Nov 20, 2009

Spinning sabermetrics

Often, I enjoy the art of the argument more than the actual content in the debate. I appreciate the creativity of trying to convince someone of something they don't want to believe.

After yesterday's posting on the Cy Young awards and assessing Cole Hamels, consider these pieces by a stathead and traditionalist. Decide which one is sincere and which one is satire:

First:

So I pictured that shredded repository of all that is Scriptural about baseball, the lengthened shadow of fine print that comprises its history and greatness ...

And I muttered, "Look at how they've massacred our record book."

The only group walking the Earth scarier than the Global-Warmingistas are the Pitch-Countniks.

Second:

Yesterday was a seminal day in baseball history. When it was announced that Chris Carpenter finished second in the National League Cy Young voting despite not being named on two ballots - yes, two whole ballots - the game of baseball was irreparably changed, and not for the better. It may be hard to recognize at first but, sometime soon, we'll be looking back on this Thursday in the same way that we now look back on Opening Day 1947 or the first time Derek Jeter's dreamy smile graced the covers of the New York tabloids. I mean, this is important stuff.

The former was a piece by Bill Conlin, the crusty guy at the Daily News who I can barely read. I actually read this one, however, dumbfounded that someone would still have such an attitude without no reservations. The latter is a good spoof from Wezen-Ball that were Conlin to read it, he'd probably think it were a serious and legitimate piece of journalism.

So who won this debate without even having to break out a sophisticated mathematical formula?

Today's news: Nothing much going on in SoxandPhils-ville, but I wonder whether Christine finished buying my Christmas gifts.

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