Controlled Chaos Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 (edited) Remember watching baseball 20 years ago, for the pure enjoyment. Remember relishing every hit…every run…every out. Remember watching your favorite player hit a homerun and wondering how far the ball went, instead of how far back he is from the league leaders. Remember he was your favorite not because of his slugging percentage, but just because he played the same position as you. You didn’t need to spout off his RISP or OPS to defend your allegiance either. He was your favorite and that was good enough for everyone. When your team didn’t win, it stunk, but you didn’t need to go looking for stats as to why. You might point out certain things…so and so went 0-5 or so and so gave up 7 runs, but listing the teams paltry OBP wasn’t likely. You might check the box score the next day, but that was the extent of it. You moved on and looked forward to the next game. After the season, you might point to a player or two that didn’t pull their weight, but you didn’t really dive deep into the statistics of each guy. You just looked forward to the next season, hoping the powers that be will make the right moves. Well, times have certainly changed my friends. The majority of fans not only gives their version of a season ending analysis, but a weekly, sometimes daily, detailed dissection of each players stats. Also, it’s not just a fans favorite team getting analyzed, but players on other teams, even in other leagues, due to possible acquisitions that fans now somehow feel a part of. Fans have access to more information today than GM’s had 20 years ago. Players in A, AA, AAA, free agents, contract status, salary caps and every single statistic imaginable. The amount of acronyms in baseball rivals that of the United States Government and you know what…most baseball fans know them all. Many people may not be able to tell you what the BLS is, but ask them what WHIP means. Every team has a website with their stats from A ball to the majors. We have thousands of blogs, sport sites, and message boards (albeit only one that matters). The Internet has taken fanaticism to a whole new level, but it has also somewhat defrauded us of the enjoyable diversion baseball used to be. You never thought about things like how many years your favorite player had left on his contract and if it would make sense to trade him now. You know why?? Cause it wouldn’t!! He was your FAVORITE PLAYER!! Decisions such as those were left for the GM. When they went down, you may have been unhappy, but you understood the reasoning. It was the business side of baseball and fans remained relatively uninvolved. Sports Reporters also had access to all this information. They needed to know the inner workings of the team. Possible trades or cuts. Injury status. Contract status. They needed to know it all because they had to write about it. In today’s world, the lines have blurred a little. Now all of us have to write about the goings on with our team. The business side of the game is now everybody’s business. Players aren’t known for their personalities, work ethic or passion for the game. It’s simply a matter of the numbers they put up and if their contract is fiscally responsible. In fact, I would go so far as to say you would be called ignorant for paying attention to those other qualities. You want to claim Joe Crede as your favorite player, you better be ready to defend yourself against his lackluster career .305 OBP, because you will be questioned on it. Numbers are everything in today’s game and they are obtainable by all. Everyone is a GM and everyone is a Sports Reporter. Only there are no consequences when making a wrong move online and there’s no personalization in writing about people you’ve never met. The Internet has made all of us baseball experts. While it’s nice to have all this information at our fingertips, I sometimes long for the baseball ignorance of years past. Baseball isn’t something to just get lost in anymore. With the maturity of the Internet we were given the access to make watching baseball more of a job, and damn us if we all took the bait. So take a few games this year and watch them with the simplicity of the game in mind. Forget about ERA or OPS and just concentrate on the battle. Sit on the edge of your seat for every hit, every pitch and every out. Scream like a little kid as your favorite team goes for the win. However, if they should lose, I expect your full report here the following day. Edited February 27, 2008 by Controlled Chaos Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Nicely written, CC. Bravo! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimbo's Drinker Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 All I know is the internet allows me to watch today's spring game.....thats cool but i agree with the above argument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoSox05 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I love some stuff about baseball and the internet. I totally agree with all the numbers. I can't stand sites like baseball prospectus and what not. It's like are we entering a math competition or watching a baseball game. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 i don't think it's the internet alone. i think the increased coverage in general probably takes some of the mystery and romance away from the game. you have news outlets entirely devoted to sports and they have to fill time, thus you really dig into the minutae of everything. on one hand, this is a good thing. if you are a baseball fan, you don't have to wait for such a narrow window of time to satisfy your interest. on the other, how much coverage is enough, and do we need steroid talk 24-7, 365? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iwritecode Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Good piece of writing but I have to say that I disagree. Maybe I'm one of the few but I really don't pay attention to the numbers all that closely. I can still watch a game for the fun of it and have no idea what any of the guys' batting average is. I can still root for my favorite player just because I like him, not because he's the best. I mainly use the internet to get the information faster. Who won, what place are they in, who got traded, etc... The other reason I use it is to connect with other fans and read their thoughts on the team. There aren't too many Sox fans around me, so this is the next best thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3 BeWareTheNewSox 5 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 No, it's your choice to not get caught into all of the stat crap and act like you'll ever be a GM in your life. Fantasy baseball doesn't count. You can still like Joe Crede because he once had killer sideburns. I like it, gives me increased coverage of both my team and other teams to the level I want. I don't hate stats, but I don't go crazy over them. I can follow spring games, and I'd be a different person if I couldn't bring Gameday or Gamecast around with me to follow the games, so hell no for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Balta1701 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Am I the only one who has heard anecdotes of kids back in the 50's reading the daily box score and going through all the numbers on how their favorite players were doing? Why is it looked like such a bad thing that people pay attention to the stats? I think I'm vastly more interested in the game these days and the fact that it's such a fun game to know the numbers on certainly contributes to that. I can sell myself on this team a lot better, for example, because I realize that one of the key problems for the team last year was that they couldn't take a walk to save their lives (Grindiness!) and to fix that problem they brought in guys like Quentin and Swisher and O.C. who are significant upgrades in that regard over their predecessors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Spencer Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I don't get caught up in all the numbers, either. But before the internet I wasn't able to follow the Knights or the Barons. I now know a kid before he's brought up in September. I also go to see the Knights when they are in Indy, Toledo or Columbus. Before the internet I wouldn't have a clue to their schedule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
