me, “Tom, what are you doing?  I was going to get those two hot girls to score their first goal!  You blew it for me.” And that’s when I realized that there are some things more important in life than winning the battle.  The umpire should have realized that in such a close play where the call could have gone either way, a perfect game is the tiebreaker that will win the war.

So, I asked my friend, “what happened to the next batter”, and he said “struck him out”.  However, he didn’t strike him out.  The next batter actually hit a 2-run HR, the game was now 3-2 (as I remember it as I’m writing this), and Fassero was pulled out for a reliever (I guess Wetteland or Rojas).

My point is: I never corrected my friend.  I let him have his memory as he remembers it.  Is it better to ruin these memories or correct them?  I don’t know.  But, my friend wasn’t a huge baseball fan, and those girls weren’t athletes.  Let them have what they can get and remember.

For us though, maybe what Neyer is doing is a good thing.  But, now, that’s one less baseball story I can tell.  However, I can make one up of Ryne Sandberg and Bob Boone.

Mike Fast does a great job of presenting a particular pitch of the Lester game:
http://www.hardballtimes.com/main/blog_article/strike-zone-silliness/

I love this stuff…