Baseball thread- Congrats White Sox! — Page 6

So, *ahem* you'll never guess who won their opener 11-2...thats right, the DETROIT TIGERS! WOOHOO! Wouldn't that just be priceless if the Tigers had a good season for once? I know none of you care, but still, you better watch out for my boys!

As far as Yanks/Sox are concerned though, I'm on the side of the Yankees, even though Sox pitcher Derek Lowe went to my high school and we dedicated our baseball field to him.

Bring back the NHL!

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See? When even the Tigers are bound to win at least 60-something games a year, you know the best team isn't always the one that comes out on top.

And to be fair, I think the Royals are worse than the Tigers this year. Scary stuff. And what an awful division.

L - we will use this thread for baseball until we get angry about the title.

Ok- new title! Yankees/Baseball thread! (gotta keep my yankees in it!)

Neyer's team of choice is actually the Royals. He'll acknowledge the Royals stink royally as far as stats go, but he still cheers for them. There's a difference.

OPS is the best simple stat for determining a hitter's worth, but I doubt Neyer ever said it's the most important stat. There's better overall stats like VORP and Win Shares, but they aren't so easily understood. (I know I don't completely get them, because I haven't studied them enough.)

Anyway, my understanding of baseball has been significantly shaped by the fact that I've been posting at Baseball Primer since 2002. So yes, I judge players by their stats.

You know, by statistics, Jeter is an excellent shortstop. He's crappy defensively (except for last year, when he was okay), but his far above-average hitting compensates and makes him an HOF candidate overall. The reason statheads rail against Jeter is because people make him out to be the god of baseball, and he's simply not. With the exception of 1999, he's never been the best player in baseball, or even at his position - though I think he might take over the latter title this year. So is he a great player, statistically? Yes. Is he Babe Ruth, Ty Cobb, and Mickey Mantle all rolled into one clutch-hitting bundle? No. I really don't see what's so bad about the worldview.

If you rely on your eyes, you'll be wrong. Because our eyes- and more importantly, our loyalties- deceive us. Numbers, if you're careful, are more objective.

The only Yankee I'm completely willing to call clutch without hesitation is Mariano Rivera, who manages the spectacular feat of improving on his already unbelievable regular season statistics in the postseason, when the level of competition is higher.

The fact is, the veterans of the Yankee dynasty have a tendency to look very clutch because they've had so many chances to have exceptional postseason moments. Unlike players in the past, they've had 3 playoff rounds. And unlike most players in any era, they've gotten deep into the postseason again and again. You know how many Yankees are in the top 10 all-time in postseason games played?

1. Bernie Williams - 115
2. David Justice - 112
3. Derek Jeter - 110
4. Tino Martinez - 95
6. Paul O'Neill - 85
7. Jorge Posada - 83

Get the idea? Some players get to the playoffs once or twice in their careers. Bernie and Jeter have played more than half a season worth of postseason games. If you don't have a few late-inning home runs and good catches in half a season of games, you're probably not a very good player. And nobody denies that Bernie, Jeter and all the other guys on the list are or were at one time above-average players at the very least.

The fact that I don't really think clutchness exists- or at least not to the extent Jeter worshippers would have you think it does- doesn't stop me from appreciating the coolness of yesterday's win against the Sox. Walk-off home runs are thrilling and great and Jeter should have credit for hitting that home run. I'm just not going to give him more credit for it than I think it deserves. That's all. :)

Updated On: 4/6/05 at 02:24 AM

And I love Jorge Posada. Because dammit, he's always getting ignored. At lest you can justify how Bernie is ignored by pointing out that he wants it that way.

Knuckleballers are by definition touch-and-go, but Wakefield is a very good one. And he has the Yankees' number most of the time.

However, your problem is that the Yankees have Mussina coming up. Last season's performance notwithstanding, Moose is a really, really good pitcher. And he's had the Red Sox's number before- remember that one-hitter?

Should be interesting. :)

So Jamie, who do you root for?

Mabel- Have fun at the game today! Go Yankees!! :) Especially Jeter!

And WQR- I would most likely pick Jeter, though Matsui has been pretty clutch lately too...

Yup Liotte, I think Matsui could be heading for a huge season this year-he's certainly off to a great start and his position in the order is helping too. I honestly can't blame the Red Sox for at least getting rid of Pedro, I just think he's way too arrogant and always detested him, I would honestly have had a hard time rooting for the Yankees with him on the team. Oh well, it worked out perfectly, just another reason for me to hate the lowly Mets.

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L - you are so kind for the name change. Cubs lost - missed the game. We have 20 tickets (kids, family and friends) for Wicked on 5/14 - should be fun.

You can probably scalp tickets on the 27th. I can tell you precisely where to get tickets, but the price would not be cheap.