I just read an article at Yahoo Sports about the incredible response to a free online course devoted to Sabermetrics, which breaks down baseball statistics in nontraditional ways. 13,464 people have enrolled. The class is the brainchild of Andy Andres, 54, a professor of Biology at Boston University. The ideas were first developed by Bill James, 64, the author of numerous books, who has been working in Red Sox front office since the early '80s. In 1977 his first Baseball Abstract was published. Somehow my buddy, Bags, got wind of it. He shared every issue with me year until its last in 1988. I was fascinated. The two major aspects that intrigued me most were the value of on-base percentage (hits plus walks), and historical comparison, wherein the stats of a modern player through, say, his first five years, were compared to one already retired who put up comparable numbers in that period. It was a good gauge of the modern man's future. In 2006 Time magazine named James one of the 100 most influential men in the world, not just sports. One proponent of the system is Billy Beane, whom Brad Pitt portrayed in Moneyball (2011). He has been the GM of the Oakland A's since 1997. Despite a paltry fan base by today's standards and one of the lowest payrolls in MLB, the team is frequently in contention, although it has not done very well in the post season. Sabermetrics is a good tool that execs should consider, but it is not the final word, which often boils down to the human and unknown x-factor that determine outcomes and make sports frequently fascinating. Baseball has often chosen former players to fill management roles. Now there will be competition from so-called nerds. Bill James created a monster, especially when the rotisserie phenomenon is considered.
It was a routine day at the floating book shop until about 15 minutes before closing, when a woman showed with a shopping cart filled with books. Among them were about 50 hardcover pictorials of the Time-Life variety, about 10 children's classics, and a mix of serious fiction and non-fiction, all in good to excellent condition. The biggest problem was how was to get it all in my car. Fortunately, a gentleman bought eight pictorials devoted to WWII. I was so appreciative I let him have them for five bucks. I got most of the stuff into the trunk. I put a tote bag's worth at the foot of the front passenger seat and took a shoe box of sci-fi back to the apartment. Thank you, madam, and also to Lev, who bought the remaining CDs Marie donated, and to the young man who bought two books in Russian, and to the woman who bought Anne Tyler's Noah's Compass.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Horror Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
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