southsider2k5 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Its called missing the forest for the trees. People who spend to much time buried in the numbers, and even the wins and losses miss the grandure of the game that is unfolding in front of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WhiteSoxfan1986 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Without the internet there would be no Soxtalk. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leonard Zelig Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 I think fantasy baseball has a lot to do with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Controlled Chaos Posted February 27, 2008 Author Share Posted February 27, 2008 I feel like some people here didn't even read what I wrote and are just replying to the topic?? I never said the Internet is bad or connecting with new fans is bad or being able to watch video online is bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipps Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Chaos I completely agree with your piece.I find that during the season I cant really post on the whitesox forum too much because it is so damn overwhelming with all of the number crunchers being critical of every post that is being made.It seems like no matter what point you try to make there is always somebody with a number to contradict whatever it is that you are saying,even when its just a random thought about baseball. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reddy Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 i kinda like all the numbers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eickevinmorris Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Get off my lawn! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eickevinmorris Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 QUOTE(shipps @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 12:07 PM) Chaos I completely agree with your piece.I find that during the season I cant really post on the whitesox forum too much because it is so damn overwhelming with all of the number crunchers being critical of every post that is being made.It seems like no matter what point you try to make there is always somebody with a number to contradict whatever it is that you are saying,even when its just a random thought about baseball. Yeah, like when I try to make the dubious comparison of Nick Swisher to Jeromy Burnitz, there's some fact-monger there to inform me of how wrong I am! What the f***?! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tuffers Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 QUOTE(Iwritecode @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 05:38 PM) There aren't too many Sox fans around me, so this is the next best thing. Try following them from the UK! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shipps Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 QUOTE(KevinM @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 12:12 PM) Yeah, like when I try to make the dubious comparison of Nick Swisher to Jeromy Burnitz, there's some fact-monger there to inform me of how wrong I am! What the f***?! Actually there is very similar statistical comparison between the two that I just cant ignore. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthSideSox72 Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 QUOTE(SoxUK @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 01:12 PM) Try following them from the UK! Welcome aboard! Overseas, the internet is great for following the team. I actually first joined this board when I was in India on business, and was looking for a way to get some up to date info online. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Middle Buffalo Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 QUOTE(Iwritecode @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 10:38 AM) Good piece of writing but I have to say that I disagree. Maybe I'm one of the few but I really don't pay attention to the numbers all that closely. I can still watch a game for the fun of it and have no idea what any of the guys' batting average is. I can still root for my favorite player just because I like him, not because he's the best. I mainly use the internet to get the information faster. Who won, what place are they in, who got traded, etc... The other reason I use it is to connect with other fans and read their thoughts on the team. There aren't too many Sox fans around me, so this is the next best thing. ^^^ This is pretty much exactly how I feel. I don't even understand some of the "new" stats that I see people talk about all the time. Billy Beane I am not. Things that have been ruined for me include the NFL (because I participate in Fantasy, and I don't even pay attention to the teams as much as the individual players) and college basketball (because it's on so much that I never feel that any individual game is worth watching). In the 80's, I used to watch the NCAA on Saturdays and all the big matchups, now I never do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harry Chappas Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 It is not the Internet it message boards. In 1999 I believed the Sox had a chance to win because I wanted to. Now Soxtalk and PECOTA has told me my team sucks and may win 50 wins so there is no hope. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YASNY Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Stats are a good tool for the sake of comparisons. However, I base most of my opinion on what I see. There are so many things stats or a box score won't tell you about a game or a player. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scenario Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 QUOTE(Controlled Chaos @ Feb 27, 2008 -> 10:12 AM) Remember watching baseball 20 years ago, for the pure enjoyment, etc... Well done. Very interesting... My favorite line was... "With the maturity of the Internet we were given the access to make watching baseball more of a job, and damn us if we all took the bait." So true. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RME JICO Posted February 27, 2008 Share Posted February 27, 2008 Great piece CC. I've been crunching numbers since as long as I can remember. I would get the newspaper and record the box scores of every game in a notebook to track players batting averages and pitcher's ERAs. Now I can just get that information instantly on the internet, which is sweet. I do love the numbers, but I still watch the game for the fun of it. A win is a win. Also, the internet gives me the opportunity to experience more baseball than I ever could before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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