So, you’re are tuned into a Red Sox game and–suddenly–one of the announcers makes a STUPID comment and you start yelling at the TV or car radio. It’s high time that you have a place to vent your anger at the announcer and this is the place to let out your rant rage.
[Send your criticisms to my nephew Earl: thethrillofthegrass@yahoo.com]
How many times have you heard a baseball announcer say:
“McCarthy’s has hit well against the Pirates; his lifetime batting average against them is .454…”
But, McCarthy has not been batting against ALL the Pirates for the past 9 years; he hasn’t even been battling against ALL the Pirates’ pitchers.
He HAS had at bats against certain Pirates’ pitchers over the years, but he has not batted against the Pirate pitcher on the mound in the game today.
POINT: The only relevant stat for McCarthy [or any batter] is his past record against the pitcher he is currently facing in the game today.
Suppose McCarthy is facing Ralph Rush in the game against the Pirates. And, to make it interesting, suppose McCarthy has faced Rush, when the pitcher was previously with the Phillies and the Mets.
Then, the announcer should be fed all the ABs that McCarthy had against Rush, regardless of the team that Rush pitched for.
Also, suppose McCarthy has played for other teams as well. Then all of his ABs against Rush, regardless of the team McCarthy batted for.
Thus, “McCarthy has had great success against Rush; in 55 total ABs, McCarthy has his .454 with 6 HRs, and 22 RBIs.”
And batters don’t hit against particular ballparks either.
“Yeah, Sam, Whitey Bulger loves to hit in Fenway Park…he’s batting .344 here over his ten year career…”
Really? Is it the batters’ backdrop? The North End pasta? The city water? The CITGO sign? His regular lady on Mass. Ave.?
How many times have you heard a baseball announcer say:
“Johnson has pitched well against the Red Sox; his lifetime ERA average against them is 2.88…”
BOLLLOCKS !
Johnson has not been pitching against ALL the Red Sox batters for the past 12 years.
He HAS pitched to certain Red Sox batters over the years; he has even pitched against the Boston batter at the plate in this game.
"POINT: The only relevant stat for Johnson [or any pitcher] is his past record against the batter he is currently facing in the game today."
Hence: “Johnson has baffled McDuffy over the years; McDuffy has batted just .125 in 64 ABs over the past 10 years and has only managed 4 singles and a walk.”
With all the stats available these days with computer databases, why can’t the announcers skip telling us irrelevant crap and give us stats that are specific to the matchup between the batter stepping into the box and the pitcher on the mound in today’s game?
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