This is for all you SABERMETRIC fans out there, who live, die and pontificate on baseball statistics. Sabermetric stands for Society for American Baseball Research (shouldn't that be Sabr-metrics? - Apparently, numbers are everything, but words are nothing). Sabermetrics is defined as the objective study of statistics to analyze current productivity and predict future results, based on the past. If that's true, then, to quote a Batman adversary, "Riddle me this, Batman."
## Before the season, the Orioles were predicted to finish a distant 5th in the AL East. Currently, they are 8th in the AL in ERA and 9th in runs scored. Yet here they sit, 2nd in the monster AL East, only one game out of first.
## The Athletics were given little chance to be in the post season. GM Billy Beane made his reputation by compiling a team of high On-Base-Percentage players. This year, Oakland is 25th in MLB in OBP and 10th in the AL in runs scored. But the A's are 2nd in the AL West, ahead of those powerful Angels, and the current leader in the wild card race.
## The White Sox were not considered to contend for anything other than being the best team in Chicago, and that's only because the other team is the Cubs, who weren't even expected to be the best team in Wrigley Field. The White Sox are leading the AL Central over the pre-season favorite Detroit Tigers.
## The Philadelphia Phillies were the lock in the NL East. Right now they have a stranglehold on 3rd place, 17 games back of the Nationals.
## The Pittsburgh Pirates were dismissed as heading toward their 20th or so straight losing season. The Bucs spent most of the season fighting for the lead in the NL Central and they are only 2 1/2 games back in the wild card race.
Basically, predictions are fun, but as long as they continue to decide games on the field, the winners and losers will be determined by athletes, not accountants.
A FINAL WORD ON STRASBURG (MAYBE)
Should the Nationals lose during the playoffs, there will be all kinds theories as to how they would have done if they had continued to use Strasburg. I will end my attention to the subject with some words from Norman Chad of the Washington Post.
"In the thick of a magical season that may not come around again for 50
years, the best interests of the Nationals are for Strasburg to pitch until his
arm falls off. (By the way, if it does fall off, with modern medicine it can be surgically
reattached and — at most — he misses two starts.) As for Strasburg, his best interests are to pitch as long as he can as well as
he can, for we may never pass this way again."
A FINAL TIME IN BEANTOWN
The Yanks start a three game series in Boston tomorrow. Very little drama this time, since the Red Sox are hopelessly out of any race, and even Bobby Valentine knows he'll sound awfully silly if he tries to demean and insult New York this time around. In the meantime, the two Yankee rivals, Tampa and Baltimore will be fighting it out in Tampa for three games. Regardless of how the Yanks do, they'll be gaining on somebody.
THEY SAID IT
"Maria Sharapova said her breakup with basketball's Sasha Vujacic
was due to them both having such busy schedules. For those of you scoring at
home, make that a double fault." -- RJ Currie
"Think Big Ben Roethlisberger is serious about this fatherhood stuff? The kid's nursery is
reportedly decked out with steel curtains." -- Dwight Perry
"Marlins reliever Juan Carlos Oviedo — the former Leo Nunez — underwent Tommy
John surgery: Oviedo hopes to come back a new man — a guy named Jose Lopez." -- Greg Cote
"This just in: Bud Selig announces plans to expand playoffs further this year.
How far? Just enough so that the Yankees are in the post-season. Even Bud has
given up on the Red Sox." -- Janice Hough
"Why is it called “Tommy John surgery”? Shouldn’t the procedure be identified by
the doctor who first performed it, Frank Jobe? After all, the Heimlich maneuver
isn’t named after the person who was choking." -- Norman Chad
"The New England Patriots is offering free Wi-Fi for all their home games. This
means that Gisele Bundchen and Wes Welker can tweet each other instantly when
Wes drops the bleeping ball." -- TC Chong
CP-
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