Sabermetrics

A reporter once proposed to Bill James:  "Sabermetrics is the computerized analysis of baseball statistics ... right?"  To which Bill confidently replied, "I can't imagine a worse definition."

SABR was taken from "The Society for American Baseball Research."  James, about a hundred years ago, called it "the search for objective knowledge about baseball."  In the 1970's a guy would say "Dennis Leonard should stay in the rotation because he just knows how to throw a low-in fastball to get a double play when he really needs it."  James pioneered the idea of producing evidence for the things he claimed.  One of the first things he found (as Dr. D recalls) was that no pitcher can actually produce a Grounds-Into-Double-Play on demand.

We've brought the concept of SABRmetrics full circle:  if you don't buy into Dr. Detecto's comprehensive knowledge of all things Mariner, you can take a hike.  Alternatively, you can ask SABRMatt (a math major and a SABR member) what the math says lately about the M's.  He's probably only two steps behind Dr. D.

Your friend,

Jeff