el Don NewsWhen it comes to baseball, there have always been and always will be stat geeks. Since its beginnings, the sport has been defined by the numbers. But now, more and more statistic-obsessed fans seem to be coming out of the bullpen.
There is nothing wrong with stats, but some of these numbers are just ridiculous. Do average fans need stats like wRC+ or wOBA? What about triples to left field when a player’s right cleat is tighter than the left?
Today’s baseball execs are more likely to have Ivy League number crunching degrees than to have ever spit tobacco.
America’s favorite pastime is defined not by players, but by their stats. How many more big-name trades will Sportscenter report in terms of how the move will affect the player’s numbers, and not the teams involved?
Average baseball fans can fight back. Buy your ticket, grab a beer and a hotdog and enjoy the game for what it is — a man with a bat, swinging it at a ball, vying for the only stat that matters, a win.
